Waking up on Thursday on the Big Sand Beach, anticipation for the day radiated off people like the sun on the water. Okay, not really. It wasn’t even sunny. But I couldn’t think of a good way to open this section. It was destined to be a fun day though because it was Calvin and Tamara’s anniversary, Canada Day and last but certainly not least . . . Pirate Day!
Throughout the trip my mom had been keeping the younger cousins entertained on the boat with preparations for pirate day. They colored in pirate scarves with fabric markers one day and spent a rainy afternoon bedazzling swords and hats. Since we were staying put on the Big Sand Beach for the day, today was the day of the much anticipated treasure hunt. Somehow it was determined that the big cousins without offspring would be in charge of the hunt. We spent the morning picking out the perfect hiding places and then retired back to the KJ to be creative with our clues. The clues were amazing, for which Greg gets all the credit. Our family is gifted with natural writing ability anyway, but this was a work of art.
Not only did the kids have to run up and down the beach to find clues, they had to take a ride in the skiff to another secret beach to get a clue. There was a plank to walk, which I made Rob and Greg haul onto the beach from a cliff, and treasure marked with an X. Actually there were three X’s. One had treasure . . . the others had two day old herring we found in the skiff that were supposed to be used for bait. Not my idea, but since I’d gotten my plank, I let the guys have their dead fish. Even the adults got into it, donning hooks, hats and swords, following the kids and grandkids up and down the beach watching them find the clues. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip for the kids. Where else do you have your own private beach to have a treasure hunt?
After the hunt, some of us went back to the KJ to make lunch. While we were waiting for the beans to warm up for our Haystacks, mom decided to go fishing. Apparently she forgot about the lack of a male presence on the boat when she actually caught one and realized she’d have to get it off the hook on her own. I was laughing at her while she shrieked at the idea of unhooking her fish and she suggested that I do it for her. I don’t do fish . . . so I got her a paper towel. She wrapped the fish in a paper towel and managed to get the hook out. I didn’t see her fishing solo again on the trip.
For dinner we cooked up the prawns and the remaining fish. I was delighted to find some rice to eat instead of another hot dog. I did try a bit of the prawn . . . and decided I’d rather keep eating hot dogs. Once again, my dad did his magic and cooked dinner for 22 over a camp fire. Even more incredible, in honor of the anniversary and Canada Day, he, with Joeleigh acting as sous chef, made two pineapple upside down cakes in a dutch oven heated by coals. The cakes turned out perfect. Pretty impressive when you consider that there are many people who can’t bake a cake in an oven. Dinner time was the only time that day I actually saw Uncle Don awake. Covered in ash from the fire, he slept in his chair all day long. At one point he poked a hole in his arm, after falling asleep with a knife in the other hand. He was up and at ‘em for those prawns though.
The weather decided to cooperate with our celebrations and we had a beautiful pink sunset that gave us a great natural light show. And of course all of us automatically repeated, “Red sky at night, sailors delight.” We had glow bracelets and mini Canadian flags to celebrate Canada Day and sang the national anthem. Well, the Canadians did anyway. Mom, Rob and I got through “Oh Canada, our home and native land,” before switching to humming. Then on to wine and toasts to celebrate the anniversary and the amazingness that is our family. Because how many families do you know that could do a trip like this and still like each other at the end?
Since it wasn’t raining, I had planned on sleeping in my tent that night on the beach. But by this time I couldn’t even find my tent. It was somewhere on the top deck with all the gear I was pretty sure, but after searching for it a few times, I gave up and decided sleeping on the boat was meant to be. Greg eventually drove us back to the KJ in the skiff . . . after having to row back to shore to get help getting the motor back in the water.
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