JanerBlog

Powah Owt

Just back from an absolutely lovely weekend at Paul's parents' cottage on Lake Michigan. The ride over there was a bit interesting, in that we drove through a storm so severe that it threatened to take the kayaks right clean off the car, so we spent about a half-hour hiding under a bridge until it passed.

When we got there, we discovered how hard-hit the coast was -- there were really huge trees tipped over and snapped off all over the place. Trees you couldn't put your arms around, snapped in half, halfway up their trunks. Limbs down everywhere. As you might imagine, there was no power anywhere. The cottage was unscathed -- good news, considering that last year it took a direct tree-limb hit to the roof.

Fortunately for us, the cottage without power isn't all that different from the cottage with power. The water still ran, so we had a working sink, a flush toilet and (cold) showers, which was a blessing. My only concern was for the pair of gorgeous 16-oz porterhouse steaks that I'd brought along -- no power meant no refrigeration or stove, and they were already fully defrosted. Paul's folks are resourceful and wise, and in addition to the standard oil lamps, candles and flashlights, a little snooping turned up a small charcoal grill and some briquettes. I had to light a wood fire to get the damp briquettes going, but eventually we roasted dinner up right, and let me tell you, necessity does more than just breed invention, it also cooks much better steaks than in an electric stove. Paired with a good bottle of table red and some sweet potatoes we wrapped in foil and roasted on the dying embers, the steaks made a meal fit for kings, and boy was the dog happy with the bones. The only bummer was that rather than night-insects, we got to fall asleep to the constant hum of our neighbors' gas generators.

The following morning we stress-tested the kayaks in the post-storm waves. It was so much fun having some actual swells to sport and play in. We paddled a good couple of miles, took a nap and read for a bit, then came back down to do a long sunset paddle. The sea (it's not a lake, seriously guys) had calmed down to nearly glass-smooth -- practically no waves at all -- and the sky put on the most amazing, gorgeous show for us, complete with high, bright first-quarter moon. Simply breathtaking. Sunday's paddle got cut a bit short due to what looked like an oncoming storm (turned out to be nothing, after all), but we also got in some rescue practice in moving water, which is a good thing, considering we're going to be sea kayaking for real in a few weeks.

How lucky and blessed we were to spend a weekend reading and soaking up nature, without any electronic distractions. Considering how much time I've spent online (for both work and play) in the last month, it was the best possible vacation.