Vacation

Northern Lights from Pilot Lake - Photo by Chris, circa 2007? They used it on their website.

With the summer teaching semester finally finished, Chris and I are headed to Canada today. We'll be joined by my cousin and some friends for a fly-in fishing trip for the next week, where we will be catching and feasting - mainly on Walleye - on a thousand acre lake. The best part? We will be the only people on this lake, the only people for miles and miles, in a little cabin that is inaccessible by car. Which leads me to the worst part - to get to this cute little abode we have to throw backpacks, duffel bags, cases of beer, sundries, photo gear, and  oh - fishing gear- into one of those teeny tiny planes that takes off from and lands on water. Not my favorite part.


One of these years we'll be bringing the girls with us. While I do appreciate some time away in fantasy land, where I'm not just a parent but an adult too (and one who likes to sleep in and stay up late), I also feel a pang of regret every time I adventure without my babes.

Back in March when we made our budget and tried to prioritize our spending, we needed to keep it clear in our minds that our top priorities were not home ownership, nice clothes, or tuition-based grade schools, but rather traveling: packing up, moving around, exploring, tasting, smelling... removing ourselves from our comfort zones and stuffing what's left of our very fortunate lives full of new adventure. And Bela and Mae, and soon enough baby # 3, are all part of those very fortunate lives.

I can't wait to take them along with us on all our adventures, I really can't. But in the meantime, I am very grateful and fortunate to have so much family nearby to help out during these little escapades of ours... In this case, my mother, Mary Lou and my step-father David. They've been off for the last month on their own almost 9,000-mile RV adventure through Canada and into Alaska and back. And they only just arrived back home last Thursday, but are allowing us to dump our children on them for the next week. Thank you guys. I love you.

So here's to adventure, to northern pike, to walleye, to family, to time spent on a solitary lake with loons, eagles, elk and bear. And in the wise words of my 6 year old daughter, here's to hoping that while away we "just don't die."


http://www.great-fishing.com - Wilderness Air