June 6, 2011
"Asparagus sandwiches?!"
I thought she was nuts.
Then I stopped reacting, thought about it for a few seconds and had to admit they kinda sounded good. But better than the asparagus roll up which they turned into, was the part where we would go canoeing and eat them as a picnic dinner on a lake or pond of our choosing.
We searched the map in the foyer and chose Walker's pond in Brewster, not to far from home. I made the Asparagus roll-ups, we packed up the car, loaded the canoe on top and headed off for a late evening trip.
The wind had dyed down nicely, the weather warmed up and it was still early enough in the eve to avoid the inevitable mosquito. As soon as we arrived at the put-in, we saw a family of swans as well as some kind of a heron which we were later able to identify. Some kind of a 'night heron' I think she said. Realizing we forgot a camera on this trip we quickly improvised, packed my phone and headed out on to the pond.
For the most part we were getting the provisioning, packing, and maneuvering of the canoe into a more manageable arrangement. From having gone off on our first voyage with nothing save an extra sweatshirt and the camera, we decided a couple of slight upgrades would add a little something to at least our peace of mind if not our general overal safety. We were to be out on the water after all. To that end we outfitted the canoe with a small anchor, extra ties, a first aid kit, and waterproof carry bags to put all our stuff in. Now we could travel in style, we had somewhere formal and secure to stash the picnic, the camera and many other yet to be invited items. And of course we had addressed safety.
During all this procurement of the 'right stuff' for the canoe, I began to worry that we would lose the spontaneity and lightness of that first trip. But just as the asparagus sandwiches turned out to be delicious in their simplicity, so too did the outfitting of the canoe with just a couple modest additions. Some obvious organization allowed for the packing and loading of the canoe onto and off of the car and in and out of the water to stay practically seamless. Except for the part where I fell down just as we were about to drop the boat in the water that is!!
Good thing I can make one heck of an Asparagus roll-up.
