Summer has picked up at last. Which does not leave much time for "blogging." In the past few weeks the staff has been out and about making the most of their days off. Tori and Michael spent a day and a half out in the wilderness, mostly napping. Scott and Michael have been portaging into Rove Lake and catching bass. Erik and Tori spent 12 hours on the water last week, paddling and portaging all 40 miles of the Clearwater loop. The past few weeks has been clear, cool and calm. With the exception of the two days Scott, Matt, Michael and Tori were out camping. They spent the day dealing with cold temperatures and rain. Good times were had by all I am sure.

This Saturday is the big day. The mid-summer weekend that every American looks forward to. The historic, meaningful, federal holiday that gives us an excuse to set fire to some explosive pyrotechnics. However, we're not the only nation celebrating our birth this week. Our neighbors to the North celebrated Canada Day yesterday. I'll be honest, I was unaware of this until last night. This is really a shame because oddly enough I was in Canada yesterday. Then out. Then in. And out again. Scott and I were up on some border lakes and we walked a portage that straddled the US-Canada boundary. Had we known it was a holiday perhaps we would have stayed longer on the other side of the path. We could have enjoyed the festive atmosphere and fully realized our appreciation for the signing of the British North America Act on July 1, 1867.
Another thought that occurred to me was the whole timing of these holidays. Did these famous nation-builders work as diligently as possible, and the right circumstances came together on these days? Or did they have the forethought to consider the seasons. I can see Ben Franklin saying, "We were going to challenge tyranny and seek independence in late '75 but we pushed Jefferson's deadline back because Summer is a much better time for a barbecue."
However it happened I'm grateful for the holiday. The Fourth, like many other holidays has developed its own traditions and customs over the years and become a unique celebration that embraces some of the best things Summer has to offer. So this Saturday when you're lighting the grill, filling the coolers, and making sure the fire extinguisher works, remember....Canada undercut us by three lousy days.

Have a great 4th!

-Michael