The word of the week is cottage.
July 22 - The Big Day
It was a whirlwind of a day today!
After meeting a friend for coffee in the morning down at Moka House, I went to Island Blue Printing downtown for an 11am appointment. I sat down with a representative to look over the PDF files of my book's second draft, managing not to bounce in my chair with glee at being able to take this important step.
A few minutes later, things looked good but there were some suggested changes I had to make right away if I wanted to get a proof done this week by Wednesday, BEFORE I left for Ontario! I rushed back home( luckily I live only a short walk away )to call my friend Brian, who had worked all weekend on the cover art to prep it for today. He graciously said he would redo the art images into a single PDF, as I needed that as well as a spine-image to do a 'full wrap' of the front, back and spine for the book. I set to work reformatting the entire draft to shrink it from 353 pages, as the printer had suggested there was too much white space at the bottom that I could instead put to good use.
Four hours later, I had made all of my changes and double-checked the pager numbers for accuracy. Brian finished his image editing a little before 4pm my time and uploaded the file for me to download... which dragged.
And dragged. And dragged.
It took twenty minutes to download a relatively small file, due to internet traffic snarls. I copied the PDF onto my USB key and hit the ground running at 4:15pm, making it to Island Blue a little before 4:30pm to copy the files over before they closed. Another technical snafu had the front counter rep's PC start shutting down just after my files were copied, but I'd seen them make it to the desktop, so I was safe.
That was it: my draft was in the printer's hands now!
All that evening, I was full of energy, which was good as I was doing a presentation to my writer's group at the Stone's Throw Restaurant. We were trying out the place as a new venue to meet at, as the Atrium down on Yates Street - while free - is too busy, not well-lit at night, has extraordinarily uncomfortable chairs and tends to be noisy when other people / groups are using the place too. So it was great to be able to sit in real chairs, have great food available and be able to see everyone's faces after the sun goes down.
The hearing part, well, that was disappointing as the acoustics weren't great... and not helped by a noisy table seated near us. However, we still had a great evening and I was surprised that I didn't feel the slightest twinge of stage fright, speaking in front of several dozen people. Perhaps it was because I was the one leading the group, or that it was in an informal setting, but I was really pleased that I could just motor along, in charge, without any sort of nervousness. It turned out to be a great night, following a great day.
On the way home, I felt like I was walking on air. It was a fantastic feeling!
July 23 - Waiting ?!?!?!?
It was hard to focus on my job today, waiting for word about my proof.
Which was rather long in coming. In fact, as I hadn't heard anything by 2:30pm, I called Island Blue on one of my breaks. Luckily, I connected directly to my representative, who was thrilled that I had called: apparently my contact info wasn't passed along to him by the counter rep and he'd been trying to reach me since lunch...
My proof was READY!
Incredibly, the rep pushed things through this morning and had the draft ready to print by noon. Knowing how quickly I needed the proof this week, he talked to the production manager on the floor and slipped my draft into the presses between two large runs of books. Presto - my draft had taken on physical form as a novel!
I was so excited I could barely focus on work for the rest of the day, but I managed. Unfortunately, Island Blue closed an hour before I was scheduled to finish work, so I couldn't get the proof today... it was hard knowing that it was sitting there, waiting for me to pick it up, and I had to wait until tomorrow.
BUT: it was DONE and PRINTED!!!!
After work, I went right out to see Pacific Rim at the Imax. Giant robots fighting giant monsters on a giant screen? Sign me up please! While some people have panned the film, I loved it, despite its flaws. I think the best way to describe it would be as 'beautiful destruction made well' and since I went in having purposely seen NOTHING about the film beforehand, I was able to let it present its spectacle to me unhindered by bias. I think it will look fantastic in HD and the subject matter is similar to my own work in a few ways, so that I can tell myself it's Research when I'm watching it on my not-so-big non-IMAX screen at home when I buy it.
What a fantastic day - that's TWO in a row! I went to bed late tonight, as my head was filled with giant robots and visions of my book. battling each other. Yay!
July 24 - Proof in hand!
A bright and early start today, so I could get my proof ASAP!
My sister and I had breakfast to celebrate at The Blue Fox, which is only a few doors down from the printer's on Fort St. It was a gorgeous, bright sunny morning and I practically bubbled over with smiles at the table.
I was the first one in the door at Island Blue when they opened. I gave my name to the counter rep and she walked over to a side shelf, pulled out a package and brought it back to me.
It was my novel's proof. Joy!
Incredibly, it looked even BETTER than I'd hoped. In my mind, there were four outcomes possible:
- it would look all right, like I'd done it myself or been to a cheap printer
- it would look acceptable, better than some self-published books I'd seen so far
- it would look good, with some minor flaws but not ones people would really notice
- it would look great, like a shiny new book you'd find in a retail store like Chapters
The outcome was: IT LOOKED GREAT!
Even at 306 pages, the proof of my second draft was solid in the hand and looked not just great, but incredible! The cover was glossy, with Brian's art making an amazing display that truly spoke to the content of the novel. The pages were crisply white, with solid black lettering that was even and had no patchy spots I could discover. Everything was JUST as I laid it out in the PDF and it just works SO well as a physical book.
In my chest, I had that feeling, that glow of satisfaction that comes from knowing that YOU made THIS thing. That my hard work had been worth it, to behold the first tangible object that had been brought into being from my imagination. My sister took a few pictures of me in this state of happy bliss, which you can see below:
( pic forthcoming )
I had to be at work for 10am and let me tell you, I did little actual work for the first few hours, which was fine as it was very slow. What I did do was show the book's proof to everyone at work, who had known I was writing the novel for the last few months and had heard yesterday I'd be bringing it in, as it was ready! A few people even came IN to work on their day off, just to see it - their excitement resonated with mine and I hovered like a protective mother over the proof all day, not wanting to let it out of my sight. One and all, they expressed their congratulations to me on making it to this milestone... and they all wanted a copy, which I will be taking care of next week.
Today, I was simply smiling ear to ear. It was an amazing, fantastic feeling.
July 25 - Winging it to Niagara!
Last evening I spent packing, to leave early this morning for Niagara!
The airporter shuttle picked me up before 5am and I was at the airport in plenty of time for my 7am flight. Which was really uneventful, as everyone was rather tired-looking, including me. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, as I was excited again about the book AND the trip... so I snoozed on the second leg of the flight from Calgary to Hamilton. Which is where my friend Lucas picked me up in the lovely hot weather to head back to St. Catharines. We caught up as we drove, with me getting filled in on a few faux pas that I'd made in letting people know I was coming to Niagara this year.
I have to say, it's not easy to do, even in this age of communication.
With so MANY ways to contact people, it's hard to know WHAT ones to use and to choose the simplest doesn't always mean you'll get ahold of people. Keeping current info is also essential, for while some people may check FBook ten times a day, other people barely check their email and prefer to use the phone.
Which means that in addition to notifying people by Fbook, I also sent out emails with the same info about what I'd be doing and how to get ahold of me. I'll also be calling some of those people next week once I'm back from the cottage weekend to ensure they got the message I was around, as some didn't reply to my emails, including family members. I want to ensure that this trip, there's nobody who doesn't at least know I'm here and is disappointed that I didn't go the extra mile to include them. Because I'm like that.
Back to my arrival though:
Once I was in town and had settled my stuff at my friend Matt's place where I'd be staying, I took a brief breather before heading over to my friend Katie's house with Lucas and Matt for a relaxed dinner. Her daughter Annabella was excited to see us, as was their dog Skye, whose enthusiasm was warming to see. It was really good to catch up with Katie, as it's not that often that our news paths cross week to week.
Later on, we ended up at The Kilt & Clover. Bet you didn't see that one coming!
Though it was impromptu, a few of my good friends dropped by to welcome me back to Niagara. I also met a few new friends and we all had a relaxed time just standing at the bar, which felt very familiar to me. I kept my babbling about my novel to comfortable levels and did my best to catch up with people that I'd not seen in a few years.
July 26 - The Cottage Weekend Begins!
Heading out to the cottage today wasn't an early start, for which I was grateful.
My friends Aaron and Lucas met up with Matt and I at his place, then we went for breakfast before heading out onto the road. The cottage was located near Bancroft, close to Algonquin Park in northern Ontario, so we had a bit of a drive to get there and wanted to beat any early weekend traffic.
The trip was great, under sunny skies and not very much heat at all. Matt and I caught up as we drove, with things turning to the topic of writing, on which I was happy to enthuse. Our route wasn't set in stone and along the way we co-ordinated with the guys by phone and checking out our GPS locations with Google as well.
Once we were past Pickering, things got a little hazier, as the directions given by our smartphones weren't always clear or matched perfectly to the less-than-adequate road signage we saw. We took a break about an hour from our destination, for me to have lunch and to pick up a few more things, like bug spray. Soon after that, we entered the town of Apsley, stopping for firewood and directions and a pool ring-float for Aaron.
Outside of Apsley, it wasn't long before we turned onto a well-maintained dirt road towards the cottage itself. Again, road signage was less than clear, as was the accuracy of the GPS maps( Google AND Apple )so we had to stop several times to get our bearings. But we finally made it to the cottage at 4pm, which was set back a ways from the road - it was perfect! Lots of sleeping room inside for six friends( and almost a seventh - sorry you couldn't make it, Paulino! )with their gear, with an enclosed porch, a breakfast nook and a sizable living room.
It didn't take too long to store our gear and then get to the business of enjoying our time at the lake. While the left side of the dock was a little sketchy and shaky, it was easy enough to just walk right out into the water. I didn't though, as I just wanted to laze by the lakeside on a chair and take in the perfect weather, with a distinct lack of bug clouds. For some reason, the only pests we had to deal with were mosquitoes, which weren't a problem with the bug spray as they weren't present in large numbers, thankfully.
Day turned into evening and then full dark. By then, we had a solid campfire going and everyone had staked out their rooms inside and a chair by the fire outside. We talked until midnight, of the many things that friends who've known each other almost all their lives are wont to do. I sometimes wonder at the things we take for granted in life, of the assumptions we make that we 'know' someone... but here, tonight, under the bright stars and surrounded by people who are family to me, I realized that sometimes I'm just very lucky to have friends such as these. And even luckier to realize it.
July 27 - Saturday Done Right
Bacon for breakfast started our day right.
Then it was just... relaxation. For pretty much the whole day.
Some of us played a few hours of polish horseshoes, which consisted of throwing four round metal rings into a box with a cylinder in the center. Score one point for being in the box and three for the cylinder - simple, but maddening when the rings bounce OUT of the wooden box!
It should be mentioned that we had three coolers full of drinks at hand - plus two cases of water - so there was plenty of variety to be had when selecting a beverage. I went easy, as it's been a LONG time since I've been in a position where I can imbibe to my heart's content - which now usually stops at six for the day, even with light drinks. Besides, it's not my intent to cross the country and get together with lifelong friends to celebrate out mutual 40ths this year solely to have a drinking contest; none of us are like that.
The afternoon drifted by perfectly, with some folks choosing to gambol out on the lake in the provided kayaks( and Aaron on his float )or in Brian's case, in his own inflatable kayak. Myself, I stayed on dry land and just enjoyed the simplicity of a perfect summer day by the lake. After that, it was time for a steak dinner, cooked to perfection by Matt, was fantastic with some great potato salad in the dining nook. Later on, the evening's campfire was cancelled due to a downpour, which continued for some time.
So it was the backup plan, then: sitting down to watch Predator! It was the perfect cap to the day, as it was a film we'd all enthused about in high school, being the impressionable teens we were back then. It still holds up well today and many of the lines have fallen from our lips regularly over the years, I know. Everyone was flagging after than and we all turned in with nary a mutter.
July 28 - The Championship Game!
Today, the official 2013 Beersbie Cottage Invitational took place!
After some initial wrestling with the setting up of matches, we got down to the gritty of eliminating people game by game to whittle things down to a final match. For a time, we were playing with a tupperware lid, of all things, as someone who shall remain nameless left the Official Beersbie Frisbee back in Niagara. It worked surprisingly well as a substitute, though it tended to have a greater chance of bottle breakage, which is an instant win for your opponent. Later on, some kind neighbours brought back a frisbee from town for us!
For those of you who don't know, Beersbie is a game best played by people who like beer. With just a frisbee, four empty beer bottles and a friend, you can have a very enjoyable game of an afternoon. You can learn more about the game here, but suffice to say it's simple and not for teetotalers.
Things proceeded apace, with much spectator heckling and commenting, not to mention some really wild shots! Aaron managed to somehow bounce the frisbee back from a miss into the side of the inflatable kayak and knocked JUST the top bottle off his opponent's stack - amazing! There were many other near-misses, with only a single one landing in the lake, which was unusual given our zany aim by that point.
It all came down to the final game: Lucas vs... me! As a former Beersbie champion( 2007 )I felt I had to make every effort to place today, and it was an epic battle! The first game of three saw the points climb to unheard-of levels: a normal game ends when one player reaches 25 points, but also has to win by at least two shots. In this game, Lucas and I had a final score of 55-50, which was astounding. The second game went to Lucas though solid point-scoring, and then we were down to the final game.
It was tense, with the score climbing into the 30's and the wind picking up, though it had been gorgeous all day. With more than a few drinks in each of us, our decisions were slowing down and we'd lost all but one spectator. When Lucas asked me to grab him a beer after missing catching one of my shots, I took a few steps towards the cooler without a second thought.. and caught a frisbee in my shin for my troubles.
Which lost me the game, and the championship, on a technicality: if a player is hit by a frisbee while in front of his stack by the other player, it's a points for the tosser. Which was enough for Lucas to win.
I wasn't happy, but it was all in fun and it didn't take me too long to get over the loss. Second place is for the gracious and that's what I was, in the end, despite my shock and immediate disappointment.
That evening's campfire was very relaxed; the wind had died down and we had plenty of wood to use, not having been able to use any last night because of the rain. We ended up at one point talking about what we'd do if there was a zombie apocalypse, which I found both amusing and revealing when people gave their answers. For the most part, all of my friends admitted that they'd likely not survive, but almost all gave the same reason: their family and friends were so important to them that they'd rather not live in a world without them.
Looking around at the faces of my five lifelong friends around that campfire, I thought those were perfect answers. I know my life would be radically different without these people in it, that I'd not be who I am today without them being there all along the way.
I'm writing this late on Monday night, as I spent most of today traveling and recovering from the weekend - I'll add pics tomorrow. Oddly, the weather called for thunderstorms here in Niagara tonight, but it's been a sunny evening and a quiet night. For which I'm thankful, as I'm exhausted and need a good sleep!
July 22 - The Big Day
It was a whirlwind of a day today!
After meeting a friend for coffee in the morning down at Moka House, I went to Island Blue Printing downtown for an 11am appointment. I sat down with a representative to look over the PDF files of my book's second draft, managing not to bounce in my chair with glee at being able to take this important step.
A few minutes later, things looked good but there were some suggested changes I had to make right away if I wanted to get a proof done this week by Wednesday, BEFORE I left for Ontario! I rushed back home( luckily I live only a short walk away )to call my friend Brian, who had worked all weekend on the cover art to prep it for today. He graciously said he would redo the art images into a single PDF, as I needed that as well as a spine-image to do a 'full wrap' of the front, back and spine for the book. I set to work reformatting the entire draft to shrink it from 353 pages, as the printer had suggested there was too much white space at the bottom that I could instead put to good use.
Four hours later, I had made all of my changes and double-checked the pager numbers for accuracy. Brian finished his image editing a little before 4pm my time and uploaded the file for me to download... which dragged.
And dragged. And dragged.
It took twenty minutes to download a relatively small file, due to internet traffic snarls. I copied the PDF onto my USB key and hit the ground running at 4:15pm, making it to Island Blue a little before 4:30pm to copy the files over before they closed. Another technical snafu had the front counter rep's PC start shutting down just after my files were copied, but I'd seen them make it to the desktop, so I was safe.
That was it: my draft was in the printer's hands now!
All that evening, I was full of energy, which was good as I was doing a presentation to my writer's group at the Stone's Throw Restaurant. We were trying out the place as a new venue to meet at, as the Atrium down on Yates Street - while free - is too busy, not well-lit at night, has extraordinarily uncomfortable chairs and tends to be noisy when other people / groups are using the place too. So it was great to be able to sit in real chairs, have great food available and be able to see everyone's faces after the sun goes down.
The hearing part, well, that was disappointing as the acoustics weren't great... and not helped by a noisy table seated near us. However, we still had a great evening and I was surprised that I didn't feel the slightest twinge of stage fright, speaking in front of several dozen people. Perhaps it was because I was the one leading the group, or that it was in an informal setting, but I was really pleased that I could just motor along, in charge, without any sort of nervousness. It turned out to be a great night, following a great day.
On the way home, I felt like I was walking on air. It was a fantastic feeling!
July 23 - Waiting ?!?!?!?
It was hard to focus on my job today, waiting for word about my proof.
Which was rather long in coming. In fact, as I hadn't heard anything by 2:30pm, I called Island Blue on one of my breaks. Luckily, I connected directly to my representative, who was thrilled that I had called: apparently my contact info wasn't passed along to him by the counter rep and he'd been trying to reach me since lunch...
My proof was READY!
Incredibly, the rep pushed things through this morning and had the draft ready to print by noon. Knowing how quickly I needed the proof this week, he talked to the production manager on the floor and slipped my draft into the presses between two large runs of books. Presto - my draft had taken on physical form as a novel!
I was so excited I could barely focus on work for the rest of the day, but I managed. Unfortunately, Island Blue closed an hour before I was scheduled to finish work, so I couldn't get the proof today... it was hard knowing that it was sitting there, waiting for me to pick it up, and I had to wait until tomorrow.
BUT: it was DONE and PRINTED!!!!
After work, I went right out to see Pacific Rim at the Imax. Giant robots fighting giant monsters on a giant screen? Sign me up please! While some people have panned the film, I loved it, despite its flaws. I think the best way to describe it would be as 'beautiful destruction made well' and since I went in having purposely seen NOTHING about the film beforehand, I was able to let it present its spectacle to me unhindered by bias. I think it will look fantastic in HD and the subject matter is similar to my own work in a few ways, so that I can tell myself it's Research when I'm watching it on my not-so-big non-IMAX screen at home when I buy it.
What a fantastic day - that's TWO in a row! I went to bed late tonight, as my head was filled with giant robots and visions of my book. battling each other. Yay!
July 24 - Proof in hand!
A bright and early start today, so I could get my proof ASAP!
My sister and I had breakfast to celebrate at The Blue Fox, which is only a few doors down from the printer's on Fort St. It was a gorgeous, bright sunny morning and I practically bubbled over with smiles at the table.
I was the first one in the door at Island Blue when they opened. I gave my name to the counter rep and she walked over to a side shelf, pulled out a package and brought it back to me.
It was my novel's proof. Joy!
Incredibly, it looked even BETTER than I'd hoped. In my mind, there were four outcomes possible:
- it would look all right, like I'd done it myself or been to a cheap printer
- it would look acceptable, better than some self-published books I'd seen so far
- it would look good, with some minor flaws but not ones people would really notice
- it would look great, like a shiny new book you'd find in a retail store like Chapters
The outcome was: IT LOOKED GREAT!
Even at 306 pages, the proof of my second draft was solid in the hand and looked not just great, but incredible! The cover was glossy, with Brian's art making an amazing display that truly spoke to the content of the novel. The pages were crisply white, with solid black lettering that was even and had no patchy spots I could discover. Everything was JUST as I laid it out in the PDF and it just works SO well as a physical book.
In my chest, I had that feeling, that glow of satisfaction that comes from knowing that YOU made THIS thing. That my hard work had been worth it, to behold the first tangible object that had been brought into being from my imagination. My sister took a few pictures of me in this state of happy bliss, which you can see below:
( pic forthcoming )
I had to be at work for 10am and let me tell you, I did little actual work for the first few hours, which was fine as it was very slow. What I did do was show the book's proof to everyone at work, who had known I was writing the novel for the last few months and had heard yesterday I'd be bringing it in, as it was ready! A few people even came IN to work on their day off, just to see it - their excitement resonated with mine and I hovered like a protective mother over the proof all day, not wanting to let it out of my sight. One and all, they expressed their congratulations to me on making it to this milestone... and they all wanted a copy, which I will be taking care of next week.
Today, I was simply smiling ear to ear. It was an amazing, fantastic feeling.
July 25 - Winging it to Niagara!
Last evening I spent packing, to leave early this morning for Niagara!
The airporter shuttle picked me up before 5am and I was at the airport in plenty of time for my 7am flight. Which was really uneventful, as everyone was rather tired-looking, including me. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, as I was excited again about the book AND the trip... so I snoozed on the second leg of the flight from Calgary to Hamilton. Which is where my friend Lucas picked me up in the lovely hot weather to head back to St. Catharines. We caught up as we drove, with me getting filled in on a few faux pas that I'd made in letting people know I was coming to Niagara this year.
I have to say, it's not easy to do, even in this age of communication.
With so MANY ways to contact people, it's hard to know WHAT ones to use and to choose the simplest doesn't always mean you'll get ahold of people. Keeping current info is also essential, for while some people may check FBook ten times a day, other people barely check their email and prefer to use the phone.
Which means that in addition to notifying people by Fbook, I also sent out emails with the same info about what I'd be doing and how to get ahold of me. I'll also be calling some of those people next week once I'm back from the cottage weekend to ensure they got the message I was around, as some didn't reply to my emails, including family members. I want to ensure that this trip, there's nobody who doesn't at least know I'm here and is disappointed that I didn't go the extra mile to include them. Because I'm like that.
Back to my arrival though:
Once I was in town and had settled my stuff at my friend Matt's place where I'd be staying, I took a brief breather before heading over to my friend Katie's house with Lucas and Matt for a relaxed dinner. Her daughter Annabella was excited to see us, as was their dog Skye, whose enthusiasm was warming to see. It was really good to catch up with Katie, as it's not that often that our news paths cross week to week.
Later on, we ended up at The Kilt & Clover. Bet you didn't see that one coming!
Though it was impromptu, a few of my good friends dropped by to welcome me back to Niagara. I also met a few new friends and we all had a relaxed time just standing at the bar, which felt very familiar to me. I kept my babbling about my novel to comfortable levels and did my best to catch up with people that I'd not seen in a few years.
July 26 - The Cottage Weekend Begins!
Heading out to the cottage today wasn't an early start, for which I was grateful.
My friends Aaron and Lucas met up with Matt and I at his place, then we went for breakfast before heading out onto the road. The cottage was located near Bancroft, close to Algonquin Park in northern Ontario, so we had a bit of a drive to get there and wanted to beat any early weekend traffic.
The trip was great, under sunny skies and not very much heat at all. Matt and I caught up as we drove, with things turning to the topic of writing, on which I was happy to enthuse. Our route wasn't set in stone and along the way we co-ordinated with the guys by phone and checking out our GPS locations with Google as well.
Once we were past Pickering, things got a little hazier, as the directions given by our smartphones weren't always clear or matched perfectly to the less-than-adequate road signage we saw. We took a break about an hour from our destination, for me to have lunch and to pick up a few more things, like bug spray. Soon after that, we entered the town of Apsley, stopping for firewood and directions and a pool ring-float for Aaron.
Outside of Apsley, it wasn't long before we turned onto a well-maintained dirt road towards the cottage itself. Again, road signage was less than clear, as was the accuracy of the GPS maps( Google AND Apple )so we had to stop several times to get our bearings. But we finally made it to the cottage at 4pm, which was set back a ways from the road - it was perfect! Lots of sleeping room inside for six friends( and almost a seventh - sorry you couldn't make it, Paulino! )with their gear, with an enclosed porch, a breakfast nook and a sizable living room.
It didn't take too long to store our gear and then get to the business of enjoying our time at the lake. While the left side of the dock was a little sketchy and shaky, it was easy enough to just walk right out into the water. I didn't though, as I just wanted to laze by the lakeside on a chair and take in the perfect weather, with a distinct lack of bug clouds. For some reason, the only pests we had to deal with were mosquitoes, which weren't a problem with the bug spray as they weren't present in large numbers, thankfully.
Day turned into evening and then full dark. By then, we had a solid campfire going and everyone had staked out their rooms inside and a chair by the fire outside. We talked until midnight, of the many things that friends who've known each other almost all their lives are wont to do. I sometimes wonder at the things we take for granted in life, of the assumptions we make that we 'know' someone... but here, tonight, under the bright stars and surrounded by people who are family to me, I realized that sometimes I'm just very lucky to have friends such as these. And even luckier to realize it.
July 27 - Saturday Done Right
Bacon for breakfast started our day right.
Then it was just... relaxation. For pretty much the whole day.
Some of us played a few hours of polish horseshoes, which consisted of throwing four round metal rings into a box with a cylinder in the center. Score one point for being in the box and three for the cylinder - simple, but maddening when the rings bounce OUT of the wooden box!
It should be mentioned that we had three coolers full of drinks at hand - plus two cases of water - so there was plenty of variety to be had when selecting a beverage. I went easy, as it's been a LONG time since I've been in a position where I can imbibe to my heart's content - which now usually stops at six for the day, even with light drinks. Besides, it's not my intent to cross the country and get together with lifelong friends to celebrate out mutual 40ths this year solely to have a drinking contest; none of us are like that.
The afternoon drifted by perfectly, with some folks choosing to gambol out on the lake in the provided kayaks( and Aaron on his float )or in Brian's case, in his own inflatable kayak. Myself, I stayed on dry land and just enjoyed the simplicity of a perfect summer day by the lake. After that, it was time for a steak dinner, cooked to perfection by Matt, was fantastic with some great potato salad in the dining nook. Later on, the evening's campfire was cancelled due to a downpour, which continued for some time.
So it was the backup plan, then: sitting down to watch Predator! It was the perfect cap to the day, as it was a film we'd all enthused about in high school, being the impressionable teens we were back then. It still holds up well today and many of the lines have fallen from our lips regularly over the years, I know. Everyone was flagging after than and we all turned in with nary a mutter.
July 28 - The Championship Game!
Today, the official 2013 Beersbie Cottage Invitational took place!
After some initial wrestling with the setting up of matches, we got down to the gritty of eliminating people game by game to whittle things down to a final match. For a time, we were playing with a tupperware lid, of all things, as someone who shall remain nameless left the Official Beersbie Frisbee back in Niagara. It worked surprisingly well as a substitute, though it tended to have a greater chance of bottle breakage, which is an instant win for your opponent. Later on, some kind neighbours brought back a frisbee from town for us!
For those of you who don't know, Beersbie is a game best played by people who like beer. With just a frisbee, four empty beer bottles and a friend, you can have a very enjoyable game of an afternoon. You can learn more about the game here, but suffice to say it's simple and not for teetotalers.
Things proceeded apace, with much spectator heckling and commenting, not to mention some really wild shots! Aaron managed to somehow bounce the frisbee back from a miss into the side of the inflatable kayak and knocked JUST the top bottle off his opponent's stack - amazing! There were many other near-misses, with only a single one landing in the lake, which was unusual given our zany aim by that point.
It all came down to the final game: Lucas vs... me! As a former Beersbie champion( 2007 )I felt I had to make every effort to place today, and it was an epic battle! The first game of three saw the points climb to unheard-of levels: a normal game ends when one player reaches 25 points, but also has to win by at least two shots. In this game, Lucas and I had a final score of 55-50, which was astounding. The second game went to Lucas though solid point-scoring, and then we were down to the final game.
It was tense, with the score climbing into the 30's and the wind picking up, though it had been gorgeous all day. With more than a few drinks in each of us, our decisions were slowing down and we'd lost all but one spectator. When Lucas asked me to grab him a beer after missing catching one of my shots, I took a few steps towards the cooler without a second thought.. and caught a frisbee in my shin for my troubles.
Which lost me the game, and the championship, on a technicality: if a player is hit by a frisbee while in front of his stack by the other player, it's a points for the tosser. Which was enough for Lucas to win.
I wasn't happy, but it was all in fun and it didn't take me too long to get over the loss. Second place is for the gracious and that's what I was, in the end, despite my shock and immediate disappointment.
That evening's campfire was very relaxed; the wind had died down and we had plenty of wood to use, not having been able to use any last night because of the rain. We ended up at one point talking about what we'd do if there was a zombie apocalypse, which I found both amusing and revealing when people gave their answers. For the most part, all of my friends admitted that they'd likely not survive, but almost all gave the same reason: their family and friends were so important to them that they'd rather not live in a world without them.
Looking around at the faces of my five lifelong friends around that campfire, I thought those were perfect answers. I know my life would be radically different without these people in it, that I'd not be who I am today without them being there all along the way.
I'm writing this late on Monday night, as I spent most of today traveling and recovering from the weekend - I'll add pics tomorrow. Oddly, the weather called for thunderstorms here in Niagara tonight, but it's been a sunny evening and a quiet night. For which I'm thankful, as I'm exhausted and need a good sleep!
