Our last hunting trip

For the first six years of our marriage Mike and I went houseboating at the very end of the season when most of the other houseboats were up on shore. It was a time to really relax knowing that another busy year was almost over. We say we went hunting but really we usually did more hiking than hunting. Oh, Mike carried a gun and has a small game license but that doesn't mean we'd come home with our fill of grouse. One year we had fun shooting squirrel for pate at our Chamber of Commerce's Wild Game Dinner because there wasn't a grouse to be seen. It was entertaining to say the least and we did a lot of joking about our big catch!

I don't know if we make too much noise - Mike has tried to train me but perhaps it is useless - or if the grouse are already spooked by the time we get out in the bush but we just don't seem to have that much success. Nevertheless we always have a great time. Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year. The crisp air, the colourful leaves, the frosty nights, the anticipation of my very favourite season - winter, and the winding down of another busy season all combine to make it a special time.

The last chance we had to go hunting was indeed a memorable one. Our houseboat was the very last one in the water and we headed out a week later than usual. I don't think we caught a single grouse but we certainly had a lot of fun hiking in the bush, playing our favourite German board games at night and relaxing. Our big catch that year was a collection of beer cans to cash in at the liquor store to buy us a nice chicken dinner when we arrived home!

We had a friendly squirrel on the small island we were camped at. He visited us regularly as he busily stored whatever he could find to get him through the coming winter months. Our first morning there we woke up to the sound of him dropping pine cones on the roof of the houseboat.We had fun helping him stock his larder with good things and laughing at his antics.

The most memorable thing about that trip however was our last morning on the lake. We woke up to two inches of snow! It had been a bit chilly at night but the heater had kept us comfortable and warm. The snow was perfect for snowmen and we built this one before we left for home. It was such a special return trip: the water was a deep charcoal and perfectly still and calm. The snow laden trees contrasted beautifully with the lake's dark calmness. There wasn't another boat to disturb our trip through the heavy, still water all the way home.

It seems that our hunting days are over for now with little Abby here but the time will come again when we'll be able to go 'hunting' in the fall. I know our little girl will love tramping through the bush and playing in the leaves but I'm sure we won't ever be quiet enough to catch anything, not even squirrels!