Thursday, July 31, 2008

Riding Mountain National Park

The highlight of my week of volunteering at camp had to be the evening that my fellow cooks and I took a walk down the road winding around Clear Lake. It was a lovely country road, unpopulated aside from a few other camps. The meadow was overflowing with native Manitoba wild flowers like tiger lillies, alfalfa, bright canola, wild roses, and a whole bunch that only Rose and Patti know the names to. I just know that it smelled really incredible, and was much prettier than any "perfect" garden I've ever laid eyes on.
We wandered down the road (that part of Manitoba has "downs" and not just horizontal "flats" like my part), exploring the flowers and breathing in something besides french toast, baked oatmeal, or shake and bake chicken.
On our way back to camp, something rustled just beside us in the grasses bordering the roadway. I looked up to see a beautiful lynx make its way back towards the forest. She stopped, turned around, and looked at us for what seemed an extraordinary length of time.
What an amazing animal.

A Cat the size of a Dog.
Now, how can I domesticate that?! (I know, I know.... don't send me nasty comments about their potential dangers, and all that. It's entirely theoretical. But would that not make the theoretically bestest house pet in the entire history of the world?!)
That kitty looked like the dog sized version of our housecat, Floey.
They are practically cousins.
And no, I did not have my camera with me at the time. Nor did Micah have the camera at archery when he saw a mama bear with her cub. Nor did the directer photograph the cougar coming up our drive in a low laying position, headed for the preschoolers playing in the sand of the volleyball court.
I'm not making any of this up.
And that, teacher, is what I did at camp this summer.



7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oooh, wildflowers and wildlife, some of my favorite things. OK, maybe not the cougar. It's funny how a cat the size of a dog is one person's ideal pet and another person's (my) ideal nightmare. One cat hair sends me into an allergic panic (most of which is in my head). And the cat's know it and head straight for me every time. The thought of a giant cat rubbing against my thigh makes me shudder. Why am I blathering on so?

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you had a very breathtaking and wonderful experience. I would love to see the cats in the wild!!!!!!!

MK

Crystal said...

sounds like a blast!

Judy said...

Oh, what fun.

On my 'stay-vaction' I am pretending that my breezeway is a cottage. From it I can watch the woodchucks and bunnies that eat my flowers as soon as I stop looking at them.

I so hope that no pre-schoolers were harmed by the crouching cougar.

Judy said...

hey. i meant to say 'stay-cation', as in i'm not going anywhere.

lettuce said...

wow. how wonderful

Ramona said...

I finally found you, Joyce! I so loved having you at camp this summer, but am still hoping for a referral and our kids to come home so we won't be there next summer... Maybe the one after we can do it again?
And yes, if anyone else reads this, there were bears and cubs and the lynxes came many times and I am them one who saw the cougar and waved my camera at it to scare it away as it stalked my kids and several of the smaller campers and the speakers kids!!! We were definitely out in the wild with a lot of wild campers, counselors and cooks!
Please email me at: willowdalewhimsy @ yahoo.ca (without the spaces) so we can keep in touch and so I can send you an invite to my blog.
Ramona