This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Up North, Part 2
Jul
8
2010
Continuation of a previous post
Note: Most pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Now that you are familiar with our cabin, let me tell you about some of the things that happened on our trip.
Roasting Hot Dogs
One of the requirements when you go to a cabin is that you must have a fire pit or bonfire and you must roast hot dogs over that fire for at least one meal. We complied, and the kids picked up a new skill: not holding the roasting fork.
They learned that one from the older boys in the group. Laziness is the mother of invention, right? Okay, maybe it wasn’t laziness, since they were complaining that the fire was too hot. But what’s a campfire without something getting singed?
Now I know why the past tense of “sing” is “sang”.
Free Bat Picture
We went to a local monument thing that had a display about bats.
Yes, it is a picture of a free bat. It is also a free picture of a bat.
What makes it a free picture? There’s no copyright!
It does have a copywrite, but my sources say that “copywrite” is not a legal term and has no standing in the courts.
I was going to title this one “Spelling for Lawyers”, in tribute to the site Typography for Lawyers. But I doubt that lawyers wrote that sign. “Spelling for Signmakers” also wouldn’t work, because I doubt the signmaker designed the thing. And “Spelling for Whoever Designed the Sign” is too long for a title. So you got “Free Bat Picture” instead.
Local Hazards
My kids wore sandals (or equivalent footwear) most of the time. One afternoon though, Beta was playing on the deck barefoot.
My wife, to Beta: “What’s stuck to the bottom of your foot?”
Me, after poking the small gooey black glob: “It is sticky…looks like a piece of tar or something.”
Then the black glob moved.
Then I saw that it was alive.
Wife, to one of the older boys who was there: “Hey Andrew, what did you do with that leech you had earlier?”
Andrew: “We just flicked it off my leg. I don’t know where it went.”
Me: “I think we found it.”
We learned that leeches can survive on wooden decks for at least a half hour.
I don’t recall ever having seen a leech in real life. Movies, yes. Pictures, yes. Real life, now yes. I told Beta that a leech is just a bug that’s like a mosquito; he seemed satisfied with that explanation.
Alpha was interested in watching, and Beta had no choice in the matter, so the three of use watched the leech’s reaction as my wife poured salt on it. The leech was quite animated for a few seconds, then it stopped moving. It didn’t let go of Beta’s foot; I had to peel/pry it off still.
At least it didn’t bleed once it came off – unlike Andrew’s leg which kept bleeding and bleeding after he removed the leech without killing it first. And after I removed the leech, I tossed it into the shrubbery where people do not walk.
Alas, I was not a good blogger and did not run and get my camera to document the leech. So you do not get any photos of the leech. It was only as big as a three grains of rice (cooked), and the whole ordeal took about one minute (from discovery to being pronounced clean), so you’re not missing much.
Stay tuned for Part 3 of the Up North series, coming next week.
A lazy man does not roast his prey,But the precious possession of a man is diligence.
Proverbs 12:27
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 11:47 pm and has been carefully placed in the Travel category.
July 9th, 2010 at 8:32 am
Would the monument mentioned be “Lumberman’s Monument”?
July 9th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
Yes, it would be.
July 10th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
I grew up on a lake, so I’ve seen plenty of leeches…and yet I’m still incredibly grossed out by them–even descriptions of them without photos. My guess is that your boy didn’t bleed because the leech wasn’t really on a good spot. The skin on the bottom of a foot is pretty thick, compared to a leg.
July 12th, 2010 at 5:54 am
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