Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 22:15:09 -0500
From: Scribe 1971 <scribe1971@hotmail.com>
Subject: Substitute Dad Chapter 34

Substitute Dad
By Scribe 1971

Welcome back and happy new year.  The later months of 2006 were extremely
busy for me and that slowed down the pace of writing this story quite a
bit.  Fortunately, I expect to have some more time on my hands for the
next little while and I should be able to write somewhat quicker.  Thanks
to everyone for your patience!  Anyway, here's chapter 34 and I hope you
enjoy it.  As always, this chapter is copyrighted and may not be copied,
reposted or redistributed without my express permission.  Enjoy!

Scribe's Playlist for Chapter 34:

"Flags of Freedom" by Hurricane Mike Thompson (written to honour our
troops in Afghanistan)
"This is Where I Belong" by Bryan Adams
"There You'll Be" by Faith Hill


	      Chapter 34 -- The Pacific and a Big Yellow Curb


We pushed on towards the coast.  Neither of us was certain, but the
closer we got to the Pacific; we swore that we could actually smell the
clean ocean air.  As we passed the city of Chilliwack, we left the
Towering Rockies and the arid Okanagan Valley behind.  Ahead of us lay
the legendary rainforests of the Pacific Coast.

As much as we were chomping at the bit to see the Pacific Ocean, we
elected to stop for the night at a small campground on the outskirts of
Abbotsford.

"Well bud, tomorrow, we'll see the first Ocean of the trip," I said to
Josh as we worked together to put up our tent.

"I can't wait.  I've never seen the ocean before.  Lake Superior was
amazing, but I can only imagine what the Pacific will look like."

As we worked, Brutus busied himself by chasing various flying insects
around the camp site.   The campground was fairly secluded and our site
was nestled in the midst of a stand of towering redwood trees.  Some of
the trees were so massive that if Josh and I were to link arms, we
couldn't reach all the way around the trunks.  The ground was soft and
made up of a moist dark soil and covered with a thick layer of pine
needles.

We had just finished setting up the tent when a squirrel ran out of a
tree and entered the camp site.  Brutus nearly went ballistic and chased
the terrified little animal right up the nearest redwood.  His high
pitched barking echoing throughout the campground.  Josh and I laughed
our heads off watching him, with his ears perked up at full alert
circling the giant tree and barking like mad.

"I wonder what he'd do if he caught a squirrel?"  Josh asked.

"I'm not sure.  I don't think he knows what he'd do if he caught
one," I chuckled.

"He sure likes to chase things," Josh observed.

"It's all new to him.  He's a lot like a little child right now.  He
wants to explore and experience everything he can."

Once we had out campsite setup, we got a large bonfire going.  At first,
Brutus wasn't too sure that he liked the fire, but he got used to it.
At one point, a knot popped and poor Brutus just about jumped out of his
skin.  He was on Josh's lap in the blink of an eye.

For dinner, we grilled up some hamburger patties that we'd picked up and
chopped up some fresh carrots.  We chased the burgers and carrot sticks
down with tall glasses of Orange Juice.  Taking Donny's advice, we had
stopped at a supermarket and stocked up on fruit juices, fresh fruit, and
veggies.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?"  Josh asked as he leaned against me
in front of the camp fire.

"Tomorrow we'll take a detour off the Trans Canada Highway and head for
Delta.  We'll get our first look at the Pacific at a small town near the
border called Tsawwassen.  From there, we'll head north into Richmond
and Vancouver and we'll double back to Burnaby to see Shelly and her
family on the 28th."

"Man, it's amazing how far we've come.  I never imagined that I'd be
sitting in a forest made up of giant trees just a few miles from the US
border and less than a day from the Pacific Ocean!"

"There's some cool stuff to see in Vancouver.  I'm looking forward to
seeing the Russian submarine," I remarked.

"The Russian submarine?"  Josh asked.

"Yeah, it's an old decommissioned Russian Submarine that they have
setup as a floating museum in West Vancouver.  We'll go for a tour and
then check out the market right there on the Warf.  We can probably find
a good birthday present for Shelly while we're there."

"Cool," Josh said with a yawn and leaned his head against my shoulder.

I folded my arms around both him and Brutus and leaned my cheek against
Josh's head.  Brutus curled up in Josh's lap and placed his head on my
knee.  The three of us sat silently and watched the fire and gazed up at
what little we could see of the night sky between the branches of the
towering trees.

After a while, I could hear Josh snoring softly so I gently lifted Brutus
to the ground and then picked up Josh and took him into the tent.  I
carefully got him undressed and placed him inside his sleeping bag.
After tucking him in and kissing him softly on the temple, I went and
collected Brutus.

After zipping up the tent, I crawled into my own sleeping bag and watched
as Brutus curled up on the blanket that we had bought for him.  He
positioned himself near the entrance to the tent as if he was guarding
his pack.  I must have fallen asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next morning, I awoke bright and early.  The sun was filtering
through the canopy provided by the trees above and creating interesting
patterns of light on the tent.  I wasn't fully aware yet, but I could
hear three distinct and unusual sounds coming from inside the tent.
Something was rhythmically thumping the side of the tent and there was a
buzzing sound and an occasional sharp clicking sound.

I rolled over in my sleeping back and looked over a Josh.  He was still
flat on his back and dead to the world, so I glanced down at Brutus.  I
had to stifle a laugh when I saw him.

The little dog was sitting up, all prim and proper with his tail wagging
madly and thumping the side of the tent.  His ears were perked up at full
alert and his head was rapidly moving around tracking a large fly that
was buzzing around.  Every so often, the fly would zip into range and
Brutus would snap at it; his teeth providing the clicking sound.

I watched him for several minutes and he never seemed to grow tired of
his game with the fly.  "Whatcha doing Brutus?"  I finally said.

Brutus let out a little high pitched bark and then happily jumped up and
ran over to me.  Before I new it, I was being smothered with puppy
kisses.

"Good boy Brutus," I said and patted the happy puppy's head.  Brutus
was proving to be an incredibly smart dog and he was learning commands
very quickly.  I decided to teach him a new trick.

"Brutus sit," I commanded and the little dog immediately did as he was
told.  He sat and cocked his head from side to side awaiting the next
command.

"Shake a paw Brutus," I said.  We hadn't taught him that yet.

Brutus looked at me and wagged his tail.

"Shake a paw Brutus," I repeated and reached out to shake his right
forepaw.

At first, he tried to lick my hand, but then he settled down.  I repeated
the command "Shake a paw Brutus."  I repeated the command five times
and each time I reached for his paw.  On the sixth repetition, he held up
his right paw as soon as I said, "Shake a paw Brutus".

"Good boy, I said enthusiastically and patted the puppy's head.  I also
reached into one of the bags that we had brought into the tent and
produced a couple of Milk Bone puppy treats.  I gave him one and then had
him catch the second in his mouth.  Josh and Mark had taught both puppies
how to catch.

Josh was still sleeping, so I quietly threw on some clothes and then went
out of the tent so both Brutus and I could empty our bladders.  I was
truly amazed at how few accidents Brutus had.  He'd never made a mess in
the Jeep and so far, he had yet to make on in hotel room or the tent.

While Brutus pranced around the campsite and did his best to clear out
all the small rodents and flying insects from his territory, I started
breakfast.  I'd just barely placed the slices of back bacon in the pan
when a sleepy looking Josh climbed out of the tent, drawn by the smell of
cooking bacon.

"Morning son," I said and pulled him into a warm hug.

"Morning Dad," Josh replied.  After returning my hug, he bent down to
return Brutus' affections.

"Ask him to shake a paw," I said to Josh.

"Ok.  Brutus sit," Josh instructed.  "Shake a paw."

Without any hesitation, Brutus lifted his right forepaw and offered it to
Josh.

"Good boy," Josh said enthusiastically.  "You're such a smart dog."

"It took me all of about five minutes to teach him that," I told Josh.

"He and Daisy are the smartest dogs I've ever seen," Josh said.

"I think it's the German Shepherd in them.  Shepherds are extremely
smart dogs.  Very loyal too.  Once a Shepherd decided he or she likes
you, you have a friend for life.  Labs are quite smart and loyal too and
they are about the most even-tempered dogs around.  We got really lucky
with Brutus and Daisy.  We seemed to get the best of both worlds."

"I think so.  I'll bet the twins will love Brutus," Josh observed.

"I'll bet he'll love them too.  Dogs and boys are a natural fit if
ever there was one.  I was thinking, a month or two after we get back,
we'll have to take Brutus to the vet and get him fixed."

"Fixed?  What's wrong with him?"  Josh asked.

"Nothing's wrong with him, we just need to get him neutered.  We don't
need him running around leaving a trail of Brutus puppies in his wake,"
I joked.

Josh looked confused for a second and then he realized what I meant.
"You mean get his balls cut off?"  He asked in a shocked tone.

"Yep, that's about it.  It's a completely routine operation and he'll
only be away for a day."

"Cutting his balls of doesn't sound very nice.  I wouldn't want anyone
to cut mine off," Josh said.

"I know, but there are too many unwanted puppies in the world as it is.
Remember that's how we got Brutus and Daisy.  Also, when he's fixed,
it'll calm him down a bit and he'll be a lot less likely to run away or
anything like that."

"Ok, I understand now," Josh replied.

After breakfast, Josh, Brutus, and I headed over to the showers before
breaking camp.  It was funny watching Brutus play with Josh in the
shower.  Brutus didn't think much of it when we bathed him after we
first found him, but he had no problem jumping in the shower stall with
Josh.

"Dad look at this," Josh said

I looked over and watched as Josh angled the showerhead up so that it
sprayed directly at Brutus.  Brutus sat down and tried to bite at the jet
of water.  When Josh pointed the stream in another direction, Brutus
stood up and shook from head to toe to dry his fur.  Josh and I both had
a good laugh at his antics.

After we finished showering, we shaved and dressed for the day and then
returned to the campsite.  Brutus bounced around excitedly as we packed
up all the camping gear.  I think he knew we were going to get back into
the Jeep and drive some more.

"Well bud, next stop Tsawwassen, Boundary Bay, and the Pacific Ocean,"
I said as wrapped my arm around Josh's shoulders and faced the Jeep.

"This is going to be great," Josh replied.

"How's your leg kiddo?  Any more cramps?"  I asked with concern in my
voice.

"Nah, I've been fine.  I'll tell you if anything happens," Josh
replied.

With that, the three of us piled into the Jeep and once again hit the
road.

We entered the Trans Canada Highway and drove about 22 kilometers before
exiting onto Highway 10 which took us west through Langley, Surrey, and
Delta before we turned south onto Highway 17 and headed 15 kilometers
south to the small town of Tsawwassen.

"Saw-ah-sin?  Is that how you pronounce it?"  Josh asked as we passed
the sign welcoming us to Tsawwassen.

"Tah-wah-sen, actually," I replied.  "It's an aboriginal word meaning
`Land Facing the Sea'.  Right now, the Tsawwassen First Nations are
negotiating with the Federal Government to re-establish their rights on
this land.  In time, they'll get those rights, both fishing and
economic, returned to them."

"This looks like a pretty small place," Josh said.  "Why are we
stopping here?"

"A couple of reasons," I replied mysteriously.  "I'll show you the
first in just a second."

I navigated the Jeep down the town's main street and then turned left
onto Twelfth Avenue.  Ahead of us lay Boundary Bay Regional Park.  We
pulled into the parking area and parked the Jeep.

Josh snapped Brutus's collar and leash on and then we all climbed out of
the Jeep with the video camera and digital camera in tow.  We followed a
short path through some trees and then came face to face with a
breathtakingly beautiful sight.  Before us, just beyond a stretch of
sandy beach, lay the Pacific Ocean.

"Wow," was all Josh could say.

"Amazing," I replied.

We stood on the edge of the beach and looked out at Boundary Bay and
Semiahmoo Bay that lapped at the shores of White Rock British Columbia,
which was visible across the bay and then just to the left, the city of
Blaine, Washington State.  The Pacific was quite calm.  A light ocean
breeze swept over us as we stood and gazed out over the first ocean that
either of us had ever seen.  The water looked quite clear and it was full
of laughing, splashing children and their parents.

To the south, there was a tower in the water about 30 feet off shore.
"What's that for?"  Josh asked.

"That's part of what we came here to see," I replied.

"A tower in the water?"

"Not exactly," I replied.  "Let's walk down there."

Before we headed down the beach, we stopped and removed our shoes and
socks so that we could walk barefoot and feel the warm sand under our
feet.

"This is pretty warm," Josh remarked.  "Let's try the water."

Brutus led the way as we walked to the edge of the ocean.  While Josh and
I gingerly tested the water with our big toes, Brutus dove right in and
started paddling around as far as he could go on his leash.

"I wonder if he's part fish too."  Josh joked.

"He certainly loves the water!"

"How did he learn to swim?"  Josh asked.

"I think it's a genetic thing.  It's a natural ability that dogs are
born with.  This water is really nice."

Since we were both wearing shorts, we waded out until the water was
roughly knee deep and then we proceeded down the beach.

"I didn't think the water would be this warm or this calm," Josh said
thoughtfully.

"I guess it's because it's not quite the open ocean.  It's still a
bay.  It might not be this calm or this warm on the other side."

After strolling down the beach for a few minutes, we arrived at the tower
in the water.  It was a little farther out than we could wade to without
changing into bathing suits, but we could see it quite clearly from where
we stood.

"Ok, what's so special about it?"  Josh asked skeptically.

"Nothing really.  It's part of something else that is special."

"Are you going to make me guess or are you going to tell me?"

"Even better, I'll show you.  Follow me."

We turned towards the beach and walked up towards the trees.  Looking
around, it looked just like any other part of the beach.  When we emerged
from the trees and walked into the parking lot, we could see a yellow
concrete curb running up from the beach and stretching the length of the
parking lot and continuing beyond.

"Look at that," I told Josh and pointed to the roughly one foot tall
yellow curb.  "That's what we came to see."

"A big yellow curb?  Why do we want to see that?"  Josh asked sounding
confused.

"Go take a closer look at it," I instructed.

Josh walked to the curb and stood up on it.  I smiled as he picked up the
video camera and used the zoom feature to see as far along it as he
could.

"It goes on for a long ways," Josh said.

"The curb doesn't go all the way, but what it represents follows this
exact same line all the way back to the Ontario border before it shifts.
This curb is the 49th parallel.  It's the border between Canada and the
United States."

"Really?  But there's no wall, no fence, no guards," Josh said
incredulously.

"That's why it's special Joshy.  You are standing on something
remarkable.  Something that isn't seen anywhere else in the entire
world.  You're standing on the world's longest undefended border."

"Undefended?  You mean no guards?"

"Well, there are border guards at border crossing points.  There's a
crossing point not far away from here.  We're on a peninsula right now
and the tip of it is part of the United States known as Point Roberts.
The only way to get in and out of the US part of the peninsula is by boat
or by land through Canada.  Undefended means that there are no military
forces faced off over it.  There are no mines.  There is no barbed wire.
In most places, there isn't even really a curb like this.  It's just a
line on a map."

"How come it's so special?"

"Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, countries cannot or will not
get along.  Sometimes countries still fight over nonsense that happened
hundreds or even thousands of years ago.  In other places, even if
countries aren't fighting, they don't trust each other and they feel
the need to protect their boarders against each other.  There are other
places such as most of Europe where the borders are undefended, but for
the most part, that's a new development.  This border has been this way
for almost 200 years."

"Wow.  That's incredible.  Wasn't there once a war between Canada and
the US though?"

"Yes, there was.  It was from 1812 to 1814.  It was really a war against
Britain, before Canada was a country, just a British colony.  Canadian
Militia and British troops invaded what is now Michigan and occupied it
for most of the war.  American troops invaded York, which is now Toronto,
and burned down the parliament buildings.  British Troops and Canadian
Militia attacked Washington DC and burned down the White House."

"Who won?"

"It was essentially a tie although some say that we won because we
weren't taken over.  When it was all over, the borders went right back
to where they had been before the war started and since then, not a
single shot has ever been fired in anger through the border.  The leaders
of Canada and the United States decided that it was better for us to live
as friends rather than enemies, and while there was certainly a lot of
mutual suspicion in the years after the war, we've kept the peace."

"We really are lucky to live here aren't we?"  Josh mused.

"Yeah, we sure are.  Few countries on Earth have seen such peace for so
long.  You like history right?"

"Yeah, I love it," Josh replied.

"Here's something for you to remember.  Years ago when President
Kennedy visited Ottawa, he was invited to address parliament.  His speech
contained one of his most memorable quotes.  When speaking about the
relationship between Canada and the United States, he said:  `Geography
has made us neighbors.  History has made us friends.  Economics has made
us partners, and necessity has made us allies.  Those whom God has so
joined together, let no man put asunder.'"

"He was a smart guy," Josh observed.

"Yes he was," I replied.  I watched Josh as he studied the border and I
could see the wheels turning in his head.

"Why don't other people live like this?"  He asked finally.

"You mean in peace without fighting?  I don't know kiddo.  We can't
really say that we don't fight.  We've always fought when it was
necessary to do so, but we've never fought to gain territory or to take
over another country.  We've always fought to help other countries that
have been unjustly invaded by their neighbours."

"Do you think there will be another war?"  Josh asked softly.

"I'm sure there will be, but I doubt we'll ever see another war on the
scale of World War I or World War II.  Now that the cold war is over, the
chances of a really big war are very small."

"What about a nuclear war?"  Josh asked.

"That's a tough one.  We won't see a massive nuclear exchange between
super powers.  The real danger is in terrorists or some unstable country
getting nuclear weapons.  When the Soviet Union broke up, a lot of
smaller warheads reportedly went unaccounted for.  If they fell into the
wrong hands, it could be very bad news."

"Do you know much about nuclear weapons?"  Josh asked.

"A fair bit.  I read a lot about it and we were trained in nuclear,
biological, and chemical warfare in the army."  I spent a few minutes
and told Josh what I knew about nuclear weapons and their effects.  By
the time I was done, Josh looked almost sick to his stomach.

"When you say vaporized, do you really mean evaporated instantly?"
Josh asked in a wobbly voice.

"Yeah, that's what I mean.  The centre of a nuclear explosion is hotter
than the surface temperature of the sun.  Hot enough to vaporize
anything.  When they went to the site of the Hiroshima bombing weeks
after the bomb they found that sand within a couple of miles of the
explosion had been melted and turned into massive sheets of black
glass."

"How come people have such terrible things?"  Josh asked.

"Once the genie was let out of the bottle, the only thing that would
keep a country from using nuclear weapons was the certain knowledge that
the same type of weapons would be used against them.  It's called MAD --
mutually assured destruction.  That's why nuclear-armed terrorists or
rogue states would be so dangerous.  They wouldn't care about a
retaliatory strike."

Josh shuddered and looked down at his feet, so I wrapped my arm around
his shoulders.  "Don't worry about it kiddo.  There is very little
chance that there will be a nuclear attack.  We're pretty safe from most
threats here in North America."  At that time, I had no idea what was
going to happen on a bright and sunny September morning just a little
over a year later.

Josh leaned against me as we sat on the border.  He was obviously deep in
thought and seemed troubled.  On one hand, I regretted telling him as
much as I had about nuclear weapons, but on the other hand, I didn't
think that I had any choice except to be honest to him about it.

"Come on son.  Let's forget about the end of the world for now, check
out the Russian submarine and get some food."

The mention of food instantly got Josh's attention and before long we
were back at the Jeep, heading north to New Westminster.

"We need to get you a good knife before we head into the north
country," I said to Josh as we headed onto the highway.

"I already have a good knife, the Swiss Army knife that you gave me for
Christmas," Josh replied.

"I know, but you need a good solid fixed blade knife as well.  I always
carry a Swiss Army type of knife and a solid fixed blade with me when
I'm in the bush."

"Why do you need two?"  Josh asked.

"They do different things.  A fixed blade knife is larger and stronger
and can be used for heavy duty tasks.  A Swiss Army knife is nice and
compact and has multiple functions.  They're great for light duty, but
they aren't strong enough for the tough tasks."

The drive to the Westminster Quay took a little over twenty minutes and
was quite scenic.  The trip over the massive suspension bridge that spans
the mighty Fraser River provided an excellent aerial view of the
Submarine and the market.  In addition to touring the submarine, we
planned to visit the market to find a birthday gift for Shelly.  I also
wanted to buy a good fixed blade knife for Josh; one he'd learn was
essential in the wilderness of the northland we'd be camping in.

"Cool!  There's the sub," Josh exclaimed.

"It's pretty big," I replied.

The submarine was a large black cigar shaped form tied up along side at
the quay.  Several large scaffolds had been affixed to it, presumably to
enable easy entry and exit.  The submarine and the market beyond were
literally swarming with people.

"Well bud, what do we do first, eat and check out the market or check
out the sub?"

"Let's do the sub," Josh said excitedly.

I'd never been on board a submarine and neither had Josh.  I'd seen
plenty of movies and documentaries, but I had no idea as to what to
expect on board that old Russian boat.

Josh purchased our tickets; then the two of us crossed the gangplank and
climbed down the steps into what turned out to be the forward torpedo
room.  It was the largest compartment in the entire boat and it was
crammed full of dummy torpedoes.  The bow was dominated by the
cylindrical torpedo tubes and the rest of the walls were covered in
exposed pipes, wires and cables.

As we checked out a cutaway dummy torpedo, the tour guide entered the
boat and handed out bright yellow hard hats to the ten or twelve of us
who had assembled for the tour.  After showing us the correct procedure
for ducking through the small circular hatches that separated the various
compartments, she started the tour.

We learned that the sub was a Foxtrot class diesel submarine that had
been built in the 1960s.  It had served in the Soviet navy until the
early 90s and was retired from the Russian navy in 1992.  The company
that owned it had purchased it for one million dollars and had it towed
all the way from Russia.  It had been along side the Westminster Quay as
a floating museum for several years.

The most striking thing about it was just how cramped it was.  Even the
captain's cabin was just slightly larger than a closet.  Officers shared
similar small cramped rooms while enlisted men were crammed into whatever
small space could be found to place a bunk.  Some bunks were even located
right next to the engine room and in the aft torpedo compartment.

The tour took about 45 minutes and we enjoyed every moment of it.  Josh
ran the video camera almost constantly as we made our way down the length
of the sub.  There were only a couple of times when he handed the camera
off to me so that he could explore something.  One of those was in the
bridge or control center of the sub.

"Look at this," Josh remarked as he handed me the camera.  He was
pointing to a bank of flashing lights, switches, and dials.  "Pretty low
tech, eh?"

"Really.  It's amazing how far technology has come in forty years," I
replied.

Josh reached up and was playing around with some of the switches when he
pushed a button creating a shrill buzzing sound.  Looking like he'd had
his hand stung by a bee, he quickly snapped his hand back and smiled
sheepishly at the tour guide when she glanced back at him.  An old lady
who was touring the boat with what appeared to be her husband and
grandkids, nearly jumped out of her skin.  Josh, the woman's grandkids
and myself had to struggle to stifle a laugh.

"You didn't film that did you?"  Josh asked.

"Yep, I got the whole thing," I chuckled.

"Oh man!"  Josh protested mildly.

"What were you trying to do, launch a torpedo?"  I kidded him.

"Can you imagine what would happen if the twins were down here?  They'd
have the poor tour guide running ragged!"  Josh snickered.

After we left the submarine, we went back to the Jeep to check on Brutus
and give him some exercise.  It was a pretty mild day so we weren't
worried about leaving him in the Jeep with the windows rolled slightly
down, but we made sure to check on him often and made sure that he had
plenty of water.  With Brutus tended to; we headed into the market to get
some lunch and then do a little shopping.  The first priority was lunch.

"What do you feel like kiddo?"  I asked Josh.

"Food sounds good," he deadpanned.

"Wise guy eh?"  I replied in my Curly voice.

"That looks good," Josh said and grabbed my arm to drag me over to a
Greek food stand at the food court.

"It certainly smells great," I said and licked my lips.  The smell of
chicken and pork souvlaki made my mouth water.  "Have you ever had Greek
food before?"

"No, but it looks really good.  It comes with salad, rice and potatoes
too, so we'll get our veggies."

"Ok then, let's try it."

We both ordered a large Chicken souvlaki dinner with all the trimmings.
I watched Josh as we found ourselves a table, and I'm pretty sure that
it took all of his self control to avoid devouring his meal before we
even found a table.

As it turned out, the food was even better than it looked and smelled.
The chicken just about fell of the skewers and it virtually melted in our
mouths.

"Oh man this is good," Josh groaned.  "I could probably eat another
plate of this stuff."

"I have no doubt of that bud.  You can have more if you want it."

"Do you want to split an order of the pork souvlaki when we're done?"

"I doubt I could eat it, but I'll try."

After cleaning our plates, Josh went back to the food stand and returned
a couple of minutes later with a small plate with two skewers of pork
souvlaki.  "They guy let me buy just the meat this time," He announced
and then handed me one of the skewers.

The pork turned out to be just as good as the chicken, but I couldn't
finish it.  I wasn't at all surprised when Josh happily accepted my
offer of half of my skewer and then made it disappear in little more than
the blink of an eye.

After lunch, we began strolling through the market.  The place reminded
me a lot of the Forks Market in Winnipeg only larger.  We started at one
end of the market and then began walking up and down the aisles.
Occasionally something would catch our eyes and we'd stop and take a
closer look.

We saw something remarkable in a booth at the end of one of the aisles.
There was a woman selling pet supplies and she had a rather large parrot
sitting on a perch.  As people walked by, the parrot would speak to them.

"Check out the talking bird!"  Josh said excitedly.

"Hello."  The bird said as Josh approached.

"Hello," Josh replied.

The bird began to spread its wings and began doing a near perfect
imitation of a seagull.

"That's amazing," Josh said to the woman.

"Charlie's a character alright," the woman replied.  "Watch this."
She began making dog-barking sounds at Charlie the parrot and pretty
soon, he began barking back at her.

"I wonder what Brutus would think of that," I chuckled.

"He'd probably be pretty confused," Josh replied.  "How did you teach
him all that?"

"Lots of effort," The woman replied.  "Lot's of patience too.
They're pretty smart birds."

Josh and I amused ourselves with the talking parrot for a few more
minutes before moving on.  "That was so cool," Josh said was we walked
away.  "Did you get that on video?"

"You bet I did!"

About half way up the next aisle, we encountered a double booth that
contained a very large variety of knives and camping gear.  "Here we go
Josh, let's see if we can find you a good knife."

"Cool," Josh replied.

"Take a look around and see if you find one you like," I suggested.

I stood back and watched as Josh examined the various knives arrayed on
the table before us.  I hadn't ever told him what to look for in a
knife, so I wasn't too surprised with his first choice.

"This one's cool," Josh said as he held up what looked to be a Rambo
type of knife with an almost foot long blade on it.

"I don't think that's what you need bud," I replied.

"Really?  You can unscrew the end of the handle and it has a survival
kit inside and it has a compass inside the end cap."

"It's like Rambo's knife," I said.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool."

"Let's see it," I said and held out my hand.  Josh carefully sheathed
the knife and handed it over to me.

The sheath was cheap imitation leather as I suspected and it held a small
sharpening stone in a small pocket on the outside.  I unsnapped the
button and took out the knife to examine it closely.  The blade appeared
to be made out of a fairly cheap metal and the hilt was actually
plastic.  I unscrewed the end cap and examined the survival kit inside.
In reality, it was little more than some fish hooks and a few matches.

"I think we can do a lot better than this," I told Josh.  "Take a look
at this.  The hilt is made out of plastic and the blade isn't very good
quality."  I unscrewed the end cap, removed the small container that
held the survival kit, and showed Josh inside the handle of the knife.
"See that?  All that's holding the blade in place is that one nut.  If
the handle broke or the blade snapped off, the knife would be useless.
With a plastic handle, the blade is probably quite likely to do just
that."

"What about the survival kit?"

"You already have a good survival kit.  Do you think that a few more
fish hooks and a couple of matches are really going to help you all that
much?"

"I guess not.  I guess it isn't so cool after all," Josh said
dejectedly.

"Let's find you a really good one," I replied.

"What should I look for?"

"Well for starters, you want a knife with a fairly thick stainless steel
blade of about six inches in length and an overall length of about 10
inches.  You don't need anything longer than that."  I picked up and
examined a couple of knives.  "Take a look at these Josh and tell me
what you think.

Josh took the first knife and unsheathed it.  "It's about the right
size and the blade says stainless steel.  The handle is made of wood and
there's no hollow part.  The sheath looks like its real leather."

"It's a step up over the Rambo knife," I replied.  "Now look at this
one."  I handed Josh the second knife.

"This one looks even better," Josh remarked.

"It is better.  In fact, this is a very nice knife.  It's similar to
mine.  Here, I'll show you what to look for in a good outdoors knife.
Take a look at the handle. Can you see the difference between this knife
and the other one?"

"Yeah, the blade goes all the way back to the end of the handle," Josh
observed.

"That's right.  That's what's known as a `full tang'"

"How come that's important?"

"Good question.  Imagine if the wood grips broke off this knife," I
said and held up the first knife that I'd shown Josh.  "Could you still
use the knife with no handle?"

"No, you'd cut yourself," Josh replied.

"That's right.  Now what about this knife with the full tang?"

"You could still grab it without touching the sharp part."

"That's right.  You could also wrap something around it as a makeshift
handle.  Here's something else.  I wouldn't worry about the grips
breaking or coming off, they're made out of pakkawood, which is very
solid and keeps its nice finish for a very long time.  Hold out your
hand," I instructed.

Josh held out his hand and I placed the hilt of the knife on the palm of
his hand with the blade hanging off.  "Notice anything?"  I asked.

"Yeah, it's balanced.  It doesn't fall over."

"That's right.  A good knife is balanced so that the hilt weighs pretty
much the same as the blade.  Hold it in your hand like you're going to
cut something with it," I instructed.

"It's comfortable.  It seems to fit my hand pretty well," Josh said.

"That's good.  Notice that it doesn't feel heavy or awkward because
it's so well balanced?"

"Yeah, I like it."

"It's your then bud."

"But it's $70!"

"I know.  You get what you pay for Joshy.  If you go cheap on a knife,
you'll get a cheap knife.  A good knife can save your life in the
wilderness, so you want to be sure that you're getting something that
will last and do the job."

"Thanks Dad," Josh said and gave me a brief, but nonetheless, heartfelt
hug.

In addition to the knife, I purchased a sharpening stone.  I planned on
spending some time that night teaching Josh how to properly sharpen a
knife.  One of my goals for the trip was to give Josh a true appreciation
for nature and the outdoors as well as the ability to survive in
emergency situations where it isn't all that easy to do.

Josh and I spent the rest of the afternoon looking for souvenirs for
people back home and for a suitable birthday gift for Shelly.  We were
both looking forward to seeing the Masons again and we both knew that our
visit would really perk Shelly up again.

Neither Josh nor I had much experience in shopping for girls so we were
having a bit of a tough time of it.  What made matters worse was that I
was developing a doozey of a headache and I did my best to hide it from
Josh.  Predictably, I failed miserably.

"Are you ok Dad?"  Josh asked me with a great deal of concern in his
voice.  He rested his hand on my shoulders and looked right into my eyes.

"I've got a bit of a headache coming on, but I'm ok bud."

"Are you sure?  It doesn't look like a bit of a headache," Josh
replied firmly.

"Really, I'm ok son.  Let's find a gift for Shelly and then we can
head to the motel and settle in for the night."

"I'll give you a shoulder and neck rub when we get there," Josh
promised and squeezed my shoulder gently with his hand.

Fortunately, we didn't end up having to spend much more time at the
market.  We rounded the corner on the aisle and found ourselves face to
face with a jewelry booth.  The booth was manned by an older man and
according to the sign; all of the pieces were hand made.  Josh scanned
the items and almost immediately locked his gaze onto a lovely gold
locket.

The locket was heart shaped and about half an inch in diameter and its
chain was made up of fine gold links.

"Could I see that one please?"  Josh asked the man behind the counter.

"Certainly," the man replied and reached into the glass case to hand
the locket to Josh.

"It's beautiful," Josh said softly.

"I think Shelly would really like it," I said.

As Josh studied the locket, I noticed the man looking intently Josh as if
studying his face.  "Aren't you the boy who gave the prime minister
heck in Ottawa the other week?"

"That's him," I replied with a smile.

"Well I'll be damned.  Imagine having someone famous in my store.  Who
is the locket for?"

"It's for Shelly.  She's very sick with cancer," Josh replied.

"Damn.  I'm sorry to hear about that son.  Cancer got my wife a couple
of years back.  A terrible disease.  Is Shelly your girl friend?"

Josh blushed slightly.  "Kinda," he replied.  "She got a big crush on
me when we met and said she wanted to marry me.  I told her that I would
when we got older and if she got better."

"You must be really proud of this boy," the old man said looking at me.

"I am," I replied and gently rubbed Josh's back.

"How much is the locket?"  Josh asked.

"Normally I sell lockets like that for $400.  For such a nice young man
as yourself, I'll give it to you for my cost.  $200 and I'll even put
your picture in it for you,"

"Thanks!"  Josh exclaimed.

The man produced a Polaroid camera from behind the counter and took
Josh's picture.  Josh and I then watched as he went to work carefully
cutting the image and fitting it perfectly inside the locket.  With the
picture in place, he reached under the counter and set a lovely velvet
covered box on the counter and carefully fit the locket inside.

"This is a wonderful thing you're doing for that girl Josh," the man
said.  "I hope it helps."

"I think it will.  Thanks Mr.????"

"Rosen.  My name is Mr. Rosen.  It's been a pleasure to meet you Josh.
I get a feeling about you.  Somehow I feel like I met someone important
today," Mister Rosen said and shook Josh's hand.

Josh paid Mister Rosen for the locket and then the two of us headed back
to the Jeep and a very excited Brutus.

I climbed into the driver's seat while Josh took Brutus for a short walk
on his leash to give him some exercise and to do his business.  While
they were gone, I leaned back in my seat and turned on the air
conditioner.  It wasn't really hot in the Jeep, but the cold air helped
my headache quite a bit.

A few moments later, the passenger door opened and Brutus came bounding
in.  The puppy jumped into my lap and began to furiously lick my face.
After a moment, he seemed to notice my somewhat subdued state.  He
sniffed around my face for a moment and then simply curled up in my lap
and rested his head on my knee.

"It's like he can tell you're not feeling well," Josh said.

"I know.  Dogs are very perceptive animals Josh."

"Is he ok there or should I move him?"

"No, he's fine.  We don't have far to go."

It took only ten minutes to drive to the motel.  It was just outside of
Burnaby and made for an easy drive to get to the Mason's house the next
day.  Sitting in the comfortable seats of the Jeep helped to settle my
headache somewhat and by the time we reached the motel, I was feeling
somewhat better.

After checking in, Josh insisted that I stay in the room while he
unloaded the things that we needed from the Jeep.  I stretched out on the
bed with Brutus.  I suppose, knowingly, the little dog climbed right on
my chest, placed his head by my cheek, and went to sleep.

When Josh came back to the room, I felt Brutus' tail thumping against my
stomach, but surprisingly he didn't get up.

"That is so cute," Josh grinned and went for the digital camera to snap
a quick picture.

When Brutus saw the flash, he thought it was play time.  He gave my cheek
a quick lick and then jumped down to play with Josh.  Josh spent a few
minutes rough housing with his puppy and then set out his food and water
bowls.

"Take off your shirt and roll over Dad," Josh said as he sat next to me
on the bed.

I did as I was told and he straddled my back and went right to work.  I
felt like I was in seventh heaven as all the tension began to flow out of
my neck and shoulders as Josh worked his magic.  I almost didn't hear
him when he told me to roll over so that he could get at my temples.
Over the years, I'd taken all sorts of painkillers for headaches, but
none of them could compare to Josh's ministrations.  When he massaged my
temples, it could clear up the worst headache in no time at all.  I think
it was a combination of pressure points and the love that was in his
touch.  When I opened my eyes and watched his face as he worked, I could
see a look of concentration, but also one of complete commitment, and
that feeling seemed to emanate from his finger tips as he worked.

When he was done, he climbed off me and then stretched out on the bed
next to me.  He placed his arm across my chest and leaned his face
against mine.  "Just relax for a while Dad.  We have a while before
dinner time."

"Thanks son.  I love you," I said sleepily.

"I know.  I love you too."

That was the last thing I remembered until I awoke a couple of hours
later.  Josh was still next to me propped up on the bed watching TV with
the volume turned down.  Brutus as stretched out on my other side
snuggled up under my arm.

"Hey bud," I said with a yawn.

"Hey Dad.  Feeling better?"  Josh asked.

"Much better.  Thanks to you," I said and reached out to give him a
hug.  "Ready to get something to eat?"

"I'm one step ahead of you.  You looked like you were waking up, so I
ordered some food."

"Oh yeah?  What did you order?"

"They have room service here, so I ordered us both the Pacific Salmon
platter with baked potatoes and mixed vegetables.  I also ordered lemon
meringue pie for dessert and Chocolate milk to drink."

"Way to go bud sounds great."

"It'll be nice to see Shelly again tomorrow," Josh mused.

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you too."

"I hope the locket cheers her up.  I hope she gets better too.  I'll
bet she's pretty when she isn't sick."

"I'm sure she is kiddo."

"I really can't wait for the next part of the trip either.  The north
will be amazing.  I've always wanted to go to the Yukon."

"Me too Josh.  This is my dream vacation and I can't imagine a better
person to share it with. You know, we should phone the Mason's and make
sure they're going to be home and its OK to drop in.  You never know
what may have happened in the past week."

"Good idea," Josh agreed.

I picked up my cell phone and punched their number from the directory as
a knock came to the door.  I listened to the ring as Josh answered the
door.  Our dinner had arrived.

"Hello."  I recognized Debbie Mason's voice.

"Hi Debbie, it's Tom.  I'm just checking in to let you know we intend
to be knocking on your door tomorrow morning."

"Tom!  Oh, it's so good to hear your voice.  Come on ahead, we're
wishing you were here right now!"  Debbie said excitedly.  Although her
voice was happy, I wondered about her words.

"Is everything OK?  How's Shelly doing?"

"Everything's fine, and Shelly is getting pretty antsy about seeing
Josh again.  Is he there?  Shelly would like to talk to him."

"Right here," I said as I handed the phone to Josh with a big smile.
I'd thought of teasing him with a deadpan stare, but that would have
been cruel.  "It's Shelly."

As the two of them chatted, I could see the excited happiness spread
across Josh's face.  As he spoke with her, he was giddy and laughing
with his responses to Shelly.

While he was talking with her, I continued unwrapping and sorting our
dinner ensemble onto the small table.  After he said goodbye and ended
the call he came over to the table with a big grin across his face.

"Dad!  She's feeling really great and can't wait to see us!" he
exclaimed as he sat down.  While he was eating, he said nothing more, but
I could tell by the neverending smile even while chewing his food, and
glint in his eye, he was happy we'd made the phone call.

The Salmon was like none that I'd ever had before.  It was incredibly
fresh and loaded with flavor.  It was a beautiful pink colour and it was
seasoned to perfection.  Both of us ate every single morsel on our
plates.  Both of us loved fish, but that Salmon was about the best either
of us had ever eaten.

After supper, Josh took Brutus for a brief walk and then we both took
turns in the shower and settled in for a quiet evening.  I decided it was
time to get out Josh's knife and sharpening stone.  "Hey bud, want to
learn how to sharpen your knife?"

"Sure but isn't it sharp already?"

"Yeah it looks pretty sharp but it won't stay that way if you don't
sharpen it from time to time."

"That makes sense.  Show me how to do it."

I went into the bathroom and came back with a cup of water and a damp
face cloth.  After setting both on the small table between the beds, I
went and got Josh's knife and the sharpening stone.  I unsheathed the
knife and then turned it around so that I was grasping the dull edge of
the blade with the hilt pointing towards Josh.  "This'll be a bit of a
safety less as well bud.  This is the correct way to hand someone an
unsheathed knife.  Never hand someone a knife with the blade pointing
towards them and always make sure that the sharp edge is pointing away
from your hand."

Josh carefully took the knife from me and examined it before turning it
around as I had and handing it back.

"Also, always remember to cut away from yourself just in case the knife
slips," I said and I made a carving motion with the knife.  "Finally,
respect your knife.  Never use it for something other that what it was
intended.  Don't use it as a hammer, don't hack things with it and
don't use it as a weapon.  It's a tool.  Most importantly, always keep
your knife sharp.  You are much more likely to cut yourself with a dull
knife than with a sharp one."

"Okay," Josh replied.

"Now, this is called a whetstone," I said as I unwrapped the rough gray
stone from its package.  "Used properly, a whetstone makes it pretty
easy to keep a good sharp edge on your knife.  You can use it with this
knife and with your Swiss Army knife."

Josh picked up and examined the stone.  "How does this sharpen a steel
knife blade?  It doesn't feel all that rough."

"There are different grades of whetstone.  This is a pretty fine one.
If you had a really dull knife, you'd need a much more coarse stone.
With a knife like yours that already has a sharp edge, this is perfect
for maintaining it."

"So how do you do it?  Do you rub the stone against the blade?"

"No, a lot of people make that mistake.  The best way to do it is this.
First put a damp towel on your work table and then set the stone down in
the middle of it.  Next dampen the stone with a bit of water or even spit
if you're in the outdoors."  I setup the stone as I had described as
Josh watched closely.

"Now you're ready to sharpen.  The trick to it is getting the blade on
the correct angle and using just the right amount of pressure.  You start
with the tip," I said as I demonstrated by placing the tip of the blade
on the stone.  "The sharp edge should be facing away from you and you
need to angle the blade slightly so that the dull edge is about three
millimeters off the stone."  I handed the knife to Josh and helped him
to get his hands in the correct position.

"So far so good," Josh remarked.

"Now, take your other hand and place your fingers on the blade and push
down lightly.  Don't push too hard or you'll wind up making the blade
dull.  Now you're ready to start sharpening.  All you need to do is run
the blade against the stone in an arching motion by pushing it away from
yourself.  You want to try to keep the blade in contact with the same
spot on the stone all the way from the tip to the heel.  When you get to
the end, lift the blade off and start again from the tip.  Never drag it
backwards.  Give it a try bud," I instructed.

I watched as Josh furrowed his brown in concentration and began to do as
I had instructed.

"Ease up just a little bit bud and go nice and slow.  You don't have to
be fast.  A slow, steady movement works best."

"Like this?"  Josh asked as he tried a second stroke across the stone.

"Perfect.  Do that about ten times and then look at the blade."

"There's tiny jagged bits on the edge," Josh observed.

"That's good.  That means you're doing it right.  When you see those
burrs, you know your using just the right pressure.  Make sure that you
NEVER run your finger along the blade looking for those burrs; if you do,
you'll get a nasty cut."

"Yikes.  I'll bet that would hurt."

"Yeah, it would.  All you need to do now is repeat the same process on
the other side of the blade.  You want to be sure to use the same number
of strokes on each side of the blade to get a good even edge.  You also
have to be extra careful because when you turn the blade over, you end up
with the sharp edge facing towards yourself.  As long as you're not
pushing really hard on the blade, there is no danger."

"How often should I sharpen it?"  Josh asked as he finished sharpening
the blade.

"I sharpen mine every day or so when I'm in the woods.  Even if it's
only a handful of strokes, it keeps the edge on the blade."

After we finished with the knife sharpening, wed tidied everything up and
then the three of us snuggled up together on one of the beds and watched
movies until around midnight.  Having slept for a couple of hours that
afternoon, I wasn't all that tired, but Josh was out light a light.  He
was sound asleep in his customary television viewing position leaning
against my side.  I gently placed him under the coverers and then climbed
in after him.  Brutus positioned himself up on the pillows near our
heads.

As I lay there and drifted off to sleep, listening to Josh and Brutus
snoring away, I contemplated the trip so far, the month of travel that
still lay ahead of us and I looked forward to the future.  The future had
never looked brighter to me.  Whatever lay ahead, I'd face it with my
son, both of my sons in fact, my partner that I loved and was anxious to
be with, and my extended family who cared and loved all of us.

I had a strange dream that night.  I dreamt that I was with a grown up
Josh and a whole lot of other people, most of them in military fatigues.
Josh was wearing a pair of dark slacks, a light coloured shirt and a navy
blue tie under what appeared to be a camouflage flack jacket and a Kevlar
helmet.  He was standing on top of an armoured personnel carrier and
speaking into a bull horn.  I could hear what sounded like gunfire in the
distance and air was filled with the constant thunder of jet planes and
the thumping of helicopter blades.  I can't recall what he was saying,
but I remembered being very proud of him.