When you translate foreign language facebook posts with the internet it makes them sound more meaningful and vague. or is it the message itself? Is the medium the message or the message the medium? Go Internet! "Of course, until now, had not been aware of this: The goal toward which is rushing the man is always veiled. The girl who wishes to get married, if you would like something completely unknown to her. The young man who seeks the glory does not know what is the glory. That which gives meaning to our performance is always something totally unknown to us...."
or
"I see that the an learned very well of the ' cake of sausages ' of mabel!! Jajajajajajaj"
8. Rent boogie boards for $10 and go out far in the ocean until the lifeguards start whistling.
7. Be friendly and Canadian and the staff won't treat you too bad. They still want those dollar bills in American though!
6. Eat at the late night drunk feeding trough. Only two metal dishes of food and burgers, but somehow wayyyy better than buffet. Montezuma is gonna get you anyways, so go ahead and enjoy!
5. Eat a meal with all you buddies and have a big old laugh
4. Secret
3. Tip the right people and anything is yours. Don't tip and you don't exist. So you decide. I tipped the guy pressure washing the grounds because he is cleaning the ground we walk on and nobody really seems to care about that. But I care. I care a whole US dollar worth! Thank you Jesus!
And thank you America for turning a beautiful natural feature of the Yucatan peninsula into a cess pool of capitalism and sinful behavior. God Bless America!
2. Get drunk and crazy, but don't do anything your grandparents wouldn't do. Remembering that some of us had/have wilder grandparents than others...(Meaning I saw your grandma on the boob cruise)
1. Get comfortable outside of your comfort zone
1. Shots! Shots! Shots!
1. Dance!
1. climb a 20 foot stripper pole on your resort!
1. play beer pong in pool!
1. Laugh!
Off the chart trip. I could go on, but outside of all the melted butter and toe sucking pool scum jokes, it was a great trip and has inspired me to bring this blog back to life.
I'd rather laugh till I cry than just sit around crying. Sometimes a good bonding trip with your best buds reminds you of how important it is to be happy and grateful for being alive!
Time to decompress and get back to the reality of grinding out a living and making it work back here in Canada. New Show coming out this summer from Sabourin Lake Lodge featuring a bi-weekly feature episode and clips of our exploits living and fishing in the north woods of Ontario. Lots of interesting fodder for fun and maybe some fishing too! Expect lots of laughs and potentially some nudity. Probably not the good kind. People who remember Seinfeld should remember the 'bad naked' joke that compared 'sexy naked' to 'opening a jar of pickles naked'. That's what we'll being aiming for. Like a mix of Bill Dance, In-fisherman, a chip and dale show, Sienfeld, Friends, Cheers, Deliverance, Red Shoe Diaries, Ninja Turtles, and Fred Penner. Inside jokes too. For insiders only. But only the insiders will get that. Which is implied, but most things are and there are still lots of new cat and dog pictures on face book. And I'm fairly sure we all know dogs and cats are cute by now...So the show will aim to not be overly redundant. it will not be redundant. I will not over emphasize the importance of not being over redundant by being redundant here in this space. The last thing the internet needs is more words. Maybe it is like a giant vessel and five more words will make it burst. One more idiot posting some shit on Face book hoping it will finally make him cool and he will self-actualize as Maslow promised once his penultimate post of himself on a beach with his puppy and fiancé make it onto face book...Or maybe it's a series of tubes and we don't need to worry. So if you managed to make it though that long , un-edited mouthful of brain words and you are still reading you may be interested in watching the new show when it comes out this spring. Look forward to self actualizing with you all. It is going to be that good. Cheers to the purple kool-aid that is the future we live in. Tastes like chicken to me!
10. The time share pitchers promising a 'free' bottle of tequila for a little of your time. The tequila is
distilled pool water.
9. The hotel gift shop. $35USD for sunscreen; also made of pool water
8. Trying to light on fire a giant thatched roof building at 3am when you are totally wasted. Just
because you are a privileged little American spring breaker and your mommy and daddy paid for
your trip and your girlfriends tits doesn't give you the right to burn down the place. Party Foul!
7. Going out too far in the ocean. Excessive alcohol, strong undertow, and very lazy Mexican
lifeguards make for a deadly combination.
6. Losing the towels from your room at the pool or beach. Another $50 extortion tactic employed by
the hotel.
5. Having expectations of consistent service at the resort. Staff ranges from friendly to felonious:
Prepare for extortion with a smile...
4. The shallow end of the mile long pool. Seems to be the highest concentration of pool scum. Not
normal pool scum here, this is post spring break pool pollution, , 33% urine, 15% butt urine
(liquid buffet poop), 14% alcohol (spilled drinks are the replacement for real chlorine), 12% skin
flakes and scabs, 9% toe nails, 8% sun-curdled semen, and the rest is too gross to even mention
3. The main buffet. Bill and Wendy from told me that on day 2. Same formula as pool scum
2. Montezuma. I don't know what this Demi-god of Demi-formed shit has against us tourists, but he
is hell bent on revenge and he will hunt you until he has gotten it. Brushing your teeth with tap
water is almost second nature; Montezuma knows this weakness and he lurks in every tap waiting
calmly, and like I said: He will get you!
10. Get Engaged to a Lady Boy at an after hours stripclub in a hot tub
9. Go on a Boob Cruise and write it off as a business fishing trip
8. Pay $1000 dollars for VIP access at the beach party for the privilege of spraying twerking spring
break girls with overpriced vodka and old man ball sweat
7. Spend $10, 000 on Mexican beach drugs and melt any emotional connections in your neural
network connecting you to your wife and family
6. Get caught on camera doing body shots off of a guy named Patrick
5. Suck on any toes. This also goes for unmarried men...
4. Take an extension on your line of credit to pay the "fines" for getting out of Mexican prison (twice)
3. Consult the Local Pharmacia for a prescription shampoo for the Mexican super crabs you
claim to have caught by "using a strangers towel" at the beach
2. Butt dial your wife at 4:00am and have her hear the whole conversation up until the last phrase:
"C'mon jump into the pool for more body shots with us. Your wife will never know! SPLASH!"
"...we forget that we are a part of nature. In this world of nature we can live only by killing: this is a law that is none of our making. The noble maple is chopped down for firewood- who knows but that it too loves to live, and feels a thrill of joy when it's sweet sap surges upward in the spring. Our boots are made from the hides of cattle, our clothing from the woool of sheep, and we batten on their flesh. Whose ear is attuned fine enough to hear the plaintive sigh of the reluctant beet or carrot torn from the garden mould? Death comes apace to all living things, for no matter how we avoid killing, 'all men kill the thing they love." Death, the end of everthing we understand, is, after all, one of the minor incidents of life."- Frank Parker Day, The Autobiography of a Fisherman
The sap of those noble maples will be flowing again soon. It is good to know some things haven't changed since 1927 when Day wrote those lines. The sentiment of the lines is also relevant today, where our disengagement from nature is manifesting into noticable negative consequences. At least to those paying attention to consequences.
I wont be chopping down any maples for firewood, just coaxing a little of that sap into my boiling pot. No killing required! However, I am cutting down a lot of standing dead softwood. Not as many btus as hardwood, but it is dry and burns good enough for me. The sap is a little slow to get going so far. There was a decent sap flow event during the warm weekend in late february, but it has been a cold start to March.This weekend promises a few consecutive days of positive temperatures, which should get the sap flowing again.
Lots of preparation to do before boiling begins: more trees need to be tapped, more cans cleaned out, more wood cut, more, more, more. Then the season will be in full swing and there will be a need for more wood, more bottles, more containers, more wood, more time. That is part of what appeals to me about this syrup making business, the constant demand to keep up with the sap flow and to keep burning and boiling. There is a rhythm to the work. Get wood, collect sap, boil sap, get wood, bottle syrup, eat pancakes, repeat... This year I have expanded the operation in a few ways. There is going to be about twice as many trees tapped and hopefully twice as much sap, if not more, as the trees were tapped in a staggered fashion last year and I am setting all of them early this year. The wood collecting is slightly easier this year, as I have my Stilh MS361 chainsaw back from BC. The old homelite saw did its duty last season, but I don't miss the old brute too much. Keeping up with all this potential sap got me thinking I had to improve on my boiling efficiency too. The old stove was retired and a new location has been made for a new and improved model stove and pot. There are some pictures here of the contraption. Basically a giant 67 litre aluminum pot and an old hot water tank stove with a hole cut in it for the pot to rest in. Lots of surface area and more direct contact with the fire than the old 'system'.
If Mother Nature cooperates and we get some warm weather, but not too warm, then it will be an exciting and productive season in the sugar bush. Looking forward to it!
From the New Brunswick Maple Syrup Association (NBMSA) website:
Tasty, Nutritious and Natural
Maple syrup does not contain any preservatives or chemicals. This product of nature is pure and natural.
Aside from its distinctive taste, maple syrup has a number of
qualities that literally puts it in a class of its own. You be the
judge...
Nutritional value for various sweeteners (% of Daily Value)
This is a brief description of how maple syrup is made from the sap of wild maple trees.
Here is a little video for you:
It has been a good season so far. There have been cold nights and warm days, which is good for sap production. Getting close to 20 gallons of sap every day right now. Not much time to update the blog with all the collecting and boiling...
As stated in the Untied Mine Workers' Journal of 1937, "Nowhere
on the American continent, is there a strife which combines the elements
of greed, harshness, cold, suffering, and want, as exists [in Minto]."[5]
The industrialization of farming has led to many problems, including global food surpluses and shortages, and the degradation of the environment. This has led to the desertification of the worlds grasslands and to global starvation. Our current model of food production is dependent on chemical based fertilizers and is relies heavily on fossil fuels. The combination of these factors does not optimize the quality of food , or the availability of solar energy. The use of technology has enabled humans to produce more food, leading to expanded populations, at the cost of quality of life and food security. Massive crop failures caused by flooding, drought, and natural disasters are still commonplace. Remember the corn failure in the US last year?
This all leads on to ask: What can be done? Or it leads one to eat a twinky and say "who cares?".
During my time at University, I was often overwhelmed by the impending sense of disaster and panic that the subject matter seemed to contain; every institution was corrupt, every system flawed, every person disordered or needing improvement. This was not equally balanced with solutions to our shared and ongoing global demands for peace, security, and well-being. These requirements apply at the individual level, as well as on a state level. If the individuals of a certain country are starving to death or constantly murdering each other, it doesn't matter what the country's GDP happens to be.
Many of these issues are tied to the food system, either directly or indirectly. As our food system has become more dependent on fossil fuels, this is even more the case. Those pineapples don't fly themselves from mexico!
The problems seem all to familiar, yet effective solutions are few and far between. Instead we use band-aid solutions, like federal buy-outs, farm-aid, massive subsidization, genetic modifications, chemical sprays, food aid to Africa, bombs to Bagdad, pipelines to everywhere, and everything in-between, while the world seems to crumble before us. It is like trying to cover a hole in your boat with one toe, then another hole with an elbow, then you see another one, and you can't cover the first one anymore. You get the picture.
Maybe all the 'problems' are really just consequences of our deeply flawed food production methods, and of a general detachment with our relationship to nature. Perhaps we are denying the essential fact that as humans we are tied inextricably to our earthly environment and to the cycles and forces of Mother Nature. We are trying to force nature to bend to our will, when we need to let go and be guided by the existing natural rhythms. This might sound like cliched hippie-talk from some weirdo in British Columbia, or some other incense-burning tree humper, but it is also the beginning of the answer.
This idea of embracing natural forces to our on-going benefit and not simply harnessing them temporarily for short term gains is crucial to our survival. For example, mimicking natural ecosystems on a farm and tapping into the maximum potential of solar energy on that farm is more sustainable and profitable in the long run, than damming a river upstream for electricity and flooding thousands of acres of forest and farm land for financial gain.
These ideas are not new or original. People have understood these basic principles for thousands of years. Perhaps the 'success' of modern civilization and our mastery of technology has spawned a destructive hubris in mankind which blinds us to our folly. Perhaps our attention is shifting towards little screens and keypads and away from the sunlit fields and streams, which are left to dry up and decay in private. Perhaps there is a global shift in consciousness occurring and we are about to dawn on a new age of prosperity and harmony. Perhaps...
Here are a couple of videos that have inspired these thoughts. Watch them and think about the different perspectives and how their ultimate goals are the same.
" This can't be done industrially, it takes warm bodies, and you can't just leave it to a computer and go off and sip coffee and let engines and machines run it all. It's hands on , it's craft, it's artisinal, it's the potter wheel. We have this cultural stigma against an agrarian existence, that's only good enough for the D and the F students, the redneck-hillbilly-trip-over-the-transmission-in-the-backyard-tobacco-spittin-graa, the grammar assaulting hillbilly; that's the farmer...When was the last time you heard a soccer mom say 'My son's gonna be a farmer!'? We don't do that!"-Joel Salatin
Here is the more 'academic' Ted talk by Allan Savory. Notice he doesn't mention the need for birds and boars, or chickens and pigs, to follow the herding animals and clean up and help finish the cycle. He also ordered the execution of 40, 000 elephants, so I'd listen to the farmer before the professor...Still a great talk. Enjoy!
And farmer Sepp Holtzer, who said:" Co-operat with nature, don't confront it."
What was wrong with the Arctic explorer who had reached both the north and south poles on foot?
He was Bi-Polar!
The fishing has continued to be good around the Grand lake area, although our morale is sinking as winter wears on. People are talking about how nice and close spring fishing is, and how tired of ice fishing they are.
A friend and I went out and got some pickeral at a little island we like to fish. There were lots of big fish and a lack of yellow perch. The biggest one must have been over two feet long, and escaped once it was half way out of the hole. We also picked up a tiny, mini, baby, butbot out in the front lake. Lots of fun fishing, and lots of greasy snacks were eaten, by us and the fish.
Here are a few pictures...
First fish of the day.
His twin sister.
Their slightly obese 2nd cousin.
Warm camp fire.
Greasy bacon wrapped tube steaks doubled up on a bun.
A ruffed grouse on the side of the road. notice the fanned tail feathers and ruffed neck.
I got a fish too. On a swedish pimple. The actual name of the lure. Swedish pimple.
My Gut is SOOOO Big. My Gut is SOOOO Full. Mmmmmm, I'm the Biggest Guttiest Man Around!
"Ah shit... this is DEFINITELY ending up on the internet."
"Just contemplating where my belly button went"
"Make sure it's a DOUBLE BURGER...with BACON...hot greasy bacon to shine up my mullet"
That is only 6 guts, but I believe that may be too many. Far too many. Let these guts be a warning to you all out there. Or an inspiration. I'll let you decide.
Mayo/cheese combo after two hours in the heat and a nice protective film has formed. Chunky and shiny and creamy...Yum.
Hairs. If it grows on the human body, you will find it in the buffet. You may be lucky enough to find a few different colours and types in your breakfast. Omelets with ginger pubes and black beard hairs anyone?
Surprise Casseroles. Do you like to know exactly what you are eating? Well, avoid the surprise casserole, because it is a mix of several previous meals, usually enhanced with sliced hotdogs and re-hydrated with suntanning oil and pig's blood.
Fruit. Perhaps it is the lack of American supplied super-fertilizers, but the fruit tends to be very bland and dry. Just how some people LOVE their fruit: bland and dry. YUM. The oranges and grapefruits were better, but usually covered in beard hair...
Solid blocks of salt. Have you ever seen a salt shaker with rice in it so it doesn't clump? Well, nobody in Cuba has. I recommend just pouring sea water over the food to enhance the flavours.
The tap water. You may be carefully drinking bottled water all the time, but at the buffet it is in everything. Maybe it is safe to drink, maybe you get worms. Either way, make sure you try some of the food swimming in water.
Fried fish. This was freshly grilled right in front of you and it was usually really good. Fresh and tasty. Most of the fresh grilled food was really good and provided lots of sandwich material. So don't despair.
Greasy breaded sausage balls. I didn't know that sausages grew balls, but these little treats were a decent sponge for mid morning alcohol.
A mountain of hard boiled eggs, covered in katchup and mustard, artistically sprayed in overlapping patterns on top of the egg pile. What a sight to behold!
Sliced hotdogs floating in water. It may have been some other liquid, but I never found out. This dish reappeared daily, usually after the outdoor hotdog grilling station closed, so you can draw your own conclusions.
Despite the overwhelming amount of questionable, inedible, and just plain gross food options, there were some bright spots. For example, the burger stand in town offered $1.20 hamburgesas made from some sort of pork/beef blend that were pretty good. And at the 'a la carte' dinner i had some decent steaks and shrimps. The beer was always cold and fresh. The service was excellent, better from the bartenders than the wait staff, but everyone was polite and helpful. Overall, an excellent vacation destination, just prepare to lose some weight.
It has been non-stop ice fishing for the past 2 months in New Brunswick. Been fishing day and night for many different species, including: Burbot, Eastern Chain Pickeral, Yellow Perch, Brook Trout, Tommy Cod, Smelt, Chub, and Catfish.
Been getting lots of fish around the Grand Lake area and meeting lots of new fishing buddies.
I also found time to go to Cuba for a very nice week of relaxing and warming up down there. Caught some small fish in the canal and made some fishing friends as well. WARNING: do not eat the sliced hotdogs floating in water, either those at the buffet or the ones in the canals.
Looking forward to spring and the maple syrup season. Going to tap a few trees down at the farm and make some tasty maple goodness.
