You don't really know the good that can be accomplished with some much-needed time away from work until you're looking at your calendar and realizing that your time away from work is staring you in the face.
I had last week off, concluding with the May long weekend that didn't exactly bring us those typical pre-summer temperatures and conditions that we all expect at this time of the year. I was glad to have it off, and I'm grateful that I'm looking at even more holidays coming up through the next few months.
Before I go on, perhaps a public disclaimer of sorts is in order here because I've got a number of days off coming up. I will be on holidays from the following dates:
The last weekend of June until July 17. Although there's no way in Hell I'm missing Canada Day in Outlook; legitimately my favorite day of the year.
August 23 - September 2 (just after Labour Day long weekend)
October 4 - October 14 (just after Thanksgiving long weekend)
Now that this information is on the record, back to my time off from last week.
In the days leading up to it, I honestly didn't know how I was going to spend it. Oh sure, some significant downtime spent with a good book here and there was a given, and I appreciated the time I spent over at Veterans Memorial Park reading because the conditions ended up 小蓝视频 juuuuust right; not too hot and a welcome slight breeze.
But then two things hit me.
Why not cross off that restaurant you've been wanting to try for a few years now? And after that, why not take your brother up north to a place he's never been before?
So, that's what I did.
On Thursday, May 15, I ventured up north to Nipawin to dine at The Dam Smokehouse, a barbecue and smokehouse establishment serving up brisket, burgers, ribs, chicken and about a dozen other variations of perfectly cured, succulent meats and dishes. It's a place I'd been meaning to try out for the last few years, but I'd just never found the time to drive up there. Well, on that day I did, and man oh man, I am so glad I finally found the time!
People, this place is legit. The chicken wings are top notch; these don't come from a frozen box from the corner grocery store. And that brisket - oh good lord. It's moist, it's flavorful, and it so perfectly pulls apart. I ordered a brisket sandwich with fries, and I was incredibly happy to be able to say that the 3.5 hour drive each way was worth it. Owner Faron Saufert is doing it all right and he knows how to keep his customers happy. I cannot wait to return there during my July vacation when I'm spending a few days up at Candle Lake; luckily, Nipawin's only an hour's drive from the lake!
If that sounded like an advertisement, I really didn't mean it to; I was just happy that I ended up driving three and a half hours - each way - and that the food was just amazing and lives up to the hype. If you ever find yourself in the Nipawin area, I highly recommend this place for your lunch or supper needs. It's that 'dam' good.
I've heard local rumblings here around town that the plot of land over on Franklin Street that used to house CJ's Java Joint is supposed to become a BBQ joint in the future. Here's hoping.
But when I wasn't stuffing my face with brisket and chicken, I was facing a ghost that I'd been wanting to chase off and put to bed for the last four years. Let me explain....
On March 3rd of 2021, on a day off from the office, I hopped in my SUV and drove up north to Prince Albert National Park on a daylong photo tour; hoping to see some wildlife and spectacular scenery to capture behind my lens. The day went okay, even if I would've been happier to see more wildlife besides the elk and deer; the fresh wolf tracks I saw were pretty cool, though.
The scenery was interesting because we were looking at the last few weeks of winter, so things up north there were already melting and clearing up. I believe at one point in the afternoon, it reached as high as +4 degrees - real chinook weather. The thing that kind of threw me off was how isolated it felt, but I guess I should have known better; Prince Albert National Park is a summertime hotspot, and the community of Waskesiu only comes alive once we hit mid-May on the calendar. This was the first few days of March, so things were quiet as a mouse and I legitimately felt like I was the only person up north there on that day. It was almost haunting.
But I'm kind of a lone wolf in my everyday life, so may as well be one in nature, right? I took my photos, saw the sights, and drove back home.
Unfortunately, just days afterward, this was the time in which everything started to go downhill for my mom Lynda's health. I drove her to the health centre in Outlook a number of times so she could have an IV hooked up to her as her body had become dehydrated; it was like her body just couldn't get enough sustainable fluids. Of course, this led to Mom 小蓝视频 hospitalized in Saskatoon and, inevitably, she died after several complications had decided to rear their ugly heads.
So, in short, whenever I thought of my last trip up to PA National Park, I linked it with everything happening shortly afterward with my mother that ended up with her untimely passing.
Not a good memory.
However, the date of Saturday, May 17 proved to be a great day for exorcising personal demons.
I took my brother Brendon back up there to PA National Park as he'd never been there and wanted to see the sights, and I'm very happy to say we had an incredible day. We ended up seeing six bears in total; a mama black bear and her three cubs, another black bear eating grass right by the entrance to the famed Height of Land tower, and then a brown bear when we were leaving Waskesiu. Add to that two elk, one bald eagle, and a fox, and it was a very animal-centric kind of day. We also took in some incredible scenery, including the creek and the cement walkway that led out into Waskesiu Lake, and ate fresh fish and chips at a local eatery.
All in all, a very good day, and for me, I was glad that I finally had a chance to wave off that particular ghost of my past.
My week off reminded me that sometimes the best days are the ones spent within the walls of our home province. I'm not much of a world traveller, so you probably won't find me flying off to Mexico or anywhere else exotic until I won the 6/49, but you don't always have to leave Saskatchewan to make memories.
Sometimes the best times are spent here at home.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
