July 31 ... No really ... it's a Great tent

We decided to simplify this trip ... leave the monster coleman trailer in the driveway ... stay in a combination of spare bedrooms (" I've always depended on the kindness of strangers") campgrounds and motels. Last week I saw a man about a tent. He was a nice old Dutch guy. He had lots of good stories. "The tent was never used." We met in a parking lot. I paid cash.

Set the tent up in Owen Sound and discovered the floor is not attached. I tried to convince Karen that it is a really really good tent ... that bugs sleep at night and racoons always knock before pushing themselves into what surely must be a dining tent. Bob (father in law) said that from a bear's view point, my tent looks like a chip bag. Thank God there are no bears in Canada ... especially in the Rockies and up in Alaska / Yukon. We'll be fine ... went to Home Depot Thunderbay today and cleared them out of duct tape.

Bosgone

July 30 ... been drivin on out, my hands wet on the wheel

16 hours of drive / ferry ride / drive, drive, drive to Lord Tunderin Bay ... only thing that kept my from driving off the road was the incredible beauty of the north shore (Superior) route ... took lots of video ... couple of pics and ... ... 1,254,985 suicide bugs threw themselves in front of the van but I managed to stay on course with the help of Tim Hortons and "Radar Love" on repeat

Bosgone

Back at Billy's Back yard fun compound -- Leith, ON

I went solo this year to reunion in Leith ON. Small crowd but SWEET tunes all night long... Jim hired live music on the deck and local Famer talent played a long acoustic set around the fire into the wee hours. P-E-R-F-E-C-T weather including a full moon to inspire those not normally inclined to sing their own round during a 20 minute(Graham) rendition of "I got the blues" .... best reunion yet (and I think that goes back to 1977) for live music and musical talent. I'm decidedly less enthusiastic about my new "lakeview cabin" tent that is intended to shelter us on our journey across country, in the mountain and all the way up in Yukon ... best I can say is that it looks really good once up under blue skies with no wind ... so I guess I counting on consistently good weather over the next 30 days. .... some body send me a pic or two from Billy's back yard so that I can make this entry a bit better.Up at 4 am tomorrow so that I can get to Tobermory by 6am ... check in time for the 7 oclock sailing to Manitoulin ... then 11 hours to Lord Tunderin Bay.

BOSgone

last day today

Wound up a bunch of loose ends on my last day at work for 13 months today ... cleaning up and clearing out all the while feeling a great sense of unwinding the tension on the treadmill that has kept me running the last number of months. The day started with cake so decadent that I needed to rest in between bites, ramped up with one last teleconference to discuss heroic measures required today to feed the machine chewing on a large dose of silly seasoning, shifted to charades in the shade (team building excursion to centre island) and ended with a couple of Firkin pints with Craig and Claudia,Robert and Rayna, Dave and Joe Kendall. I found myself smiling for no good reason on this last Go train ride for a long while. Or maybe it was that image of Jag skulking around India interviewing for Mrs Goodbar and finding only empty wrappers.

Whoaah ... this is way too deep for me Deepa!

BOS gone