Howdy Folks,
My apologies for not blogging this past week, but circumstances beyond my control kept me from my keyboard.
You'll recall that my last entry saw us preparing to fly-out to Colin Lake to begin the process of opening our Mikisew Sportfishing Camps for the season. Well, ... we did indeed fly out last Wednesday, May 19 and we arrived at Colin Lake without incident. However, ... things kinda went South from there.
No sooner had we landed the float-plane when the weather "socked-in", bringing wind, rain and cold along with it. This made unloading the Cessna Caravan quite difficult and took cooperation by our team of 8 highly skilled individuals.
Once unpacked, we set about the task of building a fire in the cabin, getting the generator started so we had power and turning on the propane so we could heat water and, most importantly, make coffee. Then, our attention turned to the other tasks requiring our attention; ... getting the Solar System up and running, getting 3 boats and motors in the water, cleaning the cabins and painting the floors, getting the water pump up and running and the shower-house functional.
As we did all this, ... the weather got worse, whitecaps covered the lake and the float-plane bobbed and heaved up and down against the incoming waves. We had only planned on being at Colin Lake for 1 day and, because of the weather we knew we were there for at least 1 extra night.
The next morning, Thursday, the weather was no better and, while we did not think it could get any worse, ... the pilot declared it "worse", with the flight ceiling being non-existent and 500 feet needed for legal take-off. So, as we sat drinking coffee and huddling around the fire, we decided to prepare for take-off and, if the ceiling lifted, we would be ready to go. It was only 9:30 AM.
About this time, we decided to set up our satellite telephone and try to call the office in Fort McMurray and let them know what was taking place. We dialed, the phone rang and our dispatcher answered. "I have an important message for Paul, ... he needs to call home immediately!" So, ... a few minutes later I called home only to find out that my Mom was gravely ill in hospital in Winnipeg. The message from there was "You need to come home right now!" Easier said than done!!
I discussed my urgent request to go with my colleague and good friend, Tim Gillies and with our pilot, Seth. Bottom line, ... it was the pilot's call! If the weather improved enough to get us off the water, we would go, ... if not, ... we're stuck here at the mercy of Mother Nature.
We busied ourselves with other chores like raking the camp area and cutting firewood. A couple of the guys attempted to do some dock repairs, but with the waves being so high and the water so cold, it was a gargantuan task. Then, ... at about 3:30 in the afternoon, the clouds looked like they were lifting. We had a group meeting. The pilot had enough fuel to get us back to Fort McMurray, but not enough to stop and drop our crew at another camp along the way. So, it was decided that I should get out to McMurray and get on my way to Winnipeg as fast as I could. The pilot would come back the next morning to pick up our crew and resume the task of opening additional camps.
I won't go into detail about our flight back to Fort McMurray, ... but suffice to say I am forever indebted to our Pilot, Seth for his incredible skill and nerves of steel!! Enough said!
I made it back to Edmonton by 1:00 AM and was on a plane for Winnipeg by 6:30 AM, arriving by 9:30 Friday morning. My Mom was not in good shape and her prognosis was not good. She had celebrated her 80th Birthday just 6 days prior to this and, without going into great detail, all of this had started that day. All of my family was there by Friday afternoon including my Wife, Jerelyn, my Brother, Greg and his Daughter, Kaitlin, and Mom's only surviving Brother, Darragh and his Wife, Kathy, from Ottawa. We spent a wonderful afternoon in her hospital room telling our best and favourite stories about her, holding her hand and praying for her. Sadly, my Mom died last Saturday morning.
Today, I am back to work in Fort McMurray getting ready for another flight out to our flagship property, Indian Head Camp, tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to getting there and busying myself with the task of getting the lodge open and ready for our first guests next weekend. They say stuff like this is therapeutic and helps us to move forward after a tragic event like losing a parent, a sibling or a loved-one. We shall see!
There is a hole in my heart where my Mom used to be! I love her and I miss her terribly, ... but, ... in the back of my head I can hear her telling me to get back to work, look after my family and always do my best! God bless you Mom, ... I promise I will!
Until next week, ... Play safe and, ... try and be kind to one another
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