Sunday, September 23, 2007

Climbing the Wall


That's my nephew climbing the wall, so to speak. At that same time, Cuppa and I were both climbing metaphorical walls of sorts. We thought we were going crazy. Let me tell you about it.

Two years ago very shortly after moving to this area, Cuppa, Thesha and I headed off on a Autumn Studio Tour. While roaming around the backroads, we stumbled upon a unique and very pretty rock quarry. Well, here's a picture from the blog, Rockin in the Quarry, that I posted back then. It's kind of an interesting find, eh: a pretty, white rock. It's a type of calcium carbonate, if I recall correctly.


So ... just over a month ago, Cuppa's sister and husband came for a visit, and we took them on a bit of a ramble, and, since we were in the general vicinity, we decided to show them the quarry. But darned if we didn't somehow miss it. I think they secretly doubted our mental competence.

We couldn't quite figure out how we had missed the thing. It wasn't small after all, so when we knew they were coming back with their son (our beloved nephew) and friend in tow, we knew that we must redeem ourselves and try again. We studied our maps carefully, deduced where we had erred and headed back. And couldn't find it. We headed along this road and that ... to no avail. However, we had passed the outcrop, the one above where nephew Nux is climbing the rock, and decided to make something of our efforts and stop to collect a few specimens.

While Nux was climbing and Mar was sunning herself and SIL was collecting rocks and BIL was snapping pictures, Cuppa and I continued to stare perplexedly at one another and scratch our rather befuddled noggins. What could we be doing wrong? You see, we had found our way back there once after the initial discovery, so why couldn't we do it again? Were we both suffering from early-onset dementia? A car came by, and I flagged it down to ask its two elderly occupants if they could help. Not really: cause they were lost too doncha know.

I decided to give it one more try and flagged down the next passing car. (The road was pretty isolated, so it was not as if vehicles were going by every second.) There were five younger women in the car, and one of them knew the area, and she was able to splain the situation to us.

They had moved the freakin road!! Well not they as those very people in that car, but the they that we always talk about, the same they who say clever things and the same they upon whom we can sometimes conveniently blame our troubles.

Really!! They really had moved the road. Apparently, it now bypasses the quarry. I assume that the quarry has shut down, and the road was moved as a safety issue, for, unless I find out otherwise, there is now no access at all to the quarry.

I know it's strange to move a road, but we were mighty relieved to find that there was a somewhat plausible solution to the mystery ... before we both checked ourselves into the local ahem ward.

12 comments:

thailandchani said...

The quarry is beautiful. I haven't seen one of those in years! And the guy climbing up the wall... wow! :)

Moving a road. With no notice. Yeah. That makes sense. :)


Peace,

~Chani
http://thailandgal.blogspot.com

Pam said...

We have some friends who live near a rock quarry, granite I believe, and it's a beautiful spot. We used to go there to picnic and climb up and down the rocks.

Mary said...

haha, gooooood times!!

those pictures of the quarry look awesome--it's too bad they had to go and move the road on us.

thanks for a lovely weekend!

Valerie - Still Riding Forward said...

That was a rotten trick! At least you know it wasn't your mind going. I see your camera is still working, too, Grampa A!

Hugs!

Tossing Pebbles in the Stream said...

Calcium Carbonate! Not found in the Canadian Shield. I believe that is the calcium we have to ship in to spread on the fields to neutralize the acidic soils. Some comes from a place on Manitoulin Island and some comes down from the little clay belt.

I take it the quarry is played out.

Only in the country do they move the road without warning. Sometimes whole towns when the mines close. Such is the temporary world of resource extraction in the North.

Turtle Guy said...

Thanks for this... a good chuckle at your expense.

So... I have a question.

"Cuppa's sister and husband came for a visit"

I had to stop and think for a minute.

"Cuppa's sister and Cuppa's husband" was the first to leap to mind, but then I got it: "Cuppa's sister and Cuppa's sister's husband" made more sense.

...sorry, I just had to!

Paul said...

Ah, yes, worries about failing memory. But, when I have doubts about my memory -- which is happening more frequently -- I try to remind myself that I'll be able to watch a movie a second time and everything will be a surprise.

cat59 said...

What a funny story! :-)

dmmgmfm said...

Very nice pictures!

PBS said...

That rock is beautiful! It looks like ice cut out into steps.

Anonymous said...

Would you believe, I take calcium carbonate three times a day. The idea that it would come from such a place never entered my mind. Beautiful spot.

Gina said...

I'm glad it wasn't you after all!