Freedom in a Can: Adventures with Hamlet

While we are no strangers to international border crossings, in the past few weeks we’ve been working on some sort of record (in the non-casino, non-truck driver division of course).   The pleasantness of these crossings is directly proportional to the length of time one stands or sits in line and the attitude of the agent representing one of our two nations.    The exchanges can range from the friendly though cautious and thorough, to the outright paranoid, intimidating and just plain mean.    Let’s just say that the level of complexity of our story increased with each crossing.   By way of illustration, we will outline our itinerary and the relative pleasantness on a 5 point scale ( 1 = please enjoy these complimentary bottles of Maple syrup, 3= tell me more, you crazy tourists, 5 = spread your cheeks wider).    October 3:   Blissfully enter Canada with Buck and Hamlet via Sault Ste. Marie, CN border patrol (Rating = 2) October ...

A tale of optimism, denial, despair, acceptance, trust and action. When I last wrote about our truck, Buck, I was in a bit of a state.   I knew that he was messed up beyond a simple repair but walking away completely was a bitter pill to swallow.   Since we’ve already laid out why I might react this way to an inanimate vehicle, I won’t waste our time here.    I found the writing about the collision cathartic: it helped me move on, helped me process the priorities, and helped me let go of him.   The 2 weeks required to complete the repair at the North Bay auto repair shop (should insurance decide to repair) certainly didn’t hurt either.    Where’s Phil’s Citgo when you need it?    I love the truck but waiting around for an additional 2 weeks might be more than I’m willing to invest.   Sorry, buddy.  By Wednesday we really knew that it was a lost cause, our insurance confirmed it was totaled.   Our friends in the Franklin Mot...

While sitting at the local “Timmy’s” (aka Tim Horton’s) -- where you can get a nice café mocha for $1 – we checked our email, making use of their free wi-fi yet again.   We were excited to see an email from a lovely young woman named Sonia that read, “ I'm not sure what you have planned for the next few days, but my parents and I are having a small Thanksgiving dinner at our house in Callander on Sunday night, and we would love if you joined us! There is a cranberry marsh a few minutes away and we always go picking while the turkey's in the oven, rain or shine, so we can enjoy home made cranberry sauce for the feast!"   Being travelers, we know that reaching out to meet locals and saying “yes” to pretty much any opportunities that come our way will always enrich our lives, not to mention make for a great story! We had met Sonia on Friday afternoon on Sunset Beach on the shores of Lake Nipissing.   We had just packed up a picnic lunch and headed for ...

John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans.”      We have a picture of this quote written in graffiti in our camper, it’s become a little motto for us.   After all, we don’t know what’s going to happen on an adventure; that’s why we do them. We try to put the odds in our favor by preparing, having a good plan, good companions, being safe, and having a little knowledge about what we’re getting into.   Each time we open that door there’s the possibility of the sublime awaiting you, or the genuine meanness of life slamming it back in your face—in other words, “shit happens.”      I remember being told as a young man that it’s not what happens but rather how you respond to it that defines you.   I don’t remember who said this, and she or he was probably quoting someone else, but it made an impact on me and I’ve tried to live by it. Last Thursday, we had one of those moments when it all goes horribly...

Hutch’s folks have had a sailboat ever since he was a kid; the first was a 14-foot sloop on which they all learned to sail.   Frodo, as he was known, broke free from his mooring one night in a bad storm simultaneously ending his career as a sailor, but starting a new one as beach erosion control.   The second was a 25-foot sloop, Free Energy, who had a memorable moment in heavy seas with Shari, Hutch, Mom & Dad, where both the engine failed and the rudder broke free within minutes of each other – having to be rescued by a passing boat.   The latest and greatest of these boats is the 30-foot sloop, also named Free Energy.   My she’s yar, and as of yet she’s not had any issues like her predecessors.     We’ve been up frequently enough to get a few overnight and day sails on this boat, but we’ve not had the chance or time during July and August in our previous lives to take a week or two to get a bigger sail under our belts.   So this was long o...