Canada Day

My morning started a little after five. The incessantly rattling of the sump pump roused me from my slumber and my bladder ensured there was no blissful return to the abyss. I tried to hold out but eventually had to rise to empty it, so insistent. The Big T was weirdly awake and watching CSI:NY. Sleep returned for a spell then some podcasts got consumed as I readied for my adventure. I was ready rock ahead of seven. First stop was for McBreakfast, then I met the Complete brothers at the launch. We took the boat out to the sandbar. There were a lot of deadheads coming down the river with the big rains. The wind coming out of the North was pretty angry and whipping up the waves. We tried to apply the anchor but we were drifting immediately away from where the fish were, if they existed at all in that lake. Cold wind, rough-ish water and then it started to rain. After a half hour we headed for calmer waters. To enjoy the river and try our luck there.

We fished the river for a couple hours. It rained on and off again but we had hoods and a bimini cover to combat the elements, the cover was made feasible by the calmer winds. We all managed to get lures caught in trees, I did it twice, once ending in spectacular fashion as a jig head rocketed back at me like a bullet.

Eventually we called it and I grabbed some Wendy’s on the way home, including some fries for my parents. After slamming a Baconator I had a hot shower and put on warm clothes to prepare for the gathering that was planned. It had to be outside to follow provincial regulations. There was some trepidation leading up to the appointed arrival time and we weren’t sure that we’d be able to pull everything together. The ideal plan had us using the little used front patio and the backup idea was to haul everything to the garage. I’m not sure Mother had it all meticulously schemed out. The last half hour was a bit of scramble but we were ready to rock well in advance. Nana arrived with my aunt and uncle first. There was a surprise to be revealed for them. We sat in the front and saw a dark SUV slow up and pull in. That was expected, my cousin and his partner from BC were slated to visit. The original guests were confused and surprised when a second dark SUV slowed and pulled in the driveway right behind. That was the big surprise I’d been told to keep quiet about, not the only one either. The second vehicle had my other cousin, her husband and their three week old twin girls. Surprise! Nana was truly surprised and very excited. It was a well played surprise. Mother snagged one of the babies instantly and got to feed her. We sat around outside enjoying the quickly improving weather, eating appetizers and having some drinks. Eventually I was called upon to cook some meat for dinner. I had some smoked porkchops and chicken touredos to cook.

Not long after the above picture was taken things got out of hand. There was a massive grease fire that blackened everything. I was able to save it but it was not my finest moment at the grill. I had to take the chicken back for some extra time to ensure it was adequately grilled. I was definitely off my game, maybe it was only having one beer, I should have had more probably. I was also distracted while talking to the guests, usually I’m ignored and neglected while I ply my craft alone on the deck. I guess we’ll never know.

The meal also included a spinach salad, some scalloped potatoes and some other tasty sides. It was a truly magificent feast and everyone said so. We capped it off with a pair of cakes. One that Mother had made previous and a hand crafted iced cream cake. Nana had asked my aunt to pick it up, pay for it, and transport it. She requested it say Happy Canada Day to further the ruse. The other surprise was that this cake was my aunt’s birthday cake. That she ordered, picked up, paid for, and transported. Nana thought that was the funniest thing ever. It was pretty hilarious. We sang Happy Birthday led by my cousin, who is a professional singer/songwriter. It was better than average, and so was the cake. There was a little bit left, it got quickly stowed in the downstairs freezer, just in case it could be forgotten and left behind.

I took the drone out after supper when the wind had calmed down and showed it to my aunt and uncle, they are thinking about a drone purchase themselves apparently. There are some spots they want to photograph that would be dangerous to get to. My uncle is a painter and will paint photos sometimes. He does good work, I have one of his paintings hanging in my own home. They were moderately impressed by the flying machine. I was glad I got the chance to get a few flights in. We buzzed through one of the three batteries before moving on to other things.

This picture was taken the next morning but you get the idea.

After supper some went for a walk to explore the expansive grounds while others sought some shade from the now hot sun. A few chairs were set up in the garage for that purpose and while Mother wasn’t near at hand we talked the Big T into going down and grabbing the Corvette. Nana has been wanting to take a ride in it since he got it. She used to race cars in her younger years and truly appreciates fast cars. He was only gone a short while before returning. Nana got the first ride, there are photos and video from others but I didn’t have any find their way to me. He slowly backed out of the driveway to the road and then goosed it pretty good, taking the passengers down to the corner and back. All of the kids and Nana took a turn. It’s only a two seater so he can only take one passenger at a time. I happened to notice that everyone came back with a huge smile on their face. Below is my cousin returning, you can see the smile.

After everyone who wanted a turn in the car got a chance he parked it in the shed just before the skies opened up to douse us with an unexpected shower. We took a group photo in the garage thanks to my aunt’s selfie stick. They left shortly after and the rest of us gathered in the garage to tell stories and have some laughs.

Mother even got to feed the other twin before they left. They are on a strict three hour feeding regiment that they follow quite promptly. The babies pretty much slept the entire time, only some light fussing. They are quite tiny as you mayhaps can tell. They recently got their names, after several weeks of consideration. They still call them by their nicknames of Big and Little though, it’s funny.

The guests all left later in the evening, well after nine bells. There wasn’t much to do after that but finish tidying up the mess and head to bed. It had been a long day for me and I was able to get to sleep in relatively good time, not long after ten.