ACA Camp closing, Oct 10-13 (part 2)

So what  happen on Sunday? I missed my promised breakfast with the Peterson because I sleep on a tent out back beyond Stevie's tentplatform.   Because Peter is still teaching that class on Sunday he left for breakfast earlier then usually.  I get up at 7:30AM, normally this would be early to catched the Peterson before they left for Breakfast at 8:30 -9 o'clock.

Instead breakfast was cook over a wood fire at  my tentplatform, that don't happen oven.  It turn out badly, for some reason my eggs are frozen so it take a while to defrost on the caset iron skellet.  The "sausage patties" taste like flavor cardboard. After my tasteless breakfast, since I still have a good fire going, I decide why waste the fire, might as well get start on lunch since my turkey thigh would take at least 2 hours to cook anyway (more on that later).  I quickly sear the meat and wrap it in aluminum foil and let it cook while I visit Tod and Mia.  I end up eating a second breakfast of coconut pancake with Tod, Mia and their little girl Pearl.   Abby is drop off by her dad as we finish up breakfast.  Abby is a beautify girl, a bit too loud and very energetic.  She have the cutest freckles on her nose.  I left to let to two girls plays.  

Since I took Monday Columbus Day off I really was in no rush to back up my own platform.  So much of Sunday is spend slow organizing my platform, and visiting Stevie and Tod, and playing with Pearl and Abby.
 
Stevie is moving to Tuscon next year so is giving up his tent platform. I will missed having him and his wife Adele at the camp.  Stevie was the main reason I end up sending so much time at the camp to begin with.  I enjoyed hanging out after a hard day of kayaking. We used to have a big cookout at his place every weekend.   He stopped doing that 2 summers ago after he figure he spend too much money on food, even thought we do bring some food to  contribute.   I stilled missed those pass summers when everybody gather at Stevie for meals.  It is an end of an era.  I don't know who I would hang out with now that Stevie (Adele stop coming up to the camp much since she retire) is not going to be there.  I take up sailing to fill the time this year. Next year I will probably be doing more kayaking, and hanging out with the sailors (kidding).   He is giving a way most of the stuffs that he can't bring to Tuscon so i get a couple of stuffs, and help move his BBQ set to Peter's cabin, and Tod moved a very heavy concrete/tiles slab to his place.  Actually Peter's son Cody do most of the work.
Cody grown up to be a tall, muscular boy(man). I think he is 21 now!  I know him since he was 9-10 years old when I used to share Sebago Cabin with the whole family.  I don't seem him much any more the last couple of years. That is to be expected of course.  I always have problem recognizing him when I see him these day. I mistake him for his older brother when i first see him this weekend.  Since we have a  strong young man around we decided to have him movie all the heavy stuff, like a 300 lbs rocks that Tod no long wanted to my  platform.  I would never be able to move it.  We flipped it into a wheelbarrow.  Cody pushed the wheelbarrow while i keep the wheelbarrow from flipping over.  It was hard work to move it up the foot trail uphill from Tod's plagtform to the pave road going up hill, then down hill to the unpaved foot path to my platform then over a couple of steps to where I want it to be.  Cody do it all with enthusiasm and energy.

Some where between all these moving of heavy object and "packing" i manage to get one last sail in, I have to move the sailboat from my side of the lake to the other side where it belong.  It was windy 5-10 mph winds with some gust.  I only have 2 instants where I was close to capsizing, I managed to recover by adjusting my sail instead of have to jump to the opposite gunnel to prevent a capsize, get improvement from the beginning of the season.  It was fun now I learned to control the sail to get where I want to be instead of manhandling the boat with my paddle as a rudder. My sailing skills improved enough that I  am comfortable sailing around Peter and his kayaking class after doing on loop around the lake.    I don't want to push my luck and its consecutive three years that I capsized on my last sail of the season.   I docks and get the boat ready to be put up on the newly position boat rack but found at that the boat don't fit in the newly resized space.  It have to be modify. At first I thought I can do it myself, but decide on of the other sailboat on the rack have to be move in order for me to make the modification.  Cody come to the rescue and we modify the rack and put put back both boats in less then half an hour.

After the sailboat is put away, i don't have much to do except wonder around and bother other people who are busy packing up.  Stop by Tod and play with Pearl and Abby.   They set up a "house" among the large boulder by Tod's platform.  Each boulders is a separate room and I am invite for dinner as Aunt Julie, who the girls keep on trying the push off the cliff or poison.  Good thing I always have multi-spectrum antidotes with me!  I finally have enough of being poisons and get back to the job at hand, taking down my tent platform tarp roof.   The problem is I am staying till Monday so I don't want to take the roof down early. But i also have Cody around on Sunday so if I want his help I would have to do it on Sunday.   It was 5 PM when I finally decided to take the tarp down.  We don't have to be gentle with it since I have to get a new one for next year.  Cody help with the side facing the lake where the roof is 20 feet off the ground.  We get a ladder on top of a picnic table. He is about 6 feets with the ladder on the picnic table he can reach all the ropes I tied.   In less then 30 minutes we get the tarp off, It would have taken me hours.   I slipped Cody $40 for his help.  Worth every penny.

Back to that turkey tight I have cooking since morning.  While we were taking the tarp down I remember the turkey thigh left cooking after breakfast.   It is very well cook and apparent a bit of it get chew by a wild animal at the end.   I cut off that end and have that for dinner.   Very tender.
Since I am staying till Monday afternoon, or late evening on Monday I don't want to turn off the fridge till Monday, same thing for my big tents.  Those are the two biggest thing I need to do and those don't have to be done till Monday.   Hang out with Pearl and Abby for a while till it start to get dark,  have stevie and his hiking friends over by the fires for a couple of hours.  It was a good way to end Sunday.

Monday I went Breakfast with the Peterson.   I was tempted to forgo breakfast and hang out with Mia and Pearl before the leave but decided that me be to intrusive (Tod left earlier in the Morning in separate car).   We almost literal ran into Mia and Pearl as we come back to camp.   Stevie and Adele went home early in the morning as they usually do so I don't have anyone to distract me from doing what the weekend was supposed to be for, closing down for the winter.

I talked to two ladies North Brooklyn Kayak Club, they need a ride to the train station so we decided on 1:30 PM as departure time. Give me a deadline so I don't procrastinate.   I get everything all pack up and move where they need to be by 1PM.   I decided that there is no reason to drop the ladies for NBYC off at the train station to take the train to the city then subway to Brooklyn when I am driving to Brooklyn anyway so over them a ride to the City.   We make too time till we hit the FDR/Triboro bridge exit.  Since the two girls live near the Triboro, I decided to take the Triboro and get out of  FDR Parkway traffic.   I drop them off right off the  Pulaski Bridge. The hardest part is finding my way to Sebago in south Brooklyn. My GPS take me through the local road the whole way.  It wasn't bad traffic wise but I am never comfortable driving through some of these neighborhood.   Get they by 3PM and get help with the boat so all in all a good ending for the weekend.

2015 ACA Camp Season Come to and End

Last weekend is the last weekend at ACA camp for the year.   I took Columbus Day off from work to make it a long weekend. Originally I planned to take Friday off but changed to Monday in hope of spending more time with my friends at the lake before take down the tarp and the cabin tent for the season.  It work out well.  Let started with Friday night.

It was raining in the evening when I get home from work.  I decided not to drive to the lake on Friday, and come drive up early on Saturday.  The weather report say the rain should clear by 8:30 - 9 PM but it make do sense to drive up just to go to bed. No point in going up if I can't get a fire going.   I was in the middle of pickling my lime for the winter and cooking dinner when I get a called from Tiffany, my friend Peter Peterson's daughter at  7:30PM.  Peter get on the fun and tell me he have an emergency.  Peter, Linda and Tiffany were driving up to the camp when their car break down in the Lincoln Tunnel and is now waiting for a tow, and if I can come and pick them up.   There was no question of saying no.  I need some time to clean up my half cook dinner and pack my food.   I get out of the house  by 7:40.   The drive on the FDR and across the Battery Tunnel was fast, I was across the river to Manhattan by 8:10, then hit traffic.  It seem not none of the light on the West Side "Highway". I putted higway in quote because you can't call something a highway when it have traffic light. I take my 20 minutes to drive to the exit for the Lincoln Tunnel.  I find out what the problem is when I get to 40th street.  The two traffic polices give up on directing traffic as the crucial crossing and let cars block the intersection so when the light turn green no one can move. I hope those two traffic officials go to hell when they die. Its another 20 minutes on the ramp to the tunnel and a slow 5 mph drive across the tunnel. Pete called me while I am stuck in the slow crawl to the tunnel. I was informed that the tow truck drive is nice enough to drive them off at t gas station off the first exit getting out of the tunnel to Hoboken, just stay to the right and the gas station is on the left.

There was only one tunnel open, going both direction. When I get out I see the exit for Hoboken exit right away but I am 5 lanes over and the exit is 200 feet right off the tunnel.  By the time I make it over 4 lanes I missed the exit.  I get off the next available exit and call Pete for the address.  I putted the address into my GPS and quickly meet up with Pete, he was waiting out at the corner.  I parked while Linda get some coffee. My car is dead when Pete try to start it, lucky I brought the battery jumper with me.  We boosted the car, loaded up their supplies and headed to camp.  We stopped by the Pete's favorite restaurant Rhode's for dinner.  Pete bough my dinner. I appreciated that.   We get into camp at 11:30. Nothing to do but unload, brush my tooth and hit the sack.

Wake up on Saturday and realize there nothing for met do on the tent platform since I need everything till at least Sunday evening.  I did organize some stuffs.  I already take some stuffs back home last weekend so this weekend its mostly the can foods and whatever is in the fridge, all of which and by back in 30 minutes.  I don't want to turn off the fridge till Monday morning.  Taking the tarp off and taking down the tent  have to be done on Monday because I am still using it.

Peter is teaching a kayaking class on this weekend and he need some help.    Saturday morning was cold so Peter get all the on land stuff done before they get on the water.  He have 6 students so he can handle the class by himself but an extra instructor would be handy.  I let the group get in to water before I joined them. Pete tended to talk a lot so I like to missed that part.   I join them for the rest of the day.  It always surprise my how much I enjoy teaching.

Tod and his daughter Pearl come out in their canoe to visit us on the water while we instructed. I have to be on my toe with Tod on the water.  He always keep you on alert for a capsize.  I was waiting for them to show up.  I enjoy hanging out with them.  Pearl is a very affectionate girl and like to cuddle.  I love a good cuddle.

Since I was instruction for a bit I get to eat dinner with the students.  Free dinner is always good.  After the class I hang out with my other friend Stevie. He talked my into buying hammock and tarp.  He help me set it up behind his tent platform to try it out and teach me how to tie up the tarp. I did not take pictures.  After I set up the hammock and try it out I went back to my place and started a fire. I get a good bonfire going by 6PM.  I love a fire when I can get a fire going. Stevie and his hiking friends over to enjoy the fire.

There is also a fireside gathering at the camp only tenting camp site.  I stopped by to say hi to everybody but prefer to be in smaller group by my fire.   At 9 PM I decided to call it a day and crawl into my hammock for the night.  I was out before I know it, which is surprising since the party is stay going strong near by.  I wanted to be asleep before Stevie go to bed because he snore.

I get up at 2 or 3 AM to go relief myself.  I did not sleep as soundly as I did before I get up.  I wake up at 7:30AM. I promised to go to breakfast with the Peterson.  Stevie told me that the Peterson already left.  Oh well.  I need sometime with my other favorite family anyway!  I stopped by to say hi to Tod and Pearl.  Mia, Tod's wife come up late last night  and is out in front of their tent platform tending to their fire with their neighbor, Beth.  Tod is inside cookin gup coconut pancake.  I loved coconut.  Tod wanted to go on the water so I told him to use my boat since I want to work on my tent platform and going sailing.  While we were hanging out having breakfast Pearl camp friend come by, Abby.   Abby is a lovely girl about Pearl age.  She is full of entry and pretty as a button.  He father is dropping her off to pay with Pearl while he go to work.   I have two cute girls to keep me distracted.

end of part 1 of 2015 Camp Closing