D not content with outfishing me this season with bait and lures has decided to take me on at my own game. Over the summer he saved up his pocket money and gift money from relatives and recently bought his own fly rod. With the spare change he also bought himself a tackle box. He's even started tying his own flies. Here we are practising fly casting in the garden and below this the new tackle box and it's proud owner.
Last Saturday I was drafted in to help with a cub scout fundraiser, Apple Day, which involves standing outside our local supermarket offering folks apples in return for a donation. As my official uniform hadn't arrived, I wore K's old Beaverscout leader uniform (minus the name badge). We raised a fair few pennies and I kept this apple which, being "shaped like someone's butt", was a continuous source of amusement for the cubs that afternoon.
On Friday D and I spent a couple of hours at a PG Ski club fundraiser chopping lumbar for firewood. A donor offers the club several trees each year (you can see these behind D) which we then "buck"(cut into rounds), "split" into firewood and sell for $100 per pick-up truckload. Thankfully the club has a woodsplitting machine but it's still hard work. The whole thing happens at one of the lumbar yards so full safety gear is a must.
More big news this year is that I've joined a 10 pin bowling team. How hilarious is that! Split Happens is our team name and we play in a Wednesday night league. Our team captain R (above and another ex-pat) is a pretty accomplished bowler. I'm sort of middle ranking but a handicap system means our team is faring well this season. We're currently 2nd in the league which runs to April I think. I've even bought my own shoes but have yet to go the extra step and invest in my own ball. That would signal serious intent. There are some quite spectacular bowlers playing in the league mind you, who are simply a pleasure to watch.
I went to a meeting for Grade 7 student parents at school last night in preparation for next years 4 day hiking and camping field trip to Mount Robson. Next summer will see V and her classmates tackle the 21km trail to Berg Lake at the base of Mount Robson carrying 50L packs and gear. The trip sounded so good, I've applied to go as a parent volunteer. Think we'll need some serious training beforehand mind you. I'll keep you informed of progress.
PG may only have 81,000 residents but big acts occasionally come through. Last year we had Elton John, Sarah Maclachlan and Brooks and Dunn visit. This year I couldn't pass up the chance to see Avril Lavigne live (I quite like her music in any case). V and I had to wait a while for her to come on (she had 3 support acts) but when she finally did, her show was fantastic. The set included several off her recent album and a sprinkling of favourites from her previous three albums including Sk8ter Boi and Complicated. She played a five song encore which included a fabulous acoustic version of Everybody Hurts, one of my personal faves. The photos don't do the event justice (we were much closer to the stage) and after last night, Avril will keep her PG fanbase happy for quite a while longer.
2011 has seen varying degrees of success fishing my own self-tied flies. Number 3 has been the Foam Beetle, number 2 the Simple Nymph, in a variety of colours (the pink has fished very well this season) but the number 1 spot goes to the Soldier Palmer sealed by its recent popularity with the Brookies at Eskers. I've also had fish with Chronomids, the Olive Blue Dun, the Parachute Adams and the Mayfly Cripple. Unfortunately D has outfished me all season by lure and baitfishing but that's not the point is it? The greater fun is in the art of fly-fishing itself, tying your own patterns and just getting out to the water.
The weather during my week off last week was generally poor but the skies broke and the sun came out on the Wednesday. My friend B and I seized the chance and went out fishing for the day at one of our favourites, Eskers Provincial Park. We decided on remote Kathie lake as our venue but to get there involved canoeing across and portaging the canoe between four other lakes. It was well worth it and when we finally got there, the sun was shining and we had the lake to ourselves. I caught four lovely brook trout on the fly and B had a couple of nice rainbows. The star of the show though was definitely Eskers with its beautiful autumn foliage set against blue skies and the crystal clear lakewater.
I agreed to spend some time over the last two weekends filling and making sandbags with the Prince George Ski Club. This is an annual fundraiser as well as good dry-land pre-season core conditioning. Over two weekends the twenty or so volunteers filled 11,000 sandbags which, when sold, will raise $15,000 for the club and their racing teams this winter. How my arms ached the following days afterwards though!
It's starting to cool down and the leaves are beginning to turn orange and red. Last night was our first night below zero since spring. Fall is here and the snow can't be far behind. Here's a couple of photos of our last family canoeing and fishing trip of the summer at West Lake 3 weeks ago.
