A Quiet Weekend in Canada

Gary and Matt and Erin and I just spent a nice quiet weekend in Canada, hiking, swimming and snorkeling. Some of us snorkled. Some of us learned the meaning of th verb "to bonk" and will never go hiking again without eating first. Matt and Erin had to go home on Sunday, so after we saw them off, Gary and I wandered over to the neighbors house, where a post-wedding party
was just getting cranked up.
The gentleman pictured above is Bob, father of the groom. The hat was supposed to keep the sun off his head, but I think he just liked it. He looks like a nice harmless fellow, doesn't he? Don't let the looks fool you. People like Bob are the reason that William Wallace and Robert the Bruce were able to drive the British out of Scotland. I spent quite a while talking with him and I learned lots of things about Scotland and the Royal Air Force which are probably mostly lies, but entertaining nonetheless. He was charming and witty and was able to say the most outrageous things in the driest tone I've ever heard. Gary and I liked him a lot.

At left is the band they hired for the occasion. Well, not really. That's Gary at left and some other very nice folks whose names we can't remember playing the mandolin, guitar, and hammered dulcimer. The music started around 6:00 pm and went on into the wee hours, with the musicians coming and going and the songs getting weirder and weirder. There were banjos, guitars, harmonicas, one sad Irish whistle, and even a highland bagpipe at one point. All we were missing was Matt and his ukulele.



Here you see Graham, the groom, and his good friend Stewart (or Stewed, as the case may be) who are reportedly international drinking champions, Scotch division, and are not allowed to spend time with Gary unsupervised. Graham is a very nice fellow and did not even get upset when a guy from Toronto miscalculated and threw a stick for Grady into the lake and almost hit him in the head. And when he turned to see who was throwing sticks at him and saw about 38kg of Labrador Retriever charging through the water at him at top speed, the look of confusion and terror on his face earned a round of applause from the folks on shore. He made no attempt to throw the stick back at the guy from Toronto so I think he will fit in nicely with the Canadians.
Incidentally, both Graham and Stewart were initiated into the Lumberjack Brotherhood during the wee hours of Monday morning and went home with a few stubby socks as souvenirs. ( Ask Ben.)
All in all, we learned that the Scots are a violent and rowdy race and we wish we could spend more time with them. Graham and Crystal also had friends from England, Germany, Russia, Sweden and who-knows-where-else attending and they were all delightful.

I guess this is why we love going to Canada so much.