Aug. 3rd. This morning the north-west wind was dyeing down. Good. I washed up and made some breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, potatoes, toast and coffee. By noon, the wind had shifted to the south-east. I decided to head into Haileybury. It took me only 20 minutes with the wind at my back and my sail hoisted. When I had arrived at the public boat launch, next to the Haileybury Marina, I tied up the canoe next to a break wall so that I would not be in the way for people to launch their boats. I put the garbage of old bottles and cans that I had collected on the Island and put these in a garbage container can that is provided at the wharf. Then I took a walk around town. The first thing I noticed was how clean and tidy this town is. What a contrast to Toronto. I could tell that people here have a sense of pride to look after their town the way they do. Soon I came upon the town Art Gallery, that was also the Public Library, but it was closed. I walked across the street and went to Peter Pan take out. There I ordered a coffee and apple pie. While I was enjoying these, John, the owner came over and talked to me. I do not know how to explain it, but it seem that we took a liking to each other right from the word start. I told John that I was camping on a little Island just south from here. I think that he thought that it was talking about Mann Island. I was not in any hurry so we spent a good deal of time just talking. I noticed that all of John's wall in his restaurant were bare and asked John if I done some paintings, would I be able to display them on his walls for a commission? John was a little apprehensive being that he did not know how well I painted. So I told John that I would show my work first to him and then he can decide if they were good enough to hang on his walls. We spent a little more time talking until customers started coming in. I paid my bill and said to John that I would see him again next time I came to town again. I had asked John if he knew anything about that little Island that I was camped on, not the big Island as he had first thought I was talking about, but he could offer me no insight on it. I wanted to get some hardware and a few nails. Herb, the owner of Pro Hardware, supplied all the things I needed. I noticed one thing about Herb, you will only get top quality items from his store and he gives personal services to all of his customers. One can say that you will get quality and service at his place. But Herb wants to sell his place so that he can retire. I asked Herb if the founder of Haileybury, Farr or his family own that little Island that I am camped on? He believed that the Island is under Provincial or Federal jurisdiction and has nothing to do with the town of Haileybury as far as he knew. I told Herb that I found this very strange, because that little Island is after all, has been named after the founder of Haileybury. I was thinking that I might have to see someone from the Farr family and see if they owned that Island. Herb suggested that I try the land office on Main Street. I bid Herb farewell and thanked him for the things I was able to get from his shop and the chat that we had. I walked around town but most places were closed today because of the long weekend holiday. So I headed back to the boat launch to get my canoe and head back to the Island. I had found out that this little Island has been called Farr Island, and gull Island. Gull Island is not a very good name for it because very few gulls make use of it. I notice that they tend to congregate on the roof of a privet marina just south of the Town of Haileybury Marina. The more I look into this thing about this Island, the more confusing it gets. When I had arrived back to the camp, paddling against a slight headwind, I put the things that I had bought in town away and made some coffee and a sandwich of summer sausage with lettuce and tomato. I spent the rest of the day in camp. It is a very warm night that I do not need blankets.
August 4th; This morning the lake was totally calm. I decided that I would try my hand at fishing. I had tried various spots around the Island with not a nibble to be had. Then I paddled over to the main shoreline and tried a few likely areas with no better results. I even tried fishing at the mouth of Mill Creek but there again I did not get one nibble. So I headed back to camp and made breakfast. After breakfast, I made a few sketches of interesting driftwood formations I had found. I was thinking that I might try my hand at carving some of these driftwood. I can see such details as animal heads and other things in them that a little carving would bring these natural features, those hidden things out into full view. I must keep this in mind. After I had put my art pad away, I went around the Island and noticed that some beaver really had a field day cutting some of the large trees down. They were scattered all over the place. I wondered why had the beaver cut down such big trees when there was so many smaller trees around. I only answer I could come up with why the beaver was doing this was to wear down their tooth, to keep those big front tooth from growing too long. If the beaver didn't do that, their teeth would grow so long that eventually those teeth would grow so long that it would no longer would be able to chew and could starve to death. But why attack such big trees? That beaver can't use that big tree for its beaver house. Yet I noticed that there was only one cut per tree. Why couldn't the beaver use the one tree that it had cut down, and chew the tree into smaller sections to ware down its teeth? Hummmm! What a shame and a wast of these good large trees. I decided to get the bucksaw and cut these into manageable size to haul and stack in one location in order to tidy up the place. I had nothing better to do being that today was Sunday and everything in town was closed. I was thinking about Betty and Dave, and all the people I had met in New Liskeard. Then my thoughts turned to John and Herb and the people whom I had a chance to meet and speak to in Haileybury. I have a good feeling about this place, this is a nice little town with friendly people who are easy to talk to. At least here you can talk to people without being thought of being trying to pull a fast one on people, or trying to rob them like the attitude you get with some people in Toronto when you just want to say hi. That really doesn't say much for me, because I just remembered, I am from Toronto. But the Toronto that I had known so well is not the Toronto one finds today. I had been away from Toronto for 23 years until I came back to it a few years ago. I am glad to be here, despite the misfortune that I had. I decided not to do any more cleaning up, for I may not be here very long if I find out that I am not allowed to stay here. Instead, I decided to go to Haileybury for just something to do. A nice easy calm paddle will do the trick. It is such a beautiful day today. It is a bit hot around here because there is no wind to cool things down. The lake was just as smooth as a lily pond. It was so nice to be on the water today. When I had arrived to the Haileybury public launch ramp, I tied the canoe in my usual spot and walked over to Peter Pan Restaurant. John was open so I bought a coffee and a piece of apple pie. John and I talked where we had left off. I told John what little I had learned about the Island I was camped on. It was really not that much. John said to just camp there until some official tell me that I could not stay there and have to leave. That sounded like good advice to me. After all, if that did happen, all I needed to do was load up my canoe and I would be on my way, no fuss, no bother. John had asked me why not just buy some property and then I would not have to worry about being kicked off your own privet land. I told John that I did not have that kind of money to buy any land. Besides, I really did not want to own any land. After all, when I leave this earth, it will only be taken over by the government. So why buy land in the first place? I can't take it with me. I found out that John is Hungarian and he told me what went on during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution against the communist take-over of Hungary. I remember hearing about it on the news media when I was living in Toronto at that time. I was 12 years old then. He also told me about the trip he and Monica, his wife, had made to Hungary during one Christmas season. He was terribly disappointed when he saw Budapest, the capital of Hungary. He said that it is no longer the Hungrain nation that it was when he had lived there. It is now a hodge-podge of all cultures and nationalities that it is no longer a true Hungarian nation. He might as well have gone to Toronto for all the difference in the world it made. The country has really changed that much since he had left Hungary back in 1996. Monica had found Hungry to be very cold due to the dampness during that time of the season. Monica is a lovely person. She is french Canadian and John had met her when he had worked as a cook in a mining camp in Manitouwadge, Ont. That is where he had worked before he and Monica came to Haileybury and bought this restaurant. They have been here for the past 23 years. John told me that he was in the process of trying to sell his place because he would like to retire and go to North Bay where his grand children are. He told me that I could display my artwork any time as long as he still had the restaurant, after he saw the few sketches that I had made. I told John that I would have to go to New Liskeard to buy some artist oil paints because none were available here, so that I could start painting soon. The extra money I would get from my paintings would not go astray. John told me that I could get the local bus to take me into New Liskeard. That was good to hear, I thought that I would have to paddle to New Liskeard. I was talking to John about having to make some kind of larger shelter that would give me a little more room than that 7X9X4 foot high tent that I am living in, especially during the winter months. I would also have to find a wood stove to heat the place when the weather gets colder. There was plenty of large dead trees that are laying about the Island and all the driftwood that is along the shoreline. I could gather these for firewood and clean up the place at the same time. I told John about the inspiration I had about that little Island, in making it into a botanical garden that people and children can come to view and spend a day picnicking. He thinks it is a great Idea. Anything that would help to give tourists and the local people something added to see and use would not go astray. Monica had come down from their upstairs apartment and we had a lovely chat. I found Monica to be a very nice person and think that John is a lucky man to have found such a very fine lady. While paying for my bill, I ordered a plate of hamburger and fries (to take-out), which is the house special and then headed back to camp. I had a pleasant paddle back to the Island. I spent the rest of the evening reading and listening to the radio until I went to sleep.
Aug. 5th; This morning while having breakfast, I was trying to determine what kind of shelter should I build. Normally, I would just build a log cabin, but because of the uncertainty of me being on this Island, it would be better if I built something that would be easy to take down in the event that I would have to leave the Island. I searched my memory and came up with the solution. I could build a frame tent cabin, something like in the style of the Iroquois longhouse. I could build the frame with the dead trees that are already here and with some thin young trees, I can build it in a day and it would be easy to take down if need be. It could be about 9X18X7ft high given that the size of the front and back of the tent is 9 ft. wide. I could split the tent in the middle, in half, and sew the front and back ends to a tarp for the long covering. This would give me plenty of room to live in comfort. Then I can always add a wood stove when I get one. The more I thought about this possibility, the more I liked it. It would not look as nice as a log cabin, but given the circumstance, as it is said, beggars can't be choosy. I decided to draw out the plans for this tent-cabin right away while everything is so clear in my mind. Having done this, I wrote up a list of the material I would need to get at the hardware store. This I will have to wait for tomorrow, because today is cold and very windy. I decided to pick a place where I would build the tent-cabin. I saw a real good place in an open area, yet surrounded by thick bush and trees to shelter the tent-cabin from northerly and southernly winds. I began to clear the area and dragged the dead logs that would be suitable, to the tent-cabin site. This kept me busy for the rest of the day. I took my time doing this because I was in no great hurry. I hope the wind dies dow so that I can go into town tomorrow.
Aug. 6th; This morning it is sunny and warm, the there is a north-east wind blowing that is preventing me to go to town so that I can pick up some supplies that I will need to make that tent-cabin. Having nothing to do, I decided to see how hard it would be to cut a nice trail to the head of the Island which I dubbed it, Lookout Point. From here you can see Haileybury, New Liskeard and Notra-Dame- du Nord with a strong binoculars. This would be a good place to put one of those powerful mounted scopes like you see at Niagara Falls. I spent most of the day cutting this trail. I turned out real well. Now a person can walk to the head of the Island without having to go through heavy bush or get a branch caught in your eye. I was really proud of the nice work I had done. It is so nice walking through the tall trees with their leaves covering overhead like a canopy. One gets the feeling you are walking inside a Cathedral, with the same sense of awe. I also found out that it is considerably much cooler when you are among these trees than the outside temperature. It is almost like having an air-conditioner, like one would have in their house. I then tried to move some of those large trees that a beaver had chopped down, but they were far too heavy for me to move. These I will have to cut them into smaller sections and would be good for firewood for whenever I get a wood stove. What I really need is a chainsaw to really do the job, and it would be far easier on me. After all, I am not a glutton to kill myself over a log. Once I get this tent-cabin built, I can then concentrate on getting some artist paints and do some paintings to help my depleting finances.
Journal to be continued....