Rambling Lumberjacks (Or, Hi my name is Jean, this is my brother Jean, and this is my other brother Jean)

This post doesn’t make much sense (that is to say, it makes even less sense than usual) unless you also read yesterday’s post. But if you don’t want to do that, the executive summary:

• I’m going to London.
• I’m taking a bunch of geocaching hitchhikers with me.

(Are you sure you don’t
want to read yesterday’s post?)

But it’s not enough to take OTHER people’s hitchhikers – oh no. I need some of my own.

So I went and ordered 8 travel bugs.

(No really, go read yesterday’s post.
It’s got a glossary and everything.)

And then, you know, I have to attach the bugs to something. I wanted something that evoked the adventurous spirit with a bit of Canadiana, so I created custom keychains on Zazzle, using a screen capture from the Log Driver’s Waltz.

Then I decided they all need personalities! Backstories! GOALS!

The Tabernouche Brothers

The Tabernouche brothers grew up in the back woods of the Outaouais, watching the logs float by on the Ottawa river, before heading for the lumber camps. They are racing from London back to Ottawa the long way: EAST! Destination: a cache named “Voyageur Route” (also known as GC1E7TY), right on the banks of the river where deadheads (partially submerged logs), leftovers of the logging era, are a navigation hazard to this day.

First one home gets a dish of maman’s poutine!

Jean-Francois. The oldest brother. Tall, handsome, and responsible. The log driver that all the ladies want to dance with.

Jean-Louis. The closest thing the tight-knit Tabernouche clan has to a black sheep: a heavy drinker (even by lumberjack standards), prolific gambler, consummate sulker.

Jean-Claude. The quiet child. Wherever he is in the woods, there you will also find books.

Jean-Guy. The baby of the family. Sweet and round faced — like a cherub, as his maman will tell you. And as maman’s favourite, he learned early that he could get away with just about anything.

The Reconnaissance Party

These three have been enlisted for a very important mission: to explore the British Isles, then make their way back to a cache within the city of London – somewhere within reach of a Tube station – by spring of 2015. That’s when Meena, Moo, and I will pick them up and base our trip on visiting some of the places the boys have discovered:

Sven. Solid, dependable – that’s why Sven was selected as leader of this expedition. The broad-shouldered Swede commands respect in the logging camps, but really he’s a softie, and spends his evenings stretched out on his Ektorp sofa, writing home to his sweetheart, Inga.

Pierre. Pierre is a romantic – the lumber camps were SO not his scene. He’s happy to be on this mission, and hopes to seek out the castles and towers that hearken back to the days of chivalry.

Jacques. What can we say about Jacques? He’s just a nice guy with a great Franglais accent. He’s also a bookworm (he and Jean-Claude used to swap paperbacks in the bush), and has a particular interest in places with a literary significance.

And finally, Gabriel. Poor Gabriel. Haven’t figured out what he’s doing yet. I’m open to ideas…

Here a cache, there a cache…

Three sleeps until London! Unless you count Saturday night on the plane (which I don’t). Have I rambled-on here about geocaching before? Here’s one (really old) post about it (dates back to the days when I called myself ramblingstroller and was going to write the BEST guide to Ottawa with kids EVAH). But in case [...]

Boingo Fongo Bingo

does heathrow airport have wifi? Ask (Google) and ye shall receive. Yep, Heathrow has WiFi. The reason I was asking is I’m heading for London next weekend, and I need to ping my AirBnB host when I arrive so that he can meet me at the tube and take me to my flat. (How much [...]

Nine-month gestation (with food aversions)

After trying for months, it all happened so fast. Yesterday I signed the papers, then someone else cancelled (maybe this should have been a warning), and next thing you know, my Wednesday morning looks like this: Know why I never post pictures of myself on the internet? Because they’re never very flattering. And I know [...]

Mornings and Metablogging

Today started on a bad note (actually it was more like the Seussian Slu-Slumkers orchestra warming up). But two favourite bloggers posted today, and when you get to start your day with Finola and Allison, things definitely start to look up. Not to say there aren’t still a few bumps. First, my heart fell through [...]

Blart. (So there.)

I did something wild and crazy today. I started a tumblr. You can see it here: http://ramblngnotebk.tumblr.com Actually, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, because I’m going to paste in my first post. Here it is: Welcome to ramblng notebk. It’s like Rambling Notebook, but without, you know, grammar and editing and [...]

Only On A Boat

Only on a boat… …will you ever snap a pic I’d be willing to post on the internet.

4 Tips To Having A Tiny Belly

Cut down a bit of your belly fat EVERY HOUR ON THE HOUR using these 4 stunningly clever tips: 4) Don’t have babies. Yeah, they’re cute and all. They may even give your life meaning. But what they won’t give you is a tiny belly. Priorities, people! 3) Don’t eat anything yummy. Ever. Yumminess is [...]