Saturday Afternoon with Spencer - February 26, 2017
SAAPD: Saturday Afternoon with Spencer
Re-entering St. Catharines, Ontario in February - when you are supposed to be in Green Valley, Arizona - is not easy. And – being the very-not-easy-going person that I am – I am not making it any easier on myself, or my husband.
Friday night I went to bed at 6:30 pm – skipping our after supper walk – because I could think of no good reason to stay up. Saturday morning, I decided, it’s time to break this cycle of being in sun-withdrawal. I would get up early and “run” my usual 5k… And just make like it’s AZ, even if it’s ON.
But Saturday morning, it was pouring rain. I don’t have any rain-running gear. “OK, Jan, you can sit in your jammmies and scowl,” said I to myself, “Or you can go to Good Life. You like Good Life.” And off I went and did a couple of challenging classes. This always helps. I may not always love learning to do crazy moves, like the Spiderman Plank, but I do love finishing.
Things got even better when I got home. Our brother and sis-in-law - Robin and Colleen – were interested in meeting up with us at a Vietnamese Food restaurant, Quan 99, in Brantford. It is equidistant for both couples. But it would be for supper. Gah! Four hours to fill in. A busy Jan is a happy Jan, and the reverse is also true.
Laur said, “I’ve got an idea!” That should have set off the warning bells right there, but I’m not my best self these days. “We can go to Spencer Gorge in Dundas. There’s a waterfall there and we can do a two k hike.” What could possibly go wrong? This was perfect.
To start our road trip, we stopped at the Tim Hortons to redeem my Roll-Up-The-Rim to win coupon – which I couldn’t find. An omen?! Ah well, I splurged and bought Laur a medium coffee and me an extra-large decaf. Woo hoo!
On our way to Dundas, an insane wind storm blew up, which nearly knocked us off the Burlington skyway. Yikes! We got to Webster Falls park and the fee was $10 to park, and $5 per person. Double yikes! A bit steep, but if there was a bathroom – which is says there is – and a good hike, it’s worth it.
But first, we went to view the falls. And they are gorgeous – 79 feet! The largest crest in the region the hand-out says (next to Niagara Falls.) But with all this pouring water – coupled with my fluid intake – agony was setting in. I take in a lot of fluids daily, and Saturday was no exception. In the morning, orange juice and water and two big cups of half-caff coffee and very milky cereal. At the gym, I drink two large jugs of water. At lunch, we’d had an extra-large bowl of soup… And then there was the extra-large Tim Hortons coffee. Time for the Ladies Room.
… Except there is no such thing. What they have is a seasonal Johnny-On-The-Spot – and this was not the season. We decided to have a walk around – partly to get our $10 worth – and partly in hopes of finding some tall dense bushes. But the only part of the trail that led into some woods was closed and locked.
And then I saw the happy little sign that read “Healthy Streams, Healthy Communities.” At that point I got a fit of the giggles – I was bent over with my legs crossed – trying to hold things together, on many levels.
Back to the car. Turns out Webster Falls Park has a much bigger sister park – Tew Falls Park. Surely, they would have a port-a-potty there. We arrived and the parking lot was full. Oh no… Laur eventually got a spot and the two us practically bolted down the path, hoping to find that special blue box – and I don’t mean the Tardis. We stopped only for a few seconds to stare at Tew Falls, which at 134.5 feet is almost as high as Niagara Falls. (This from the flyer that promises a washroom. I’m a bit doubtful.) All this sight and sound of rushing water was not helping!
Finally, we came to a spot where a person (or two) could at least get off the path, although the winter weather had removed any hope of leaves and “coverage.” I no longer cared. I could see no people, I got off track as far as possible, and did what nature demanded – with Laur blocking me from view as best as possible. (He offered a few helpful comments about where best to face, given wind direction - I didn’t care.)
The rest of our walk went much better, though freezing cold. Almost as bad as the Grand Canyon in winter, and that is pretty bad. It ended with a scenic view of Hamilton from Dundas Peak. I remember Hamilton winters. I didn’t like them when we lived there and I still don’t.
Back to a car and to warmth and shelter from the wind, and off to the restaurant in Brantford, where Robin and Colleen were waiting for us. A pot of tea was immediately brought our way. Just the thought of fluids sent me off to the nearest water closet.
I don’t learn well by experience. I had a massive bowl of vegetable soup and a pot and a half of tea. But I knew the trip home would only take 45 minutes. This is the part of the story where if my usual luck held, there would normally be a huge traffic tie-up and I would be sitting in agony for a few more hours. But, remarkably, this didn’t happen.
But nothing in this story is as funny as the story by Canada’s beloved story-teller, Stuart MacLean, called – very simply - “I Need to Pee!” You can find it at http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2546546842. It starts at about the 10 minutes and 30 seconds mark. Make a trip to your local lavatory before listening. You only want it to be your eyes that are streaming.
Re-entering St. Catharines, Ontario in February - when you are supposed to be in Green Valley, Arizona - is not easy. And – being the very-not-easy-going person that I am – I am not making it any easier on myself, or my husband.
Friday night I went to bed at 6:30 pm – skipping our after supper walk – because I could think of no good reason to stay up. Saturday morning, I decided, it’s time to break this cycle of being in sun-withdrawal. I would get up early and “run” my usual 5k… And just make like it’s AZ, even if it’s ON.
But Saturday morning, it was pouring rain. I don’t have any rain-running gear. “OK, Jan, you can sit in your jammmies and scowl,” said I to myself, “Or you can go to Good Life. You like Good Life.” And off I went and did a couple of challenging classes. This always helps. I may not always love learning to do crazy moves, like the Spiderman Plank, but I do love finishing.
Things got even better when I got home. Our brother and sis-in-law - Robin and Colleen – were interested in meeting up with us at a Vietnamese Food restaurant, Quan 99, in Brantford. It is equidistant for both couples. But it would be for supper. Gah! Four hours to fill in. A busy Jan is a happy Jan, and the reverse is also true.
Laur said, “I’ve got an idea!” That should have set off the warning bells right there, but I’m not my best self these days. “We can go to Spencer Gorge in Dundas. There’s a waterfall there and we can do a two k hike.” What could possibly go wrong? This was perfect.
To start our road trip, we stopped at the Tim Hortons to redeem my Roll-Up-The-Rim to win coupon – which I couldn’t find. An omen?! Ah well, I splurged and bought Laur a medium coffee and me an extra-large decaf. Woo hoo!
On our way to Dundas, an insane wind storm blew up, which nearly knocked us off the Burlington skyway. Yikes! We got to Webster Falls park and the fee was $10 to park, and $5 per person. Double yikes! A bit steep, but if there was a bathroom – which is says there is – and a good hike, it’s worth it.
But first, we went to view the falls. And they are gorgeous – 79 feet! The largest crest in the region the hand-out says (next to Niagara Falls.) But with all this pouring water – coupled with my fluid intake – agony was setting in. I take in a lot of fluids daily, and Saturday was no exception. In the morning, orange juice and water and two big cups of half-caff coffee and very milky cereal. At the gym, I drink two large jugs of water. At lunch, we’d had an extra-large bowl of soup… And then there was the extra-large Tim Hortons coffee. Time for the Ladies Room.
… Except there is no such thing. What they have is a seasonal Johnny-On-The-Spot – and this was not the season. We decided to have a walk around – partly to get our $10 worth – and partly in hopes of finding some tall dense bushes. But the only part of the trail that led into some woods was closed and locked.
And then I saw the happy little sign that read “Healthy Streams, Healthy Communities.” At that point I got a fit of the giggles – I was bent over with my legs crossed – trying to hold things together, on many levels.
Back to the car. Turns out Webster Falls Park has a much bigger sister park – Tew Falls Park. Surely, they would have a port-a-potty there. We arrived and the parking lot was full. Oh no… Laur eventually got a spot and the two us practically bolted down the path, hoping to find that special blue box – and I don’t mean the Tardis. We stopped only for a few seconds to stare at Tew Falls, which at 134.5 feet is almost as high as Niagara Falls. (This from the flyer that promises a washroom. I’m a bit doubtful.) All this sight and sound of rushing water was not helping!
Finally, we came to a spot where a person (or two) could at least get off the path, although the winter weather had removed any hope of leaves and “coverage.” I no longer cared. I could see no people, I got off track as far as possible, and did what nature demanded – with Laur blocking me from view as best as possible. (He offered a few helpful comments about where best to face, given wind direction - I didn’t care.)
The rest of our walk went much better, though freezing cold. Almost as bad as the Grand Canyon in winter, and that is pretty bad. It ended with a scenic view of Hamilton from Dundas Peak. I remember Hamilton winters. I didn’t like them when we lived there and I still don’t.
Back to a car and to warmth and shelter from the wind, and off to the restaurant in Brantford, where Robin and Colleen were waiting for us. A pot of tea was immediately brought our way. Just the thought of fluids sent me off to the nearest water closet.
I don’t learn well by experience. I had a massive bowl of vegetable soup and a pot and a half of tea. But I knew the trip home would only take 45 minutes. This is the part of the story where if my usual luck held, there would normally be a huge traffic tie-up and I would be sitting in agony for a few more hours. But, remarkably, this didn’t happen.
But nothing in this story is as funny as the story by Canada’s beloved story-teller, Stuart MacLean, called – very simply - “I Need to Pee!” You can find it at http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2546546842. It starts at about the 10 minutes and 30 seconds mark. Make a trip to your local lavatory before listening. You only want it to be your eyes that are streaming.