Sunday August 31

Bonnie:  It was another long day but a wonderful Sabbath!  Bob gave an excellent talk on getting back to the basics. After church there was a surprise "party" for Patsy and I because of our birthdays!  Patsy's birthday was yesterday, I think, and mine is the 4th.  It totally surprised me!  Actually the primary president had brought the treats for one of the primary kids who ended up not being there. The treats were two cookies with ice cream in the middle.  They had to be eaten right away!! But somehow there was a card for both of us signed by the sisters in the Branch.  How they did that without us knowing is beyond me. Then, we visited with a brother who is in a home for the elderly. We took him for a walk and gave him some cookies to eat (some of the berry cookie bars I had made yesterday.)  He is so sweet. After that we tried to call several others, but could not make connections. The Voterro's asked us over for dinner so we ended the day there. The husband has Italian ancestry and the wife is French.  He made gnocchi from scratch. We had it with marinara. It was very good. It's always fun to talk to Sister Voterro. I love her accent. We actually got home before 8:00 tonight.

Bob: It quit raining about 7:30 this morning and hasn't rained since, but more thunder showers are scheduled for tomorrow. Tuesday through Thursday are supposed to be good though. Boat is empty of water right now, but looks like tomorrow I'll be bailing it again. Going to try fishing in the morning if the rain holds off for awhile.
Glad to get the church talk over. Have known for a while that President Jakob would have me speak before we left. Talked about the restoration of the church and priesthood. Did tell the story of Vince Lombardi and Jerry Kramer. Vince Lombardi once told his team that they needed to get back to basics. Then he held up a football and said, "Gentlemen, this is a football." Jerry Kramer immediately replied, "Coach, you're going too fast." I also took the opportunity to tell everyone about President Jakob falling out of the boat the first time he and I went fishing. They enjoyed that.

Birthday girls

Saturday - August 30

Bob: Not much happening today. Rained most of the day. When it stopped I went down and bailed out several boats for something to do. Tried fishing off the dock, but no luck. First-mate baked some delicious blueberry cookie bars. She also froze more blueberries.  We have 12 cups in the freezer, plus some for cereal and snacking in the 'frig. If we stay much longer I'll be needing some larger pants! Did watch West Virginia lose their opening football game to Alabama today. Spent the evening watching Hoosiers. Still think it is one of the best sports movies ever.

Friday - August 29

Bob: Out fishing this morning while Bonnie when to get a haircut. Got 1 pike in about 31/2 hours. Only had the one bite. Fishing is still slow. Only nice thing is the weather. Highs in the 60s, with sunshine and light breeze.
In the afternoon we went blueberry picking. Looking at the containers we used it looks like Bonnie out picked me 2 to 1. Glad I'm not picking berries for a living!
Bonnie and I went back out fishing after dinner. We went to Mountain Lake and trolled most of the way down the lake and about 3/4 of the way back up the lake and didn't get one bite. It started to sprinkle so we packed it in and headed back to camp. Cleaning blueberries now.
Once the logging company cuts all the trees out of an area the blueberries usually come back in 2 to 3 years. Pictures below show Bonnie picking and the area where we were.

Bonnie:  It's quite the job to wash and clean up the blueberries.  So far, we've got about 9 1/2 cups.  We have one more container to do and that will be done tomorrow.  I just looked up smoothie recipes and then realized we don't have a blender. Oh, well. There are lots of things I can do with them.  Just eating them plain is delicious.
Bob found out that most if not all of the perch will have worms right now.  I don't know why but we are told that it's the time of year for the perch to have them.  Some people cut them out and eat them anyway. Gross!

Bonnie looking for the perfect berry!

The Patch

Thursday - August 28

Bonnie:  It's 10:52PM and we've been home maybe 10 minutes.  We've been to see a Sister in Haileybury who is 93 years old.  So sweet.  Then we helped out another widow.  Bob did lots of work outside her house cutting down overgrown trees and bushes.  She wouldn't let me do much--just fold some clothes for her.  But we had a nice visit.  We were invited to dinner to Wiwchar's tonight.  They served moose spaghetti!  It wasn't bad at all! Another couple that was there come up every summer to moose hunt.  He brought moose steaks for us to try.  It was a little tough but the flavor was good.  I never thought I'd like it. We ended the evening playing Mexican Train, although not everyone joined in. What a nice way to end the evening.

Bob: Cleaned the fish before we left this morning. One of the perch was okay and one had worms. But we have enough fish for a dinner. Will try to get some more tomorrow morning.
Have to go back to Sister Craig's home with a borrowed trailer now and haul away two piles of tree trimmings. Hope I can get it all in one load.
Weather was in the 60s today with bright sunshine and a light breeze. It was as Chris described it earlier, "Drop dead beautiful!"

Wednesday - August 27

Bob: Went fishing about 9:00 while Bonnie did the wash. Fishing still slow, but caught 2 walleye, 1 perch and 1 pike that was too small to keep. Took about 3 1/2 hours to catch them.
In the afternoon we went for a drive on Mountain Lake Road. About 16 kilometers down the road beavers have built a dam that has flooded the road. Turned around and took Bonnie to Cooke Lake instead.
This evening Bonnie went to New Liskeard with Patsy, her daughter and 2 grand daughters. They were going to go to the movies. I went fishing again. Got on the water about 6:30. Did not get a bite until about 8:30. Caught one perch tonight. All the fish are in the holder at the dock. Will have to clean them in the morning.

Bonnie:  I had fun tonight--a "Girl's Night Out"!  The movie we watched was "Into the Storm".  It was full of action, that's for sure, and had a good story line, too.  Tomorrow we will be going back to town to do some service and make a visit or two.

Tuesday - August 26

Bob: Went home teaching with Karl today. We went to Thornloe, then Haileybury, Larder Lake, Dobie, Virginiatown and finally Kirkland Lake. I know we traveled well over 120 miles and visited 5 families. A couple other families were not home. I left just past 8:30 this morning and got home about 8:40 this evening.

Bonnie:  Bob came home very tired, with shorter hair and a belly full of fish and chips!  He and Karl got their hair cut at Karl's favorite barber along with everything else they did.  I had a good day as well.  I went to town to do the shopping, which is always interesting.  This Walmart is not laid out quite like the ones I'm familiar with in the States.  At least everyone is polite when I ask them where to find things.  When I got home I worked on my personal history.  Then, after dinner I indulged myself with a chick-flick:  "Sense and Sensibility".  All in all a very good day!

Monday - August 25

Bob: Got up early and went fishing. Tried North of the camp, but only got a couple of bites. Landed one 11 inch perch. When I filleted the fish it looked like it had worms and wasn't any good. Will check with Karl in the morning about this. Turned around and went all the way to Mt. Chutes. Fished several places and one place we're going back to this evening. Put a picture of the chutes below.
Passed the patience test on putting the car jack away. Went back in place without much hassle.

Mountain Chutes

The other day Bonnie talked about the road being gone and water on both sides of us. She didn't want to drive through the washout. Here is a picture of the 'missing road'.

Bob: Went fishing about 5:00 tonight for a change. Went to the mouth of Mountain Lake. Nice hole of water and fish on the fish finder, but nothing biting except 1 clam and 1 crayfish. Did go up a stream that enters the river right after the mouth of Mountain Lake. Beavers have built a tremendous dam. Look carefully at the picture below and you can see the dam and water above it. Could not get up to it because of brush in the creek.

Came back to our favorite spot just above camp. Caught one walleye that was too small to keep. Caught a rock bass that is not worth anything. We are supposed to kill them because they are bad for the environment. Bonnie had a couple of bites and I had a fish on twice, but I think both times it was the rock bass that I finally caught.

Sunday - August 24

Bob: Up and getting ready for church. Checked the weather and the next 3 days look pretty good. However, after Tuesday only 2 more days are forecast to be in the 70s until we leave Canada. Some days have highs in the 50s forecast. Our last 4 weeks may be mostly cool.
After church we had lunch with Brad Sauve, his mother and step dad. Then Brad and I went and put up my sign. Check it out below. There was a car parked there when we pulled up. It took less than 5 minutes to put the sign up. Bet when they came back they were surprised to see the sign.

Sign In Place 

We visited with Brother and Sister Benn later. They live in Latchford which is about 20 miles south of New Liskeard. She just had a knee replacement. She is getting along well though. Went back to the chapel to take care of our AT&T bill and SKYPED with Islena. On the way home stopped and helped a young man change a tire. He didn't have a jack. Now I have a major chore of getting my jack back in place. This will be a real test of my patience!!

Bonnie:  Actually, Islena initiated the skype.  Bob had just got on the internet when we saw a message from her.  It was wonderful to talk to Islena and the boys.  Jeff was at a meeting so we missed  him.  Next time, Jeff!  We now had a 45 minute ride home ahead of us and we were hungry.  It was about 6:30 pm.  The only thing we had was a nice helping of blueberry cobbler made by Brad's mother (who is a fantastic cook, by the way.)  The problem was we didn't have anything to eat it with.  So, there we were, pulled over to the side of the road, and like a couple of hungry bears, eating blueberry cobbler with our hands.  I have to admit it was good, though messy!  Then we helped the young man with his tire.  Just before we got home, Bob decided to stop by the Branch President's home to settle on a time for them to go home teaching Tuesday. We finally pulled in to camp about 8:45 tonight.  We are both exhausted.  It's been a wonderful, though tiring day.

Saturday - August 23

Bob: Been in Toronto working at the temple the last 2 days and without internet except when we were near a hot spot. Left our cabin at 8:00 Friday morning and got back this evening at 7:10. Had a great trip, but we couldn't find the camera to take any pictures. Sister Margetson went with us again. It takes about 7 hours to get to the Toronto Temple from our cabin so we're pretty tired this evening. It's about 350 - 360 miles.
The Toronto Temple is one of the smaller temples. I think it has 2 endowment rooms. Weren't a whole lot of people there this weekend. Did meet a couple that live on an island somewhere near the north part of Lake Huron. They said it is the largest fresh water island in the world. He gave us names to do in the temple. Also, there was a genealogy conference going on right across the street at the Stake Center.

Bonnie:  Sister Margetson is a gem!  It is her 80th birthday today.  Her children surprised her with a party earlier this week because they knew she was going to the temple.  I hope I can be as physically able as she is and have her enthusiasm when I am her age.  She had to climb in and out of our truck and climb lots of stairs and walk about a good deal. She was willing and happy to do it.  And she's led a very interesting life.
All in all, it was a great experience to be in the temple.  I love the joy and peace it brings.

Thursday - August 21

WE WENT BACK AND ADDED SOME PICTURES TO YESTERDAY'S POST

Bob: Another normal day: RAIN, cool temperatures and the fish aren't biting. Did get my sign finished. Check picture below.
We went to Englehart today and visited Brother Warren Cushman and his wife, Karol. She is not a member of the church. She wants to know more about our church so we taught her the first lesson on the restoration. Felt like 2 greenies, but we made it through. She is not available next week so we will be going back to see her the first of the following week.
Packing up right now and getting ready to go to Toronto temple tomorrow. Sister Margetson is going with us again. Will be doing 2 sessions tomorrow and one Saturday morning before returning. Last time we went on Thursday and Friday, but we've been told that coming north from Toronto on Friday is not a good idea. We can attest to that as the last time the traffic was bumper to bumper for miles.

Bonnie:  I'm so grateful for my testimony of the Book of Mormon and of Joseph Smith being the person through whom the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored.  We are so blessed to know our purpose on this earth and what the Lord promises those who keep His commandments.  It was a sweet experience to talk to Karol today.

Wednesday August 20

Bonnie:  It's been a very rainy day--again.  I did some wash and then we went for a drive.  We drove out to Gowganda. (That is where we stayed 3 years ago with Bette, Steve, JoAnne and Niels.) Then, on the way back, we took a gravel road leading into the bush.  Bob was looking for a place called O'Brien. See the accompanying pictures. We saw a sign that said "Danger--Water Crossing Removed".  So what did he do? Drove down the road! We reached a place that looked like we could not go any further. He got out, took a good look and said, "We could go across it!" There was water on both sides of us. The road had a deep cut out of it--about 4' deep.  It looked as if it had sunk. There was no way I was going across that road with a lake on either side!! He decided not to do it when he saw my face, I guess. (That's right. Bob)
When we got home I made two blueberry pies.  I didn't plan on it, but I had too many berries for one and plenty of pie dough left so it worked out well.  I will probably freeze one.  I think from now on I will make smoothies or syrup out of the berries.  I'm getting tired of making pies!

Bob: Not much happening today. Getting tired of all the rain. Temperature is on the cool side too. The owner's son was back in camp today, but is leaving tomorrow. Said he would be back on September 1st and we can go to Hubert Lake for a day soon afterwards.
Got the sign painted today. Going to nail the lettering on it tomorrow. Then I'll get someone help me take the old sign down and nail the new sign up.

Finding O'Brien

This is what was on the right of us:

This is what was on the left of us:

Tuesday - August 19

Bob: We hope everyone has had a great day and that Chris and his family are home safe and well. We went to visit a man and his new wife in Englehart. They live in a nursing home. After that we went to visit an elderly sister in New Liskeard. I cut up some dead limbs from trees and some elm starts that have spread everywhere in her yard. We then went shopping and got home after 8. Watched "Amazing Grace" and now retiring for the night. Will write more tomorrow.

Monday - August 18

Bob: 8:30am and Chris has left with his family. Things are so quiet. I hear the heater humming and that is about it except for the 1st mate, who is up and moving around. Need to plan out the week as we will be going to Toronto Friday and Saturday. Right now, time to exercise after a one week respite.
Sign is all painted except one side needs one more coat. Painting the letters using stencils may take some time and patience. That means I may be in trouble.
Fishing wasn't any good. One bite all night. He took my worm. Threw another worm back and he wouldn't bite again. Don't know what has happened to these fish. The water is about 6 degrees colder than it was before the rain came. That might have some effect on them.
Fried up some pike tonight. It was okay, but not as good as the walleye. Ate the last piece of blueberry pie, but the first mate is making another once we get some flour tomorrow.

Bonnie: It was hard to see Chris and Suzy go with their kids.  I think we had a great week despite the rain! Today I spent cleaning the cabin and remaking the twin beds. Bob spent lots of time on the sign he is making to the hike entrance to Devil's Rock.  The sign that is there is faded so badly, it can hardly be read. Bob wants to make sure it can be found.  It's a great hike, especially for families.
We are fishing tonight, of course.  It will seem odd not to be playing Mexican Train with Chris and Suzy. We did that almost every night when they were here. We will report on how we do fishing.

Sunday - August 17

Bonnie: Church was great today although Evie was the only Young Woman and Daphne and Jonathan were 2 out of the 3 kids in Primary. They did well.  In fact, the Relief Society President asked Evie to say the closing prayer in Relief Society. (The YW President was in Toronto with the other YW and so there was no one to teach her.) We came home and I baked a blueberry pie. It wasn't as good as the last one in my opinion. We went for a ride after dinner to Mountain Chutes Road where there is a beautiful area with rapids coming into it. And then it was into the sauna for Chris and the kids. Chris said it was 150', so it's no wonder they were back within a half hour.

The blueberry syrup Chris made from some of the berries picked yesterday.

Some of the berries

After Church

Saturday - August 16

Bob: Up at 6 and on the water by 6:40. Chris and I went even though it looked like rain. And it did rain lightly. Rain gear has been a good investment this year!! However, the fish weren't up this morning. Nothing biting.
Big news of the day is we got to use President Jakob's canoes and everyone went canoeing. Chris, Jonathan and Daphne in one canoe. Evie and Suzy in another. Bonnie and I brought up the rear. Paddled around the Elk Lake bridge and up Makobie River to where I caught my stuffed 39" pike.  But the biggest event was when we landed. Bonnie wanted to help Chris lift his canoe out of the water. However, she lost her balance and SPLISH, SPLASH, in she went!!

Everyone went blueberry picking today except me. They picked for about 30 minutes and they got 15 to 16 cups of berries. Betty Crocker is supposed to bake us some pies tomorrow. Can't wait for that. She stopped by today and made some homemade brownies. YUM!!

Bonnie:  I wanted to take a swim in the river this summer but it hasn't been warm enough for me.  I guess this "dip" in the river will have to do!!  I'm grateful it was shallow and a soft landing! We did have fun picking the berries.  There were tons to pick.  Tomorrow I will make a pie and some tarts.  It was also fun canoeing. The place where Bob caught that pike is a very pretty area.  

Also, Daphne caught a toad which she named Francesco Bob.  She put it in a cooler, complete with river water to drink, bugs to eat, and leaves and dirt where it could hide.  Unfortunately it only lasted until about 10:00 pm.  He kept trying to escape and it kept the kids awake.

Friday - August 15

Bob: Up this morning and it is NOT raining. Temperatures are still around 50 degrees though. Bailed about 10 gallons of water out of the boat. Wind is blowing pretty strongly, but that will help dry out things if we don't get much more rain today. Hoping for a fishing time tonight. (Found out today that Linda bailed my boat out yesterday around 4 pm. She said the water was clear up to the front seat and most things were floating in the boat.)
Went to town today. Walked the short trail to Devil's Rock in an off and on light sprinkle. Wasn't too bad. Didn't get any pictures of the 300' cliff because we left the camera in the car. DARN, DARN. After that Chris, Suzy and the kids went on the underground mine tour while Bonnie and I visited the Bunker Museum. One man, Jim Jones, starting collecting war time items which eventually outgrew his basement. He then opened a museum in the basement of the old railway station. In time the displays became so large that they moved to their current location. Mr. Jones collected over 90% of the items on display. The attendants told us that they have over a 1000 items still in storage because there isn't room to display them.
Came home and had another fish fry. I must say that the fish were the best yet. I think deep frying them is by far the best way to cook them. Have my eye on a deep fryer!!
Went fishing after dinner and got a few drops of rain, but not too much. We caught 7, but only brought 4 back to camp. The other 3 were too small. Evie and I cleaned them tonight as the mosquitoes seem to have left the fish cleaning hut. Will have to catch some more to have fish again tomorrow night.
Chris, Jonathan and Daphne went to the sauna when we got back. It was almost completely dark when they went. Afterwards they took a dip in the lake. Water temperature is 63 degrees according to the fish finder. Chris brought the kids back to the cabin and he went back to take another dip in the lake.
Bonnie is busy making brownies with Evie's help.

We took this picture after the hike to Devil's Rock.

Thursday - August 14

Bob: Another day of 50 degree weather and steady rain. Cabin fever is starting to affect everyone. In the afternoon Chris, Jon and I decided to drive back out to Planty Lake and see if we could find it. Decided not to drive down into the bush today like I did with Bonnie. Parked the truck and walked between 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile to the lake. Looks like they take 4-wheelers in and out of there. However, to get a boat into the lake you'd have to take it down a steep embankment. Anyway, we spent a few minutes casting for pike. Caught 1 on the second cast, but that was it. Didn't stay long as it rained the whole time we were out of the truck. When we got back into the truck we were soaked from the waist down.
Evie made dinner for us tonight. She made teriyaki rice bowls for us. It was delicious. Bonnie and Daphne made the most special dessert for us. They made blueberry pie and raspberry tarts. They really outdid themselves in my estimation.
We finished the night off with Daphne and Jonathan watching Second Hand Lions for the second time and the rest of us playing Mexican Train. Chris hung on and won with a score of 394. The rest of us all broke 400.
And by the way, it is still raining and it doesn't drop to less than 50% chance of rain till 4 pm tomorrow.

Bonnie:  Despite the rain tomorrow after lunch we may be picking berries! And then it's south for a possible hike to Devil's Rock.  The weather says "showers" and not "rain", which leads me to believe there may be periods without it. When we're down there we may visit the Cobalt Museum.  At least we will see the "Glory Hole".  The plan is to fish in the evening when the rain is supposed to be gone and then use the sauna.  That will warm us all up!  I'm praying for good weather at least part of the day.  It's been discouraging because of all the wet weather.

Wednesday - August 13

Bob: "To fish or not to fish, that is the nagging question." The temperature is about 52 and a light rain is coming down. Forecast says temperature is going down and more rain is coming. If we go, we would have to give the fish away as we have plenty left for another fish fry. Evie is ready to go. Jonathan wants to go. That is it right now. I am just too comfortable inside to get outside. Wish I had forgotten to set the alarm clock!!
Evie and I finally went fishing off the dock about 7:15. A very light rain was falling which wasn't too bad considering we had on rain gear, but the wind was very strong. Nothing was biting so after half an hour we gave up and came back to the cabin.
After Bonnie finished the wash we all headed for New Liskeard to do the shopping, etc. Stopped at the cheese factory for ice cream before we got to New Liskeard. However, once we got there the decision was made to drive to Quebec and have poutine for lunch. It is a big favorite in Canada as even McDonalds sells it. Poutine consists of french fries with hot gravy and cheese curds. The gravy is supposed to melt the cheese. You can dress it up with some other options which Bonnie did. She got Italian poutine. Hers had a meat sauce and cheese on it without gravy. Well, we ended up driving to Ville Marie which is about 40 miles one way from New Liskeard. And we all agreed that it was okay, but nothing special. The restaurant we went to was recommended by one of the locals as having good poutine. So we don't think we purchased a poor version because of the recommendation. After lunch we went back to New Liskeard to do the shopping. When we got back to the camp we had supper, watched a movie and put the kids to bed. Then the 4 of us stayed up to 1:15 playing Mexican train. Sleeping in tomorrow morning.

Tuesday - August 12

Bob: Chris, Jonathan and I went fishing at 7. Girls declined to go. We had to come back at 8 because of the rain. It rained almost all day up to 2:00. However, we did catch another 9 walleye this morning. The ones we caught were a little larger than last night's catch. After we got back we had to clean 17 walleye. We will have a feast tonight. Showed Evie how to clean the fish and she took right to it. She did a very good job.
Fishing has been much more productive the last few days. Doing less trolling and more still fishing. Can't wait to try the technique at Deer Creek in Utah.

Bonnie:  Because of the rain today we did some "projects" inside, such as fixing one of the rugs and gluing ribbon to help decorate the kitchen windows.  Then we played a number of games which was fun.  When there was a break in the rain Chris, Jonathan, Daphne, Evie and I went for a short walk on the trails in the forested area of the camp. Then we watched "Second-Hand Lions", a movie that Bob and I love.  Everyone enjoyed it. That was followed by preparing for our fish fry dinner.  The fish was delicious, as it always is when Bob fries it. He fried about 30 pieces of fish and they were all eaten. Then we went to the library to get some books.  And what a surprise was there for Evie and Daphne.  The head librarian was getting rid of some things which included two porcelain dolls, one about 24" and one a bit smaller in beautiful mid-1800 dresses.  She gave them to the girls! Right now we are watching the first part of a Star Wars movie (until bedtime).  We'll finish it tomorrow.  It will be good to get out of the cabin tomorrow as we make our first trip into New Liskeard.

Monday - August 11

Bob: Internet went down Monday afternoon. Trying to copy and paste what we wrote up last night in Open Office.

Bob: Went fishing this morning at about 10 after 7. Ended up catching 6, but threw 4 back as I am only allowed to have 2 in my possession. Wouldn't want the DNR looking in our freezer! The 2 I kept were 14” and 13”. Bonnie got up after I left and started cleaning the cabin. Helped her finish when I got back from fishing.

Chris and Suzy arrived with their kids about 1:00 today. After unpacking and lunch we headed to Elk Lake to go to the beach. Everyone but Bonnie and Suzy got in the water. It was pretty cold in my opinion. This evening the fish finder said the water is 73 degrees.

After dinner everyone piled into the boat and we headed back to the walleye hole that Bonnie and I found last Saturday evening. We ended up catching 11 walleye and throwing 1 back because I miscounted how many we were allowed. With the 2 I caught this morning we should have enough for a great fish fry. However, whoever is up in the morning at 7 is going out again if it's not raining.

It will be a fun week with Chris and Suzy and their kids.

Monday night's catch

Suzy baiting her own worm

Swimmers earlier today. (Next 2 pictures)

Sunday - August 10

Bonnie:  After church today we had the Primary Program and then a pot luck dinner.  Church is only 2 1/2 hours here so it worked out great.  We weren't there too long.  The program was about 10 minutes and consisted of a short talk and 4 songs, one of which was a duet of  "I Will Follow God's Plan".  It turned out very well, especially since it was a last minute decision to do it.  Two of the older girls will be leaving soon, so it made sense to do the program before they left.  And, best of all, the official branch pianist played the music!  And, as always, the food was delicious at the branch pot luck. Someone brought a gallon bin of fresh blueberries. We saw one person eat 3 bowls of them!
After the pot luck dinner Bob and I tried to see some branch members.  Two were not home and the third is in a nursing home.  He cannot communicate other than "yes" and "no" due to a stroke.  He is so sweet and weeps when we talk about the Savior's love for him.  Next time we will take him a treat and go for a walk outside.
When we got  home, Bob took a two hour nap!!  I checked out some of the short trails in the camp.  When he woke up we spent some time down on the dock, just enjoying the beautiful water and trees.  What a life!

Bob: Brother Timon, a summer resident, was the speaker in Sacrament Meeting today. He did a wonderful job talking about attitude determining altitude. His son has a great saying that goes, 'It is what it is, so let's get on with it'. Also, I had the opportunity to teach Priesthood again. Our lesson was on eternal marriage.
I agree with everything Bonnie said, especially, what a life!! Visited with one of the guys that has a camper here permanently. This is his second summer here. He has carpet on both sides of the large camper with awnings, chairs, flowers and vegetables planted. He built a storage shed beside the camper. He has a pontoon boat tied to a dock that he and another permanent camper built for their boats. His 14 foot boat with a 25 hp motor he beaches beside the dock. He and his family stay here all summer as it is closer to his work than where his home is. His wife goes home a day every week or so to wash clothes and bring in some more food while he is away at work. He said he wouldn't go home till the end of September, but his wife will be going home soon as she drives a school bus. But she will come down a few times a week and on the weekend. What a tough life.

Our Primary Duet twosome

Saturday - August 9

Bob: Went to the Branch picnic today. Bonnie and I got there a little before the starting time of 11. Waited till 11:25 and no one had shown up. The site had been changed from Pike Lake to New Liskeard public marina so we began to think the site might have been changed again. Decided to drive on down the street and we found everyone at another outdoor pavilion. Had a great time and ate way too much.
After the picnic we took a tore of the Cobalt area with Jack Perry. I tell you, that man is so interesting and knowledgable concerning this area. He is a great ambassador for this area.

Bonnie took this of me while I was preparing for the picnic.

This is called the Glory Hole. Very rich vein of silver was discovered here. The hole under the water is several hundred feet deep. The hole in the wall is one of the shafts the men worked. About 30 feet down would be another shaft. This was repeated several times over.

This is a photo of a mine shaft that once produced 1000s of ounces of silver.

Bonnie:  We had a wonderful time at the picnic!  We met some members of the branch that we hadn't met before.

Then, Jack is so interesting.  They have 10 hens that are very obedient!  He  just has to call them and they all come running.  They walk around the yard during the day. When it starts to get dark they go back into the coop.  Jack leaves the door of the coop open all day. He loves animals, especially horses.  They are well trained, too.  It was a joy to hear him tell all about Cobalt.

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Friday - August 8

Bob: Up at 7:15 this morning. Heading to Hubert Lake today. We got the boat loaded into the back of the truck and pulled out of here at just before nine. The road back to Hubert Lake is 0.8 mile and it takes about 20 minutes to drive it. Very rough and bumpy.

Got the boat put in the water and shoved off around 10:00. Only used the electric motor so we weren't moving very fast. Trolled most of day, but stopped for casting at some choice looking spots. We finally figured out that the bass love dead trees that have fallen in the water, especially if the area is shady. Almost every spot we found like that the first or second cast into it they were onto the lure. We ended up catching about a dozen bass, one pike and a perch. Threw all the fish back today. I lost one of my best lures today as the bass swam right to my trolling motor and went around it twice. Then he swam away and broke the line. While that was going on another bass came up to the surface of the water and grabbed a worm Bonnie had been dragging in the water. She was untangling another fishing line and not watching the worm. The bass grabbed the worm and swam down into a brush pile so we couldn't get him either. You should have seen us scrambling to try and land those fish. Very frustrating (and emotional for Bob) to lose those 2 big bass plus a lure and a jig. I figure the bass that swam around the trolling motor has been snagged before and knew what he was doing. Bonnie caught 3 huge bass. She won the prize for the biggest fish a couple times today.
It was a chore to lift the boat and slide it into the back of the truck. We then had to lift the heavy items and put them in the boat before sliding the boat all the way into the truck. I imagine if someone had filmed us we would have been a funny looking twosome trying to manhandle the boat. It was a 14 foot boat. I think the next time we come up here we'll bring a 12 or 13 foot boat with us. Whatever is light and fits inside the 16 foot boat. A small 3 or 4 hp gas motor would have been nice too. Maybe Santa is listening!!

This is the biggest bass I caught today.

This was Bonnie's biggest bass.

Here is Bonnie holding another bass.

The next 2 pictures are of where the bass were hiding. One bass still has a green lure in its mouth!

By the way, when Ontario puts up a new STOP sign it looks like this.

Bonnie:  It was fun to catch all of those bass, but there were not so fun moments--when the fishing line gets caught in the motor, when you start to pull a big fish into the boat and it jumps off the lure and back into the water (obviously, the hook is not set when that happens) and when you feel a pull on the line only to find you have a nice long weed. 

Thursday - August 7

Bob: Cleaned our fish this morning.Then I began getting things ready so we can go to Hubert Lake in the morning. Then we got set to go visit some less active branch members. Made stops in Englehart, Larder Lake, Dobie and Kirkland Lake. Saw some beautiful scenery, met some nice people and got home about 9:45. 3 people we stopped to see were not home but the other 4 were. The most remarkable person we met was a single woman in Dobie. The town of Dobie is unique because it has about 100 people, no commercial businesses, its own town hall building and fire department complete with a fire truck. But this sister is also truly unique. Due to health problems she can barely walk and get around. But she is building a deck onto her house, cutting her own firewood, and doing anything else it takes to survive. She has worked in the mining industry most of her life and finally had to give that up due to a physical breakdown of her body. She's in her late 50s. Very warm and funny to visit with. We are going back to see her at the end of the month and going fishing with her. I'll let Bonnie fill you in some more.

Bonnie:  If everyone was active in this part of the Branch maybe they could start their own!  It takes them an hour or more to get to church.  Some don't have the money for the gas, some it's their only day off, and some have restraining health problems.  Everyone we spoke to was very polite and welcoming to us.  Bob has written about the sister in Dobie.  What an amazing woman!  She has had a tough life, but wants to become the kind of woman the Savior wants her to become.  And she's doing it!
Now, tomorrow will be an adventure because we're going to Hubert Lake to fish.  There is no dock so I have to help Bob drag the boat down to the water.  And we'll be out all day.  What if I have to use the little girl's "wash" room???????

Wednesday - August 6

Bob: Been a slow day. Awoke to a down pour this morning. Slept till after 8 this morning. When I got up Bonnie wondered if I was sick! Spent the morning changing oil in the truck. I've put 5200 miles on it since the last change and the truck computer said the oil was still 58% good before the next change. That would have put it over 10,000 miles between changes. Didn't want to chance that. Oil is cheaper than a new engine. When I got my tools out of the back of the truck to change the oil I discovered that the sockets and extensions were covered with rust. I have a socket and the driver lying on the bed rail where the camper shell hooks on and it didn't have any rust. I think the cardboard box I had the tools in drew moisture and caused the rust. Linda gave me some CLR to clean the rust off. It worked wonders. Cleaned almost all the rust off. Right now I have the sockets soaking in a glass of Coka Cola and they are looking even better. Looks like I found a good use for coke.
Went to Elk Lake and picked up Karl's 14 foot boat. Going to take it to Hubert Lake on Friday. Bonnie and I got it in the truck but it was a chore. Hope we can do better Friday. For dinner we ate up all the fresh walleye and perch we have. Don't know whether to go out tonight or not as it is supposed to rain. Looks pretty good though.
We only got a very few sprinkles. Even the first mate didn't complain. But the walleyes woke up about 7:30 and started hitting. Tonight we used white jigs with worms and anchored the boat in one place. We brought home 4, threw 3 back and had 3 get off before we got them in. All that in just over an hour. In fact one time we both had one on, but we both lost them before we could land them. I think Bonnie got 4 and I got 3 although the last one she caught while holding my pole so I could bait her hook. Next time she will have to learn to bait her own hook and take her own fish off.!!

Tuesday August 5

Bonnie: It's been a beautiful relaxing day except for our bike ride.  We haven't ridden in a good while so we were both tired.  I only went 12 miles, but Bob went over 20.  When he got back his knee was really hurting.  But, the ibuprofen is now kicking in, thankfully.  We are about to go out fishing so we can really "relax"! It's nice catching the fish so we have plenty to eat.  We usually have it two times a week.  It helps keep down the food costs, which are expensive compared to the US.

Bob: We caught 2 perch and 1 walleye. Bonnie caught a huge perch and she had a walleye up to the boat but it got off the hook. I caught a tiny perch and my hook came out its jaw right beneath its eye. Decided to cut the line and throw the fish back in. Wasn't very careful so I ended up cutting off my sinker too and threw it back with the fish and hook! Just bought the sinkers yesterday too. Oh well, live and learn. At least we have enough fish for a good meal.

Bonnie:  Tonight we were accompanied by ducks as we traveled south on the river. I've never seen so many ducks out in the evening when we've been fishing.  I tried to get pictures but they didn't turn out very well. And then, just before we got home, there was a loon really close to our boat.  I couldn't get the camera out fast enough to get its picture. It went under the water and came up away from the boat. It's fun to see the wildlife here. So interesting.

Monday August 4

Bonnie:  Because it rained this morning we decided to do our shopping in town today. Whenever we go places now, I plan for all-day excursions. We never seem to know when we'll be back. Today was no different. We got back here about 5:30. Thankfully all I needed to do for dinner was to reheat some soup and the biscuits to go with it. The salad was already made.
We went fishing this evening and each of us caught a walleye :) as well as very long weeds!
Now it's time for our family home evening. We're reading a book by John Pontius called "Following The Light Of Christ Into His Presence". It's a great book.

Bob: Bonnie has said it all. Time for FHE.

Weed Bonnie drug in tonight.

Picture from the underground mining tour we took with Shannan and kids.

Sunday - August 3

Bob: Getting ready for the drive to church. Bright and sunny this morning.
Just got home from the Jakobs. The fire works were pretty good considering this town has only 400 people. They had a boat parade prior to the fireworks. About 6 boats decorated with lights paraded down the river to the wharf where the fireworks were set off. It was too dark for pictures. We can now say we have seen the Elk Lake Boat Parade!! There were several mosquitoes out this evening because a light shower fell about 7:45, just before we left. So I put on long pants (don't know why I brought shorts to Elk Lake) and a hooded sweat shirt. Rubbed all exposed body parts with bug juice and sprayed my hat. I didn't have a problem with them. Karl told me there wouldn't be any mosquitoes, but he and several other used my bug spray!!

Bonnie:  When I got to church I saw that the sister who was supposed to do the sharing time was not there. And when I talked to the chorister she said she wasn't feeling well and may not come down to lead the songs. (The Primary room is in the basement.)  So, when I got down there I realized it would probably be just me and the children for the entire time.  That's exactly what happened.  Luckily, the five-year old wasn't there so I just had older kids.  After the lesson, we drew pictures and sang a fun song and other songs that will be in the program.  Thankfully, the older girls knew exactly how to find the song cds and play them. Then, after church we spoke to the RS President and Pres. Jakob about who to zero in on in our remaining weeks. We then left with the Cambridge's, (the RS Pres and her husband) and visited a man and his wife who will be having surgery this week.  Bob and Bro. Cambridge gave her a blessing, we shared a thought and said a prayer at Sis. Cambridge's suggestion. That taught me a lot. Now, I know what Bob and I should do in our visits. We'll share the HTing and VTing messages and ask if they would like a prayer. I love the example the Cambridge's set for us today!
Now, it's time to watch fireworks for Elk Lake's "long week-end". It is a country holiday Monday.  We've been invited to the Jakob's.

Saturday - August 2

Bob: Up early this morning. Have to meet Karl at 8:00. Going to help him get some fire wood. I assumed he would be sawing up some down logs and I would be throwing the pieces in his trailer. Well, I was partially right. He has a 24" saw, so the pieces he was cutting were pretty large. We hauled a small John Deere front loader with us to the cutting place. It was my job to load the cut pieces in the bucket and then drive the tractor to the trailer. Then I could lift the bucket and dump it into the trailer. Put about 12 buckets or so in the trailer to fill it up. He figures there is between 3 and 4 cords of wood in each trailer load. We did 2 loads today. Took the first load back and dumped it in the back yard. The trailer has a hydraulic lift so we didn't have to empty the trailer by hand. That was a pleasant surprise. I know we started to cut the second load at 12:40. When we finished dumping it in the back yard and I headed for home it was about 4:50. So it took over 8 hours to cut, haul, etc. Was tired when I got home.
Bonnie has been working on cleaning the cabin among other things. She had lemon pepper chicken, stuffing and salad for dinner topped off with cherry pie and ice cream.
Went fishing just below the camp where I caught the big bass. Bonnie caught a 10" walleye and I was skunked. Getting ready for bed. It has been a long day.

Bonnie:  Today I accomplished a lot, actually.  It's amazing how dirty the floor in the cabin gets with just the two of us.  It needs to be swept every day.  Anyway, I cleaned the cabin real well, practiced Primary songs, worked on my lesson for tomorrow and ironed several things.  Linda and Herman just gave me the ironing board!  They both said they never use it. Nice for me.
Since Bob was so tired when he got home, we decided to go fishing after dinner so he could relax. I love it that I caught the only fish tonight!  We're going to bed early so we can get to church early in the morning.  I need to get into the library before church starts.  I hope all of you have a wonderful Sabbath tomorrow.

Friday - August 1

Bob: Internet went down last night so Bonnie's post did not get saved.
Today's weather supposed to be more of the same. Looks like things begin to warm up tomorrow. People say the temperatures are about 10 degrees below normal. Global warming doesn't seem to be affecting this area!!
Went for another trip into the bush today. Found Planty Lake, but didn't get to the shore as the road to the lake is too overgrown to drive through. I don't think I could walk down the trail without stooping over.
Want to take a boat to Hubert Lake and use the electric motor so I took my boat out to see how far I could get with just the electric motor. Went clear to Elk Lake in 2 1/2 hours and still have charge on the battery. Used the battery the other day to go over half the length of Mountain Lake so I don't think motoring up and down Hubert will be a problem. Still one charge light of four left on the battery. (Used the battery some more this evening and it's still going.)
Went fishing on Mountain Lake this evening. Didn't do any good there, but once we came out of the lake Bonnie caught 1 perch and 1 walleye. I caught a perch only. We had to head in at 9:15 as it is starting to get dark a little sooner now. There was a welcoming party of mosquitoes waiting at the dock for us. I think I have 3 new bites. Fish cleaning can wait till tomorrow. There are people camping down by the dock. Don't know how they will be able to stand it down by the water.
Going to bed earlier tonight as I have to meet Karl at 8:00 am. We are going to cut wood tomorrow. He cuts, I stack.
Bonnie mentions the soup she made. It was fabulous. What a great recipe.

Bonnie:  I have been asked to teach Primary Sunday.  There is only one class with 2 ten year olds, one eleven year old and a five year old.  It will be interesting, that's for sure!  It's hard because we cannot print anything from the internet.  We'll have to ask Patsy and Karl to print the enrichment activities for me.
Tonight for dinner we had a swiss chard and sausage soup, a recipe I got off the internet.   Yesterday the Jakob's gave us carrots, onions, potatoes, swiss chard, tomatoes, and zucchini from their garden.  I'm glad I could use three of those delicious vegetables for our dinner.  I'm so thankful for the blessings the Lord has given us, from great friends to delicious food for our use.  Oh, and for the fish we caught tonight.