After Deck on the “Candide”
Kootenay Lake
West side of Mirror Lake
1330 hours

There is always a debate regarding the fishing sport, why do men do it?

So here I am with no fishing Licence, no fishing gear, writing in my sketch book on this beautiful day. It is sunny and about 12 degrees Celsius. What am I doing here?

It is not often that your son and two sons-in-law will ask an old man like me to join them in male camaraderie. We are compatible and keep up a banter that makes it enjoyable for all.

I applied for the position of Cabin Boy and I understand that I have a good chance to get on steady. I am not sure when the Selection Committee will convene to make the final cut. Patience is a virtue and I will await the outcome with confidence.

We beached the Candide at Coffee Creek last night. It was just great! Jason and Rick barb-b-qued steaks with corn-on-the-cob and salad. Of course there were the usual pre-dinner cock-tails followed with wine at dinner.

Kyle, Kim and I rustled the bushes for deadwood as the banks had already been cleaned up as this area has access from the highway above and must be used frequently by the public. Kim says he dragged wood from across the highway. We managed to get a formidable bon-fire going. Later that night, Rick wrapped some potatoes which we roasted in the fire. Wow, my favorite!

It brought me back to my teens when I was first introduced to this delicacy of baked potato on a campfire by my cousin Patrick Potatoff in Arran, Saskatchewan. We had no aluminium foil then so we just threw the spuds into the fire for a 1/2 hour or so. Trying to distinguish the potato from the charcoals was a challenge but eventually we found them.

We pealed about 1/4″ of burnt surface to uncover the top end. We did have butter along with salt and pepper. With a flattened willow bough as a “spoon”, we dug into the potato. We really had fun and a delicious treat. Pat’s pretty sister was hanging around and we let her share in our experience.

Pat is gone now, succumbing to lung cancer about 25 years ago. When I see a potato being baked on a campfire, I see his smiling face which will be an association I will keep forever.

So we had a gourmet potato, wrapped in aluminum foil. Thank you Rick! Yes the butter and salt were also available this time. Consuming skin and all with as spoon was pleasure indeed.

How can one eat again after a delicious meal? Well the ambience was too much to pass up. The company was excellent and discussion natural and without hesitation.. Well the Spiced Rum and Fire Balls helped, I am sure. I managed to down two large potatoes.

Sleeping on the Candide is not quite the same as the Empress Lines but when your body is compromised, sleep comes quickly.

We are on day two of a three trip. I look forward to another evening which is suggested to surpass last night. I hear garlic prawns, Liguinni Alfredo are on the menu.

1652 hours

Back to the sport of fishing. What is interesting is that Scientists have found that the basic cell structure is similar for all living matter. So a fish is similar to mankind essentially; therefore, is it fair to catch a fish as a sport?

We are consuming a living cell structure, not much different whether it is a fish, animal or plant. Ugh!

We take advantage of something helpless and consume it as our food. That is the way it is and has been since time began. We are eating living matter even it has been “killed” as the cells are still alive. We ingest all this so that all the organisms in our stomachs can begin to devour all this to create the heat and energy that it takes to make our bodies function so we can exist.

What a gruesome series of events! Then what would happen to us if we did not eat? There is the entire question.

I will prepare myself for the worst and eat all that we will prepare tonight. Why not? The option is not acceptable.

It all started with the Carbon atom combining with Oxygen and Hydrogen atoms to form the molecules that was the basis of living matter. From then on it was the weak perish so that the strong may survive.

Nothing has changed since, the way I see it.

Written by Elmer Verigin April 04, 2015 on board the Candide on Kootenay Lake, B.C.