May long weekend brings back memories

By Lethbridge Herald on May 20, 2023.

LEAVE IT TO BEEBER
Al Beeber

Well, it’s the May long weekend and time to relax. Or choke in smoke. I’m sure most southern Albertans didn’t have gagging on their to-do lists this weekend which is traditionally considered the start of the planting season.

Instead, many were – or maybe still are – getting ready this morning to head out to the wilderness for their first camping experience of the summer season.

But with wildfires decimating our province, and southern Alberta getting the smoke like so many other places, being outdoors this weekend may not be so tempting. 

These fires are a horrific tragedy that are costing people their homes, perhaps their livelihoods and putting lives at risk.

As we who are mostly unaffected by the damage caused by the blazes hit the golf courses or the garden centres or travel someplace to enjoy what will be a long weekend for many, I hope we keep fire victims and those fighting the blazes in our thoughts.

Usually it seems the Victoria Day weekend is one where people huddle around campfires in the cold, trying to stay warm and dry from late season snowstorms or pounding rain. And while the heat is welcome, one still has to be slightly alarmed that temperatures are already reaching the upper 20s and low 30s. What will summer be like if spring is so hot already?

As the sun rises on this holiday weekend, I’m feeling rather thankful and lucky. My second cataract surgery on Monday went off without a hitch thanks to the expertise of Dr. Eddie Kwan. The nervousness I had my first go-round was replaced by complete calm as I checked my fantasy baseball lineup numerous times while waiting for the cataract removal and talked with the incredibly helpful and friendly nursing staff who kindly gave me belated birthday greetings.

For the first time since the start of Grade 5, I can see perfectly without corrective lenses. I’m using readers for work and short-range stuff like checking text messages and reading labels in grocery stores but that’s a small price to pay for being free of eyeglasses during waking hours.

This freedom reminds me of the freedom I felt 21 years ago this weekend after cervical fusion done by Dr. Richard Hu on me at Foothills Hospital in Calgary. I had four ruptured discs in my neck which after worsening for 1.5 years prompted the doctor to order surgery. By the time I went into the operating room, I could barely use my right hand and was in pain I’d never experienced before until last year’s back issues or maybe the kidney stone that felt like a moose with razor-studded antlers stabbing my side.

But by the time the lengthy operation was over and I’d emerged from sedation, I actually helped lift myself off the operating table onto the bed where I’d stay for several days. That surgery, too, was life-changing and I’ve never had a problem since.

However, my fondest memories of this weekend date back to my Ontario days. Today the walleye season opens in Ontario and every year, fishermen grab their gear and head out onto the lakes to land their first catch of the season.

More often than not, the weather is windy, wet and cold but that’s no deterrent. One year, we had a friendly competition between two groups at neighbouring cabins. A bunch of us stayed at one owned by a town barber named Ron Martinuk, the other at a high school teacher’s named Peter Bond, who actually had an indoor toilet and electricity which made it a much more fun place to hang out at.

Being athletic, I told my crew one morning I was going out for a quick jog down the rough dirt track that had been recently carved out of the bush so cabin owners could drive, instead of boat, down Crowrock Inlet on Rainy Lake to reach their places. And yes, I used “boat” as a verb. 

But as I stretched before the run, Peter saw me and lured me over with a cold brew. Even though it was only 6 a.m. I accepted because I hoped to hear the competition’s strategy for the day’s fishing. East of Crowrock is sprawling Red Gut Bay, which is a fantastic fishery for walleye and smallmouth bass. On that bay there are several inlets and smaller bays along with islands where the fishing is known to be productive. So I wanted to catch wind of any secret fishing holes my crew could also hit.

Morning drinking is probably considered anti-social nowadays but in the ‘80s not so much back in the bush. So we had a couple of breakfast brews to start the weekend. 

None of us were paying attention to the clock until suddenly the town police chief Jack Murray burst through the door in a panic and announced to the crew that I’d gone jogging, hadn’t come back and everybody was going on a search party because I probably got lost. Which was definitely possible. It was also possible I got on the wrong end of a black bear’s teeth, too but Jack wasn’t at all concerned about that as he implored everyone to get their shoes on and go searching for that expletive Beeber.

To Jack’s chagrin, Peter casually pointed at the sofa and told him he could search there where I sat – a whopping 50 feet or so from the other cabin.

Happy weekend, everyone!