Contest!

While we were waiting here:

for the Budd Car Train:

to load and take us home:

we explored the nearby pine forest and found this:

What is it?

Email me at Janet@BotanicalArtQuilts.com with "Contest" in the subject heading. The deadline is midnight of August 14th. If more than one person gets it right, I'll put your names into a hat and draw the winner. The prize is a handmade Leaf Magic Little Quilt!

A Truly Canadian Holiday: the photos

We're back, the bruises and bug bites are fading, and wow, what a trip! We canoed and portaged between 90 and 100 kilometres (60 miles) in 7 days. The weather was good, Lily was a great tripping buddy, and it was a treat to be with beloved friends.

Waiting for the Budd Car train at the Sudbury train station

The baggage car fills up with canoes, gear, dogs and their people. On this trip there were 4 Golden Retrievers, 1 Chocolate Lab, and a little Shitzu crossed with something else cute. The dogs have to ride in the baggage car, so their owners get to hang out there as well. The whole thing is very relaxed and informal - a great start to the trip!

Here we are in our new Souris River 16' Prospector canoe - me, my dog, and my Hon.

Allie has a new hammock, which was set up as soon as we made camp the first night. We crawled in with our glasses of wine and got caught up from the past year of kids, aging parents, work, and the beauty of escaping from it all for a whole week.

The guys drink cold Heineken while I start the camp fire. We freeze little cans of beer and keep our steaks on them in a lunch cooler for the first night's dinner. By the time we reach our campsite, the beer has mostly thawed and the steaks are ready. I also had new potatoes and sugar snap peas wrapped in tin foil to put on the grill. First night's dinner is always my responsibility, and after that my Hon takes over the food stuff.

It's good to be me.

The guys do some catching up. Lily does too.

A Northern Ontario sunset, and more photos tomorrow.

Deep Freeze '08

The 8th annual Deep Freeze winter camping expedition began this morning in Sudbury. Every February, people from all over Ontario and some from New York State spend 8 days camping on a remote northern lake. They load their gear which is tied to sleds and toboggans onto a special train called the Budd Car and get off at some predetermined point along the railway tracks. Then they trek a few kilometres to a lake and set up a sprawling campsite with many tents and the occasional igloo. Most of the tents have wood stoves, but some do not.

The sleds begin to line up

My husband is one of these crazy people. There are several families, some married couples, and all age groups from 11 years old to the 70's. They come from all walks of life, united by their love of having a good time in our northern wilderness. Some like to ice fish, many snowshoe or cross-country ski, some are musicians who bring their guitars for the evening festivities (Hawaiian night is a big party with grass skirts, loud shirts and one coconut bra), and many bring their cameras.

Husband is on the left. Already having too much fun.

Tony, Nicole and Tina from New York State

Sam the Malamute waiting for the train

I am happy to stay at home.