From our Chatham farm, we pointed the bow north, heading for our friends’ place on the shore of Lake Superior. We usually stop in at Cathie & Joe’s place near Rossport as part of our east-west sojourns. But this time was to be a special visit, because we were going to house and dog sit for them. Oh, yes, they have a dog… the cutest dog ever:
Weather down south had moved well past winter, and was nicely settled into spring. But as we headed north, we caught up with the cold and snow. Our plans were to stop in Sudbury first, so we could visit with our sailing friends Tom, Clarissa & Chia (kitty). Unfortunately, weather forced us to pull in early in Parry Sound. The threatened snows stayed away, but it poured heavily. Naturally, Ann-the-kid had to go stomping around in the rain. And of course, she didn’t have a raincoat, so had to use my coat and my hat.
The delay in Parry Sound meant we only had one night to spend in Sudbury with Chia… and Clarissa & Tom 😉. But they were gracious hosts as always, and it was wonderful to catch up on their winter adventures, and learn about their plans for the sailing summer. It’s sad that we won’t be joining them on the water, but we can still sail vicariously with them.
Sudbury was still heavy with snow, and it only got heavier as we carried on north. Sault Ste. Marie was our next overnight stop, and it was thick with the white stuff. By the time we pulled into Joe & Cathie’s place near Rossport, we were well back into winter.
We arrived a couple of days ahead of Cathie & Joe’s departure. They were headed to the west coast to carry on the great travelling adventures they’ve been having with Cathie’s brother Duncan and sister Margaret. And we were more than happy to assist by looking after their amazing home and too-cute doggie.
Our days were spent gazing at the beauty of Lake Superior, revelling in the wonderful space that is their house, and entertaining, and being entertained by, Piper the pup (who is actually about four years old now).
There were lots of dog walks 
, cuddles and play time 
. And we treated ourselves to great meals using Joe & Cathie’s wonderfully-equipped kitchen (they have everything a cook could need). Piper even got into the action when I was playing my video game. She’d come and sit beside me 
, watching the screen. And in some of the frenetic Spiderman battles, she’d run up to the TV and start chasing and batting-at, the action 
.
When we first arrived winter was still in full grip of the area, but from day-1 the snows started melting, and the sun shone through. We barely saw a flurry come down the whole time, and watched as the deep snow banks drained away. The ice on Lake Superior in front of their house stretched to the horizon when we first arrived. People were ice fishing a 1/2 km out from shore. But within two days, the ice had broken up, and was quickly melting away. Soon we had open water, and dry ground. The transition was amazingly swift.
By the end of our stay we were walking on ground and gravel, and sitting out on the front deck, enjoying the beautiful spring weather.
The day finally came when Cathie & Joe arrived back from their travels. Although Piper liked us, she absolutely adores her real parents.
We spent a couple more days with C, J & P. We heard about their wonderful travels up the Sunshine Coast, then over to Ucluelet, and finally in the big city of Vancouver. But we eventually had to pack our bags to carry on our journey west. It’s always a little sad to say goodbye, but we’ll be passing through again in a few months, as we head back to our home in Newfoundland. Even so, little Piper seemed forlorn.
