Kayak Attack

Last Friday was not a Lucy cleaning day; Peter and I didn’t have to vacate the property. We could have stayed home to clean out the shed, empty our email inboxes, or kill ants on the patio. There were lots of exciting opportunities. But we weren’t interested – because the kayak was calling to us from the garage.

We hadn’t been out in our kayak since the early spring. Friday’s weather forecast was perfect – sunny but cool with a little breeze, and calm waters. We knew the routine almost by heart. We gathered up our water bottles, sun screen, a little cash for lunch, and a couple of apples to sustain us.

We wiped the spider webs out of the boat and found the paddles and life jackets. After a couple of tries, we figured out where to place the rolling wheels under the kayak, and we set off down the sidewalk. As usual, there were stares and comments. “That’s a pretty unusual bundle buggy!” Or “Do you need directions to the river?” Or, from a little boy: “Mommy can I have a ride in that?”

Setting out on our adventure

Paddling down the Humber River towards Lake Ontario, we came across spots where it was hard to believe we were in the middle of the largest city in Canada. Birds graced the shoreline. Traffic jams were easy to pass. We floated along peacefully, listening to the sounds of nature.

Traffic jam on the Humber

Soon Palace Pier came into view, and then the Humber Bridge. We turned left into the inner channel of the lake, where the water was calm and swans joined us on our trip. We paddled towards Sunnyside Beach where we could safely land our kayak and get out without looking too ah… old. We could use the clean public washrooms and then walk to Pizza Pizza for lunch.

I know Pizza Pizza is not what you were imagining. It should be a little beach cafe with tropical drinks and fish tacos. But hey life is not perfect. And we were not perfect either in our damp kayak clothes and our rubber water shoes. Pizza Pizza would have to do. Except – when we got to the order desk, there was a big sign: No Cash! Only debit or credit. Oops – a small wrinkle in our plans.

The waitress would not budge on payment options. But she said our cash would be accepted at the restaurant in the Sunnyside Pavilion. Now, Sunnyside is a beautiful 1922 heritage building with a long history as an event venue and entertainment facility. The hospitality is know to be impeccable. We approached the front desk feeling a little out of place in our life jackets and water shoes.

Then we asked to see a menu. As you can imagine, the pizza is gourmet and costs $25-$30. Even the cheapest burger is $19. Add in the tax and tip and we would be washing dishes berfore we got out of there. We left the menu on the desk and turned away, heads up, pretending we had been slighted.

Near the kayak we found a picnic table where we ate our apples and drank some water. Then we paddled back towards Etobicoke where there were leftovers in the fridge for lunch. It had ben an almost-perfect day.

Sue

Heading home for lunch