Artemis Learns to Canoe, and Other Stories...

So, the weekend (which was a beautiful extension of my birthday celebration of rock climbing and sushi) saw us disappear into Northern Ontario for a wee bit of car camping and canoe day tripping. It was a lovely break from being in the city, even if we did have to contend with the occasional thump of Daft Punk coming from the other side of the lake (please note that I love Daft Punk, just not when it's blaring over speakers when I'm trying to enjoy the sounds of wind in the trees, squirrels chattering at me, and quiet conversation with friends). The highlight of the weekend for me though, was confirming something I had long suspected: Artemis is the chillest dog in the world.

I should start by explaining that learning to canoe in Northern Ontario is a longstanding McClain family tradition, so it was only right and proper that Artemis' first canoe experience take place in that same region. It's almost strange that I haven't really gone canoeing at all since I got Artemis (almost nine years ago), but for various reasons (a number of them associated with living in the desert) she's never been.

Since moving to Winnipeg it has become increasingly clear canoeing is going to become a big part of my outdoor activity schedule. I hope to get out on some multiday trips in the not too distant future. But in order to do that, Artemis needs to be canoe ready. So this weekend was an excellent opportunity to see if she was going to be able to relax and enjoy the ride. Seems like the answer is yes.

(She actually lay down for most of the trip, but whenever we got closer to land she would sit up so that she could see what was going on.) 

It was great to find out that she would be totally fine spending the whole day in a Canoe. I have high hopes for this dog and our Manitoba adventures to come. All I need to do now is find her a doggie PFD. 

In other news Blade's Edge has earned a hundred plus votes this month! It's at #22 for August so far and #83 for all time, and it's gone over the 500 vote mark, which is pretty exciting to see. There will be a new chapter going up tomorrow and another one on Friday. I am still planning to launch a kickstarter in early September to turn the whole thing into a proper a novel, so stay tuned for more about that. 

Also, I'm not sure if I mentioned it over here yet, but you can now "like" me as an author over on facebook. For those who keep up with facebook you'll be able to find links to this blog, Blade's Edge, my books on amazon and other random things, but do not fear, this blog will remain the center of my internet presence. 

Alright, I'm off to keep working on the final Gwendamned revision and maybe bake some bread. I hope everyone out there had a lovely weekend.