September 21 & 22, 2014
I have to do two days in one blog because today was mostly travel and Blogging. I'm blogging at home because of a problem with my laptop. I was planning on writing this on the ferry but, of course, that's when the fan stopped working. As soon as I turned it on, Warning, CPU fan not working. "Danger Will Robinson, Danger" Even that couldn't keep the smile off my face.
I want to go back to the Saturday night on the lake when we laid Stu to rest in the place he loved the most. I thought long and hard about it but I realised, if I don't let people hear them, they don't really exist. So I am putting the song I sang on the lake into my blog. I recorded this version a couple of years ago. Just me, my guitar and a shaky egg. I put some pics from the Sunday at the lake. I can't access the Saturday ones because my laptop sucks!! If you like it please share it, email it to a friend or re post it however you please. If I'm going to put it out there, I would like as many people as possible to hear it.
http://youtu.be/Fjq0Tff-B7E
Now back to Sunday morning. Everyone was up and at em by 8 am. Except Lisa and two of the dogs. Mac got up with me.
The spoiled little Ratdogs stayed with Mommy! Now read that in a whiny sarcastic voice.
The atmosphere in the cottage was amazing. The feeling that Stu was where he belonged was in the air, or maybe that was just the Bacon, sausage and eggs that Sean and Ruby were cooking for the gang. I must add that nothing drags a rat dog out of bed like the smell of bacon!
Owen, Jarvis and Sallie were out the door first. They needed to get back to Victoria by 4:30 to meet up with May Brown who was going to host Stu's wake. It was just a coincidence that there were a pile of dishes and a crap load of cleaning up to do. I guess it could take seven hours to get to Victoria, if your riding a mule! Sallie, I'm sure, had nothing to do with it. Those Scott brothers are burly and don't mind showing it. They would have just stuffed her in the trunk.
Lisa was up and having breakfast. Another incredible day at Sproat Lake. I took my workout on the road, well the lawn anyway.
1000 Four Stair Outdoor Stretches, but the stairs were really wide so I could only do Three Stair, Four Stair Stretches.
I also did 200 One Stair Steps of which there is no pictures because Lisa, who was acting as my photographer, slipped into a coma in a Cape Cod chair.
I finished my workout with 180 belly crunches. Lisa did take three pictures of this. All during my thirty second rest period between sets.
It was close to 30 degrees and that lake was so inviting. But first, we had to get Lisa on the road. She has a 2:30 am call time and can't make it to the wake. She made the 2:10 ferry in Nanaimo and was home in bed by 6:30.
Then the lake was mine. It is so clear you can see the bottom in 25 feet of water.
http://youtu.be/Fjq0Tff-B7E
The atmosphere in the cottage was amazing. The feeling that Stu was where he belonged was in the air, or maybe that was just the Bacon, sausage and eggs that Sean and Ruby were cooking for the gang. I must add that nothing drags a rat dog out of bed like the smell of bacon!
Owen, Jarvis and Sallie were out the door first. They needed to get back to Victoria by 4:30 to meet up with May Brown who was going to host Stu's wake. It was just a coincidence that there were a pile of dishes and a crap load of cleaning up to do. I guess it could take seven hours to get to Victoria, if your riding a mule! Sallie, I'm sure, had nothing to do with it. Those Scott brothers are burly and don't mind showing it. They would have just stuffed her in the trunk.
Lisa was up and having breakfast. Another incredible day at Sproat Lake. I took my workout on the road, well the lawn anyway.
1000 Four Stair Outdoor Stretches, but the stairs were really wide so I could only do Three Stair, Four Stair Stretches.
I finished my workout with 180 belly crunches. Lisa did take three pictures of this. All during my thirty second rest period between sets.
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| I do 180 Belly Crunches and she takes a picture of me resting! |
Then the lake was mine. It is so clear you can see the bottom in 25 feet of water.
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| The pipe you see is the water line to the house. |
I splashed around for a while, the water was the perfect temperature, then headed up to help with the cleanup.
Ruby and Sean were a little bit nervous about the wake. What should they say. "Just thank the people for coming and serve the appies" I said. Didn't help much at the time.
I met Ruby the day she was born, same with Sean. They are great kids, well not kids anymore. They have grown into really wonderful people. Lisa and I care deeply for them.
We finished the cleanup and said goodbye to the lake and the cottage and once again, a huge big thanks to Ruby's client for her sweet and generous use of their cottage. I don't know if they read this but I want to say it anyway. It should serve as inspiration for all of you people reading this to invite me somewhere nice!
We stopped at some hippy coffee joint in Port Alberni. They had a very good light roast. From there, three and a half hours to Victoria pulling the boat trailer.
I need to apologise to Pete and Cathy, we picked up the boat and were so distracted with the upcoming wake we were out the driveway without saying goodbye. They are good people and good friends and a drive by, "See Ya Later" from a speeding Jeep seems inadequate. You can talk about a lot of things on a Three and a half hour drive, and we did. We also spent a fair bit of time lost in our own thoughts. Thinking about Stu, the lake and the wake this evening. I know Ruby and Sean where stressing and I had no idea what I was going to do or say.
We made it into Victoria about 4:45. Unloaded the Jeep and changed our clothes. I turned on the Seahawks game and Woo Hoo, 20 - 12 for the Hawks with 28 seconds left. Peyton Manning showed why he has been such a great quarterback for so long, scoring 8 points in 20 seconds to tie the game. Cue the Russell Wilson/beast mode attack, 9 plays 80 yards, we win! Everything was working out. Sean had to take a big screen TV to the Fernwood Inn where the wake was being held, and there were four people as well. I like to walk so I said how far is it. "Just turn left at the corner cut through the church parking lot and a couple of blocks" Sean said. The apples don't fall far from the trees! His father was the king of bullshit directions! He once booked me shows a 10 hour drive apart, the next night!
I didn't help the cause when I turned the wrong way at the corner. I asked a guy washing his car where the Fernwood Inn was. "You're real close, go down two blocks cross the church parking lot and that's Fernwood. The Inn's a couple of blocks along" I thanked him and headed off, sure I was now on the right track. After several blocks it dawned on me that car wash guy must have graduated from the Stu Scott school of direction! It was at least a dozen blocks! Then again, it was all down hill. It's not like I don't need the exercise. Come to think of it, I got nothin to bitch about!
I was, shall we say, a little moist by the time I got there. It was still 25 degrees. We had a private room but even with the door open to the patio it was still very warm. It took me a good ten minutes to cool down. The first person I see is my old friend Johnny "Bagpipes" Johnston, he's on stage with May Brown helping organize things. He's one of the funniest guy's I've ever met. We don't see enough of each other. He's working the cruise ships now and if you ever see his name when you're cruising, you gotta go see him.
The things we did at the lake were solemn and spiritual as we spread Stu out where he belonged...His wake on the other hand was a first rate comedy show. It started off slow with Johnny playing Amazing Grace on the Bagpipes while a slide show of Stu's life played on the TV screens. That was as serious as it got. May broke the ice with several minutes of quips and Stuisms, His brother Owen Then took us on a laugh filled journey through growing up with Stu as an older brother. Person after person came up to tell a Stu story. All where hilarious. The highlight for me was when Johnny got up and did ten minutes on fishing with Stu. He totally rocked that room.
To be honest I don't remember what I said that made everyone laugh. I haven't been on stage in five years. It felt like home. Stu is the reason I am where I am. He started me down this road. Without him there never would have been any commercials, TV shows or movies. I would have never met the lovely Lisa, who adored Stu. More than anything, he gave me the chance. He gave me the confidence to try to be what I could be. Me and hundreds of others.
I wrote this poem about 1988 when I was on Stu run in Saskatchewan, making $50 a show and spending $60 on gas to get there. I performed it last night at Stu's wake as a tribute to him.
Ruby and Sean were a little bit nervous about the wake. What should they say. "Just thank the people for coming and serve the appies" I said. Didn't help much at the time.
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| Ruby Doo |
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| Sean |
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| Calem on the deck |
We made it into Victoria about 4:45. Unloaded the Jeep and changed our clothes. I turned on the Seahawks game and Woo Hoo, 20 - 12 for the Hawks with 28 seconds left. Peyton Manning showed why he has been such a great quarterback for so long, scoring 8 points in 20 seconds to tie the game. Cue the Russell Wilson/beast mode attack, 9 plays 80 yards, we win! Everything was working out. Sean had to take a big screen TV to the Fernwood Inn where the wake was being held, and there were four people as well. I like to walk so I said how far is it. "Just turn left at the corner cut through the church parking lot and a couple of blocks" Sean said. The apples don't fall far from the trees! His father was the king of bullshit directions! He once booked me shows a 10 hour drive apart, the next night!
I didn't help the cause when I turned the wrong way at the corner. I asked a guy washing his car where the Fernwood Inn was. "You're real close, go down two blocks cross the church parking lot and that's Fernwood. The Inn's a couple of blocks along" I thanked him and headed off, sure I was now on the right track. After several blocks it dawned on me that car wash guy must have graduated from the Stu Scott school of direction! It was at least a dozen blocks! Then again, it was all down hill. It's not like I don't need the exercise. Come to think of it, I got nothin to bitch about!
I was, shall we say, a little moist by the time I got there. It was still 25 degrees. We had a private room but even with the door open to the patio it was still very warm. It took me a good ten minutes to cool down. The first person I see is my old friend Johnny "Bagpipes" Johnston, he's on stage with May Brown helping organize things. He's one of the funniest guy's I've ever met. We don't see enough of each other. He's working the cruise ships now and if you ever see his name when you're cruising, you gotta go see him.
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| Johnny and I |
To be honest I don't remember what I said that made everyone laugh. I haven't been on stage in five years. It felt like home. Stu is the reason I am where I am. He started me down this road. Without him there never would have been any commercials, TV shows or movies. I would have never met the lovely Lisa, who adored Stu. More than anything, he gave me the chance. He gave me the confidence to try to be what I could be. Me and hundreds of others.
I wrote this poem about 1988 when I was on Stu run in Saskatchewan, making $50 a show and spending $60 on gas to get there. I performed it last night at Stu's wake as a tribute to him.
My Smile
The softness of the light plays across the glamour of my smile
On stage, heart in my hand my soul on trial
The sweat on my forehead shines and shimmers
More than just words glimpses and glimmers
Of the joy, the pain, the Insanity we all possess
The basic need to say I am, I always will be
I live , I breathe , I laugh, I cry, don't you see
I don't need your sympathy
Your miserly little platitudes mean nothing to me
They mean everything to me
I once thought, but was I mistaken
That this was a road that should be taken
It's dangerous steep cliffs and pot holes
Why am I expected to play out the roles
You have no right to assign to me
When your sense of rhyme doesn't work for me
It's just the words it's true that's all
For all that's really real, lives inside of me
My id and my ego, my pride, my machismo put upon a shelf
So I can share my humanity, so I can bear my humanity
Exorcise my demons in the wash of the laughter
The softness of the light plays across the glamour of my smile
Stu was a perfectly flawed human being. In his life he was the best of us, and the worst of us. In the end I was proud to have known him and call him my friend. We got back to Sallies where I stayed about 10 pm. Jarvis was getting up at 6:30 to catch his flight back to Ontario. Owen is a big girl from Alberta so he slunk off to bed, Sallie stayed up and we talked for a while but she's well into her eighties. You don't live that long by burning the candle at both ends. She went to bed about 11 then I wrote the last blog I posted.
Monday September 22, 2014
I woke up at 7:30 to the smell of back bacon. Owen was gone to the airport to drop off Jarvis and Sallie was in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Hot coffee and sunshine we sat in her kitchen window looking out over Sydney Harbour as the sun started to poke through the morning haze. Owen made it back, had breakfast and we went to see his dad Arthur. Arthur is now 91 years old and has memory issues. We checked into his care facility and found him just finishing his breakfast.
"Hello Arthur" I said "It's Squatch"
" Squatch, how have you been?"
We spent the next forty minutes catching up. We had a short walk up and down the hall. That's all he has the strength for. It was good to see him. He was a man I always respected a man with a caring heart and principles. I didn't take any pictures at the care facility.
Owen took me out to the ferry and we said our goodbyes. He's a good guy even though he chews tobacco which is grosser than sucking ass! Not that there's anything wrong with that. The sucking ass I mean...it's gotta be better than chew. I was on the 11 ferry without a bus ticket. I went to the bus booth only to find out the last four PCL seats were sold.
I had my forty pound back pack, my CPAP and my guitar. I didn't want to wait in line for a wet spot burger, so I had the Pacific Barfett. I had a big table with comfortable seats and was able to eat foods that are on my diet.
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| Salad of the Squatch Variety |
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| Chicken Marsala and Halibut with a Ceaser salad |
While we were going through Active Pass I saw a pod of Orcas. They were a little far from the ferry and I was behind glass.
There were eight or ten of them around the mouth of Active Pass.
And that's it. I spent the next three hours getting home on transit. I filled Lisa in on what she missed and she went to bed at 6:30. I wrote this extra long blog and now....
That's all I got.
Till next time.
Peace Out Y'all
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| Orcas in Active Pass |
And that's it. I spent the next three hours getting home on transit. I filled Lisa in on what she missed and she went to bed at 6:30. I wrote this extra long blog and now....
That's all I got.
Till next time.
Peace Out Y'all
©2014 Dave Squatch Ward
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