spring flowers and good food

[chuck123wapati]

6 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:

Darren, yes, it's a she. Her name was Tasha. And believe it or not, all that hair came from only the one side of her body! She was never too keen on being brushed, so I decided to leave the other side for another day. She was 13 when that photo was taken. I said goodbye to her in August of the following year. She did me the favour of dying in her sleep, so I didn't have to make that decision every dog owner hates to have to make. 

And when I say she was stubborn, this is what I mean!

My husband and I both loved to canoe. We spent a LOT of time getting Tasha used to the canoe, so she wouldn't dump us in the water. 

In October, we were renting a cottage from one of my husband's good friends. Of course, we brought our canoe along, and since it was a lovely fall day, Tasha and I went for a paddle. As we approached the dock, I could see that despite all her training, she was planning to jump from the canoe to the dock, instead of waiting for me to bring the canoe alongside.

"Tasha, SIT!" I told her. She turned a deaf ear. And I'd made the mistake of letting the 8 foot leash she was wearing get out of my reach, so I couldn't physically correct her.

"TASHA, SIT!"  Nope, still totally deaf...

"TASHA, SIT!!" and I bonked her on the head with a paddle. I might have hit her with a feather for all the effect it had.

She was gathering her haunches underneath her to make the jump, and I knew that if I didn't find a way to stop her, we were both likely going for a swim in some very cold water...

"TASHA - SIT!" This time, I put some muscle behind the paddle. Still, not the slightest response!

"TASHA - SIT!" This time I REALLY put some muscle into my bonk. The blade of the paddle split, but she FINALLY sat down, and stayed there until I was able to draw the canoe alongside the dock! 

I used to say that sometimes you had to hit her upside the head with a 2 x 4 just to get her attention. Well, maybe not a 2x4, but definitely a canoe paddle! 

Here's a picture of her in her younger days: You can see how frightened she looks as a result of me abusing her with the paddle [sarcasm]

 

 

 

She was a beautiful Dog!!! But remind me not to go canoeing with you, lol. Sometimes I get jumpy, too. lol We had a Siberian that would put that pile of hair to shame lol she was a nightmare to brush out. We would have to do it outside or there would be dog hair dust bunnies in and on everything in the house. loved her though; she ran off a dozen times i think, once for three years.

[Darren8306]

I wasn't suggesting re-naming Tasha. She's a good girl as she is. 

 

I was talking about the nearly whole dog beside her (less bony, more fluffy)

 

I haven't taken Ethyl paddling, but have had her out on the motorboat. I think she would dunk me on purpose, but I aim to be ready for a splash, when paddling. (I'm not all that good at it)

[Sheilajeanne]

Below is our canoe, made by Ron Ward in Orillia, Ontario. Ron was second generation in the canoe business. His father also fixed light aircraft, as they used the same fiberglass and canvas materials. When I was a kid, I remember seeing airplanes parked on the front lawn as we'd drive past Ward Canoe on Hwy. 11. I guess the technology changed over the years, because Ron didn't fix planes.

His canoes followed the traditional lines of Ojibway canoes, and were very stable in rough water. The curved bow helped prevent water from getting into the bow, and the 'tumblehome' on the sides of the canoe helped with lateral stability - the sides of the canoe curved inwards slightly from the gunwales to the waterline. Roger wanted Ron to do some work on the canoe, which is why we took it along on a x-country skiing and snowshoeing trip! 

 

Edited yesterday at 03:04 PM by Sheilajeanne

[Sheilajeanne]

Ron's canoes were beautiful. I remember the first time I really noticed one. I was coming back from a canoe trip with the University of Toronto Outing Club, and we stopped for gas.

The car at one of the other filling stations had the most beautiful canoe on the roof. "Where did you get your canoe?" I asked the driver. "It's beautiful!"

"Ward's Canoe, in Orillia," the man told me.

I'd been past it hundreds of times, so had no trouble finding it. I asked Ron what one of his canoes would cost. "$1,500 for a 16 footer," he said.

I was a poor, impoverished student at the time, so that was way beyond my means. Little did I know that one day.... 

Below: Ron and his wife, Jean work on repositioning the seat of our canoe, so it will paddle better if we want to solo.

Ron and Jean crack up at one of Roger's bad jokes!

Second photo: the canoe in its new home. I cried the day I sold it, but at 55 lbs. it was too heavy for me to manage on my own after Roger died. 

I did manage to find a canoe light enough for me to portage on my own. It's a Bell Prospector, made of Kevlar. It weighs 37 lbs!

Edit: Chuck, that sounds like a typical Siberian!  

Hey, have you ever been to sled dog races? I lived in Sundridge (Northern Ontario)for a couple of years, and went to the races in Kearney. It was fascinating to see the dogs doing what they were bred for. They are so eager to run that a 4 dog hitch needs 2 people plus the musher braking the sled to get it safely to the starting line! 

 

Edited yesterday at 03:27 PM by Sheilajeanne

[Sheilajeanne]

Four dog hitch, heading for the start of a race:

Edited yesterday at 03:30 PM by Sheilajeanne

[Darren8306]

There is a 'Ward Air Memorial' here in town. Guy named Max Ward was a prominent aviator and personality. I hauled some pontoons south and back for him (he was having them repaired) and never quite met him myself before he died. He produced a National Film Board flick about his shake-up of the aviation business in Canada, including his somewhat theatrical presentations to parliment.

Yes, I've seen sled races. I used to think the dogs were being abused, from their yelping and crying. After seeing the race, I noticed that they only started yowling and complaining when the run stopped. Work them brutally through a 25km 'trapline run', picking up sand bags and navigating awful terrain, and they were fine and having fun. Stop their sled at the end, and the crying starts.

It's a common joke here, to have a young person arrive, fresh out of school trying to pay off crippling student debt, and they are issued a 'rescue dog', very often a reject from these working animals, then the student has to try to get along with a high-energy working dog, while working all the hours they can manage. 

I've seen desperate young people building stronger kennels, medicating their pups for 'anxiety' (lol) and in the best cases, taking up running or skiing themselves, in order to get those nut-cases their 10-20km daily minimum exercise. Those working dogs often need that much JUST to get the wiggliestupid out of their system.

I got a golden. She is happy running a 10k with me, OR sitting quietly on the couch.

Couldn't find a pic of the Ward Air Memorial, OR the pontoon load, but this bridge is new since we drove up years ago. It's crossing the Mackenzie River (one of the great ones) and is incomplete on this day when I ran it, while being paced by a bald eagle, and having a random driver wait patiently until I was done with my shenanigans before proceeding.

Gosh I'm glad I don't still live in Onterrible. I hear it's considerably busier, dirtier and more restrictive than when I fled for greener pastures. A pal of mine just had a health scare bring her to a hospital. Seems the Ontarians are solving every problem with mass immigration. I guess they must love it and be constantly voting for it. If you look at the results, I mean.