In less than four weeks, Alex, Lil, and I will leave our homestead in the good care of neighbor Jan and drive north through Toronto to Algonquin Provincial Park in Canada. We will rent canoes and stay the first night at Northern Wilderness Outfitters. From there, we will canoe two days through North Tea Lake to Biggar Lake where we will camp for two days before taking a return trip. We are traveling with my parents and three sisters, Alex's parents, brother and soon-to-be sister in law, my Uncle Mike, good friend Krash and his girlfriend, my cousin Todd and two of my younger cousins.

This is a trip my father has taken seven times before, three with his now deceased father, starting in 1970. Uncle Mike attended six trips; everyone but the young cousins, Krash's girlfriend and Lil have been at least once.

Because the canoing includes several portages, we must plan equipment and food carefully to avoid excess weight. I started preparations last fall when I reserved four bags of dried gold rush apples for this pilgrimage. I know that these special Charlie's apples will be a delight to our tastes after a few days of eating packable camp food.

The cooks in the family (and there are many) are each planning a night's dinner and co-planning lunches and breakfasts. Alex has cured many meats to take along including bacon, pancetta, saucison sec, and dried fish (cod or salmon, to be determined). My meal, one of the last and therefore least fresh, will be rice and madras lentils with chocolate pudding for dessert.

We hope to see moose, loons, and the northern lights. We hope to be minimally sunburnt and bug-bitten. We hope to return refreshed from days with family and without electronic interventions.

Are you taking a summer vacation? What are your hopes for time away from home?