Clear Lake (Riding Mountain), Manitoba
Photos from the Round Lake Weekend 2007
NEW GAMES/ACTIVITIES:
OLD FAVORITES BACK AGAIN:
ATTENDEES (in order of appearance):
CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT:
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
Lew:
Best Event of the weekend:
Papa Fred:
The one word that describes this RLW for me is relaxing.
From my viewpoint the cooking seemed to do itself. Shelley had the the troop well organized and there was always lots of volunteers to help with the prep. Amber as always stepped up to the plate, and Mark was eager to get in on the fun. Many times I would think to myself, "Well I guess I should do some work" only to find there wasn't any to do.
In more general terms, I didn't hear of any scraps, arguments, fights etc. during the entire weekend. It seemed to me that everyone was just happy to be together again. The kids of all ages were fun to have around. (Well except, maybe, for Kim who got pretty drunk the one night and wanted to duke it out with me. :-) ) Lots of laughs, no serious injuries, and interesting weather. All in all a very peaceful weekend with some of the best people in the world.
I was over at Steve's and Shelley's before the trip and Steve and I were talking about the RLW with Mel, who said, that for her the RLW was like Christmas in the summer because it was an event that she looked forward to all year long. I thought that was a very good description. Just like Christmas there are hugs and laughter when people arrive, and hugs and tears when they leave.
From the youngest to the oldest, you guys all rock! Thanks!
Oh, and for best drink: Jeff - flaming jag-bombs
Steve:
I can't sum it up, I have to treat each event seperately. There wasn't one overall feeling for me - there were a great many different ones. I will say, "What a great site! What a pretty lake! I haven't seen a lake this color since Lake Louise!"
We got back to find a few people at the site. Sacha, Adam, Sean and the Boyes family. Later on, Murray, Holly and Debbie arrived. Kimberley and Krista arrived later, but still early enough that their tent went up while it was still light. We found out that Duncan is now taller than Sean. I didn't think anyone could get taller than Sean. Some drinking commenced. I don't recall what I ate for supper - LOL. Fred pulled in about 1:30am or so after dodging Moose and RCMP officers. Holly helped him get sort of set up and helped ease the load on the Deathmobile by eating some of one of the Apple Crisps.
A note from Steve about Kids and alcohol:
Amber took some newspaper and a pen and was drawing characteratures of everyone.
The kids "invented" a bear named "Fred" because no real bears came to the campsite.
Amber, Tasha and Mel needed to pee really bad but Mel got the bathroom so Amber and Tasha peed on the building (Hey, I'm just transcribing from the book, folks).
Steve: "Hey Murray, get out of that tree!"
Tasha reports: "A dragonfly lands on Mel's head (set down on the table) and eats a fly while the rest of us watch in wonder."
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The Martese Lunch Cruise (complete with beer!).
Hiking isn't new, but it got renewed this year. Loads of different path walking.
Slingshot Paintball was new to me; there were only a few who tried it last year. This year we had a battalion!
Great Slingshot Paintball battles. Beer darts made a sputtery return, fizzling out early on without Leen to keep its momentum alive.
No soccer due to the poison ivy (sniff).
Steve and Shelley with Melany and Amber, Scott and Kandi with Duncan, Tasha, Erik and Connor, Sacha with Adam and Sean, Murray and Holly with Debbie, Krista and Kimberley, Fred, Jeff and Kathy, Paul and Shannon, John and Trudy with Kieran, Katie-bug and Curtis with Phoenix and Avary, Mark and Gail, Matt and Lew.
Andy (of course), Leen and Alyson with Kirsten, Russ and Ryan, Carel and Darcy and their crew (especially missed was Hannah's wit!), Dave (as usual), Kevin and Sheila.
Sacha: "those idiots will wake me up for the stupidest reasons; apparently breakfast isn't one of them."
As always, swimming.
Worse thing that happened at the campsite:
Murray's wine pouring.
Best drink you personally consumed:
I don't remember.
Best behaved child (and why):
All the kids were a pleasure to hang out with including Matt.
Worst behaved adult (and why):
Murray's wine pouring.
What was your favorite thing that happened this weekend?
Singing and the repertoire of songs everyone knew.
Tell us about your favorite game of the weekend, whether it was watching or
participating:
Touch football with the kids and that includes Matt, poker is always fun when you are in the money. Did you notice that I didn't play paintball, that was so the guys could feel manly.
Describe something new you learned about one of our friends (DO NOT reveal
any secrets that were confessed):
Fred's favorite song, after awhile I wished I didn't know it anymore.
What was your favorite Fred dish and why?
All of it. I especially loved the pancakes.
If you could have altered one thing about the Round Lake Weekend this year,
what would it be?
Murray's wine pouring.
How does this year's RLW rate vs. other years, which year is #1, and why
would you put it at that ranking?
I found this year was a bit different for me, could be because I pulled a Holly the first night and it took me quire a while to recover and get back into the grove. All and all it was too short. Last year of 5 days was great.
Did you have a moment where you felt at peace and at one with the Universe?
If so, tell us about it in as much detail as you can (we won't laugh,
really):
Everyone doing foot massages, yeah!!!!
Thing you noticed that was different about Fred:
He can squeal like a pig pretty good, not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing.
Thing you noticed that was the same about Fred:
The people watcher.
Observations about the Wildes (includes Adam):
First time I met Adam, it was a pleasure. And always a pleasure with the rest of the Wilde's.
Observations about the Christensens (includes Debbie):
Holly and Murray were too well behaved. Sean was like a race horse with no competition.
Observations about the O'Briens (includes Kimberley and Krista):
Kathy rocks at washer boxes, I am looking for a new game that I can whop her ass at.
Observations about the Boyes':
Will those kids ever stop growing? Tasha so glad you made it this year.
Observations about the Matt & Kathy:
Speaking for Kathy, ate to much.
Observations about Sacha:
He is all growed up!!
Observations about the Crouses (Mark and Gail):
I have seen Gail in finer form, too bad about the cold.
Observations about Kathy (Katie-bug) and Curtis (and/or Phoenix and Avary):
Very nice to meet you and loved the girls.
Observations about the Kennedys:
Fine musical form, Guitar duo!!!!
Observations about the Baconfields:
Shannon, you and Kathy practiced throughout the year didn't you? Great breakfast Paul.
- It was just the girls and Shelley and I. We ate at the Chicken Delight - an experience I can't describe at this time. We stayed in a nice little Bed and Breakfast and we stayed up late playing Monopoly in our room because it was a bit cool outside. But that wasn't until after the girls had a swim in the Bed and Breakfast's Heated Pool, I had had a bike ride and Shelley had just relaxed. We also had a great walk around the lake before Monopoly time.
- The Wilde's got up and had a bite of breakfast at the White House Bakery, then headed to Ma-ma-o-pe to set up. We hogged what we thought was the best site for ourselves, as is only natural. We got all set up and knew we had the day to muck around. It was windy and we found out we could not have lunch aboard the Martese because they had cancelled that tour due to the 4 foot waves. We did the Marsh walk and saw a snake. Amber found out she is not very fond of them. We also visited the Wishing Well, which had a beautiful garden around it.
- We got up and had individual breakfasts. Then most of us headed down to do the lunch tour on that boat. It was a bit pricey (especially the burgers and the beer) but we had great fun. It was also pretty relaxing. We headed back for camp, and Jeff and Kathy arrived, then Paul and Shannon. John Trudy and Kieran were next. Then almost one after another, Katie-bug and Curtis with Phoenix and Avary, Mark and Gail, and Matt and Lew. The Fire Pit was a bit too far from the cook shack I thought. Made it so that everyone hung around the cook shack and Fred wasn't as present at the fire as he could have been. (Although he made up for it later on)
- Paul's breakfast - very tasty. The day was a bit grey and coldish, and even a little rainy, but people made the best of it. We had a huge paintball battle, and we would play until one person on a team got hit, then they were taken away and had to work for the other team. At one point it became me (Steve) vs. everyone, and I ran Banzaii-ho around the corner into a wall of paintballers. I changed directions instantly and did the Han Solo retreat, complete with exiting scream.
Saturday night there was a great skyshow, followed by a quick deluge of water that looked like someone just tossed Clear Lake on us with a big bucket.
- Somehow wires got crossed. Shelley and Fred thought Paul was supposed to cook this breakfast as well, but Paul didn't think so. Luckily, Lew and Mark stepped up to the plate, with many helpers, and breakfast was on. Many of us headed to the boat lauch to "shower in the lake". I didn't, but I have loads of pictures of those that did. I think they felt relatively clean afterwards. The OBriens, Wildes, Robertlewisons, some of the Boyes, one of the Crouses and all of the Kennedys went for a 4 Km hike that ended up with Jeff falling out of a tree - a first for Round Lake. He was unhurt, and sadly I never thought to snap a picture of him falling, and he did not co-operate with a reenactment. Holly and Murray went picture taking and Holly saw the weekends' only bear - miles away from the campsite - YAY.
Carbonara for supper. May Fred's whipping cream never run dry. After supper we managed to do a Group Shot without TOO much fuss. Jeff wanted to arrange it a bit better, and Shelley and Fred were busy working and did not want to be in it at all, but I think it worked out pretty good. Fred does the infamous "Squeal like a pig" thing. Right when I was trying to sleep. I said to myself as I lie there in the dark, "Great! Fred has begun to squeal like a pig, now I'll never get to..." Then suddenly it was morning. Cool.
- Sad goodbyes. I don't know if any of you notice, but I tend not to participate in those too deeply. This is not due to having less fondness for you all than anyone else who is saying goodbye, but more a way for me to try and make it not real or make it easier. Maybe the weekend won't end if I don't say goodbye. But it ended anyway, so for those I did not hug or did not shake hands with, I'll say it now, "Good-bye".
Kids (and by this I mean the GITs too), I hope we haven't over-glorified the drinking part of the Round Lake Weekend. Sure it is part of it, and sure there are stories about the past ones and the alcohol involved, but if you are thinking that is the main focus of the event, you are way off. Even in the early days of the gang getting together, it was more about the getting together itself than the drinking. I mean, any one of us could sit alone at home and drink. Getting the guys/gang/group together has always been the main focus of the RLWs, right from the very first one in 1985. Most of the BEST stories about us Old Farts have been exaggerated over the years and aren't quite as "cool" as we make them sound.
Melany decided to talk to the invisible bear.
"Hey, Fred, my Homie," says Mel.
"Krista and Kim inform Mel, ""You're not black!"
Melany responds, "No, but guess what? The bear is!"
John: "If I had a nickle for every time I heard that at a Round Lake Weekend..."
"Krista is scared of a harmless orange butterfly who happens to love her. She runs and screams and swings her arms trying to swat while it flutters next to her.