Garner Lake Provincial Park - Aug 19 - Aug 23

Mum and Dad are loading up the trailer - no planes and there goes my travel bag. Hurrah we're going camping! 😸 We didn't head west like we usually do - where are we going? We ended up at Garner Lake Prov'l Park. Although there was a small glitch - all the sites were reservation only. There was no staff and no self- reservation. We drove around and found a site. Luckily we were able to reserve at the gate so we didn't have to go home. 

Five minutes in and I am already dirty. Dad had to shampoo me. The smell of VO5 certainly hampered my stalking. Although by the second day the wildlife all seem to avoid our campsite. There didn't seem to be any mice but there were lots of birds, ground squirrels and ordinary squirrels. The ground squirrels would go into the underbrush and grab bunches of leaves in their mouth. Mum figures they're getting ready for winter. 'Course - we were surrounded by dogs - lots of dogs!

Our campsite.

Mum and Dad went for lots of walks. I got to go for shorter walks but the gravel was hard on my feet so sometimes it was more carry than walk. And did I mention there were lots of dogs - it was hard to find a route that didn't set off a chorus of barking dogs. I did meet a few people and some of them had even brought cats. Mostly indoor cats and apparently not other-cat friendly. And the people carry a canoe scared me enough to hide behind Mum. I'd never seen a canoe before! I even climbed a tree - twice. Well, it was the same tree but I did climb it twice. Mum didn't see but Dad saw so it counted.

Dad making cookies - a daily treat.

My hiding spot

The weather was quite nice. Only one thunderstorm at night. Mum insisted that the tent heater should be used in the evening during the cribbage tournament. For awhile Mum was winning most of the games but by the second day Dad caught up. They think it ended pretty even by the end of week.

It was the best week of the summer!

Camping Clear Lake - July MOFFA

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Mum and Dad packed up the trailer and we were off. There were planes in the truck so I guess we are going float flying 😸. Dad has been working really really hard on his 415 - a water bomber. He is pretty sure it will fly but the first flight is always a little iffy. Dad had it all set up and ready to go when it started raining. It rained and it rained and it rained.  It was starting to be the worst camping trip ever!  

When is it going to stop raining? 😾

Dad even had to cook in the rain.

  By Friday the weather improved and Saturday was perfect flying weather. Dad's plane did fly well.

Courtesy of A.S. - MOFFA chronicler.

One of the other pilots spotted for Dad on the first flight. The 415 flew very well. What a relief!  When Dad went for the second flight he noticed a small flutter so the plane was grounded for the rest of the weekend. He did have the Northstar so he still had many hours of fun flying. 

We did have a bear scare while we were there. There was a big bang for the bear banger but I didn't see a bear that day. However the next day I heard rustling in the bushes. I peered and peered into the bushes. I even did the gopher stance to see better. There was still some rustling in the bushes so I slowly slunk into the trailer where I could watch from the safety of the table 🙈. I didn't even give a second thought to whether Mum was safe.... Mum was watching - the rustling turned out to be one of the boys playing with walkie-talkies. What a relief.

We didn't get our regular campsite but this wasn't all that bad. There was lots of mouse and squirrel activity. There was even a path that looked interesting. I didn't really want to go for a walk so I didn't even climb a tree. 

Camping Clear Lake

Mum says that camping is so Dad can fly his float planes but I think camping is for me.

View from my campsite

 I spent hours tracking a mouse in this pile of dead grass. I could hear it with my swivel ears. I pounced and came out with a mouthful of "mouse". Mum and Dad just laughed and laughed - it was mouthful of leaves and dead grass. 😖.

My other mouse hunting sport!

Twice a mouse did come out of the brush but Mum held me back. When Mum tried to scare the mouse away she kept advancing - claws out, teeth bared. A very brave mouse!


I was so involved in my hunting I didn't even notice the squirrel that ran right behind me and tried to invade our trailer!  And I didn't even climb a tree. Next time.

Dad did take me to the beach when Mum was making clay fairy houses. I did get to interact with a few of the dogs. They are so noisy compared to cats.


Dad got lots of flying and Mum did some social stuff besides reading her book. We did have a thunderstorm with hail. Some poor pilot had his plane covered except for the tail. The hail was very hard on that tail. We were snug and dry in the trailer but Mum had to change the supper menu.

Mum says that Dad made the planting boxes for her but I beg to differ. The blueberry box is the best place to hang out. There will be tomatoes and lettuce and spinach and kale and maybe peppers. All Dad's favourites.

I know we haven't been doing many posts. Last year was a challenge. First we went on long trek across Canada. I got to see many great parks and campgrounds, meet relatives and got to roam around in other houses. We had a special party for Gram's 90th birthday. When we were on our way home Dad got sick and needed emergency surgery in Timmins. I got to stay in a hotel and ride in an elevator. We even flew home so Dad could have more surgery. He spent a long time in hospital so Mum didn't have much time for me. Now she has more time and she will help me catch up on our travels. 😻

Rainy days

If I sit under this chair I won't get wet :)

Spring has sprung

Spring has sprung
The grass has riz
I wonder where the birdies is












I really don't care
I have my chair :)

Winter Musings

As I lay here dreaming about my summer  adventures my Mum is trying to take my picture. Maybe if I keep my eyes closed she will go away :).







We did do quite a few flying trips plus two camping trips on our own. My favourite spot was Mcleod River Recreation area - there was a path for walking, wildlife to stalk and trees to claw.

Our last camping trip with the RC float flying folk did not start off well. It was very wet and very cold. Thank goodness Dad had made sure that the furnace was running properly before we had even left the yard.  It was the wrap up weekend so there was a big dinner. I wasn`t invited but I got to stay cosy in the trailer. There was a draw for prizes. Mum had spent some time putting together recipes from all the ladies into a cookbook. It got a very good reception. Mum was pleased it was more sought after than the hats :).

We did go for several walks. There were some courageous squirrels and chipmunks that kept me entertained. There was one interesting activity. One of the ladies wants to do a scrapbook so she was taking pictures of all the activites. She did want a group picture of the "furry" friends. It seemed to take a long time.

Are you ready yet?

Too many dogs.....

I'm outta here

 

 

 

Not sure what our plans will be for next summer. I am sure we will do more camping with the float flyers (and their dogs). We may even do a long trip. In the meantime I am enjoying the warmer winter weather. Mum and Dad take me on walks around the neighbourhood. I get to chat with some of my favourite neighbours and check out all the cool smells. Summer is definitely more fun - not so cold on my toes.

Is there a mouse in here?