Groceries with Dyno

I'm not going to lie, I sneaked my dog into grocery stores on several occasions. I don't do it as often anymore now that he got heavier. This time, we visited Ferme Regis which is one of the first grocery stores in Quebec accepting smaller dogs inside if they are placed in a wooden basket. There are lots of local products inside which I love.

There was also a corn maze where you can get lost in, empty silos in which you can hear your echo, old cars to take pictures with and a little farm with animals to entertain your dog. I personally think dogs should be accepted in more places but I agree that most dog owners are terrible, which ruins it for the rest of us, but I'm not going to let this stop me and Dyno :)

Good old days

I'm back from the woods where I spent a weekend in a cabin without reception. We completely disconnected and we just played cards, talked to each other, cooked food and listened to 90s music. It was really just like the good old days. It was a rainy weekend, and we did not go out much, but it was a weekend more than well-spent and I feel it was completely full.

I've always dreamed of living somewhere far far away where I could just live off the land and stop relying on technology. Maybe that's too ambitious for me, but doing small things in my every day life already make me feel more sane. I don't own a TV at home, I stopped looking at my screen just to pass time, I don't even listen to music anymore when I'm outside, and I always try to be alert to my surroundings. Focusing on one thing at a time is still difficult for me, but when I do, even if it's not for very long, makes me feel content and connected to real life.

Memories are still the greatest treasure that a person can hold, far greater than any electronic device on the planet.

My first canoe-camping trip

Here I am, on an empty island by myself, with my dog Dyno of course. My hands are cold and I cannot write fluidly, which is weirdly satisfying at the same time. It forces me to slow down my thoughts and it makes me more conscious of the words I'm writing.

Yesterday, as I about to leave, I saw a hairy green caterpillar on my paddle. I thought to myself, am I really ready for this kind of adventure? It took me some courage to come on this trip. I never did this before. I think I might have done canoeing for fun before but I can't confidently say that I'll be able to manage if there were strong wind, thunderstorm and strong current, with my stuff and my dog on top of this.

I really wanted to do something different though, perhaps something that scared me a little. It seems like I haven't gone out of my comfort zone in a while. I went alone on a tandem canoe because I wanted to have enough space for Dyno and my stuff, but I didn't think it would be that difficult to maneuver, especially with the wind. Very lucky that I have quite strong arms, but it was definitely tiring.

Last week, there was rain forecasted for the 3 days I'm here, but turns out it's warm and sunny. Life has its own plan and it's best to believe.

Dyno is having fun, tasting the water, playing with the branches, getting his paws wet, rolling in the sand and protecting me from the small animals on the island. He is also chasing some monarch that is trying to land on the beach. What a cutie pie, right? I have to keep an eye on this sneaky boy so he doesn't steal the food. Yesterday, he had a sip of my wine which really worried me. He's fine now, luckily.

I want to sit back, and relax, and just follow the current. I've also deactivated my facebook a while ago. I want to live a life for myself, not for others. I want to be comfortable with where I'm at in life. I don't want to worry about time and having a to-do list and being organized. I got all the time in the world today and I will just sit here and let the time pass without any purpose, but with all the purpose and meaning in the world at the same time. There are lots of crazy thoughts going through my mind, but it's okay. I'm not trying to fight them or engage them, I'm just acknowledging them.

Today is a good day, the sound of the waves crashing into my island woke me up. I sort of brushed my teeth but did not wash my face as I brought limited water with me. Needless to say, there won't be any shower. It's fine, I'm alone on this island.  It's a warm and sunny day of fall, which is probably my favorite at the moment.

I'm drinking cold brew from that mug from Death Valley, it makes appreciate the cold and crisp air in the morning. There is something about this weather, it smells adventure. People are gone back to their routine, summer flings are over, and nature suddenly becomes more still. It's getting colder, but the sun is still comforting.

The sunset is beautiful and what a surprise. My mom asked me if I'm not scared to be alone on an island, I said I'm not. There are places scarier than this but people have chosen to accept a certain form of prison and safe slavery. Nature is not to be scared of. I'm glad I came here. I always tell myself that I'd rather regret doing something than not doing something, and knowing this makes me feel like I have all the answers in the world and I will always know where to go.

We tried SUP for the first time

I saw this video some years ago, it's about a guy contemplating the meaning of adventure as he crossed the Georgia Straight from Vancouver to Victoria. He explains that adventure can be as simply as wondering about the possibility of doing just one thing differently than before. It really inspired me and made me want to try SUP.

So, I finally went to Riviere Rouge to try it last weekend. It was a rainy, which sucks but we pretty much had the whole river to ourselves. When the rain finally stopped, we could see the clouds surrounding the mountains and made me feel like we traveled to another country.

Unfortunately for Dyno, he did not know he was going to do SUP. I pretty much dragged him onto the board and took off. Right when we took off is when it started raining pretty heavily. We got all wet and he was shaking from the cold.

After an hour or so, we took a break on one of the many beaches. I let him off leash so he can run for a bit and stretch his paws. When it was time to get back on the board, he really did not want to go back and wasn't listening to me anymore. It took me a good 10 minutes to catch him. I put him on the board and started paddling. Seconds after we left the beach, I don't know what he wanted to do, but he fell in the water, and it kind of pushed me and the board further. Also, the current was not helping. I was a good 3-4 meters away from him at this point. I went on my knees but almost lost my balance.

Poodles are water dogs and I hoped he would enjoy the water. The week before, I took him to a doggy pool to teach him swimming while he was still young. However, I did not know I couldn't get inside the water with him, which made him even more hesitant to be in the water. I gave the employee a ton of shit and gave up on the idea of teaching him swimming this year.

I debated whether I should jump in the water to save him but I really did not want to get wet. It wasn't one of those hot summer days where we were paddling in swimsuit. It wasn't warm and I only had one jacket to protect me from the rain. I see his head was still above the water, so I waited to see if he could swim to me. Obviously, if I could not see his head, I would jump in right away. I called him several times and finally...he swam towards my SUP. I was so scared but so happy at the same time, because Dyno finally learned to swim!

I'm so proud of my little wet rat!

Ride

I was always an unusual girl
My mother told me that I had a chameleon soul
No moral compass pointing due north
No fixed personality
Just an inner indecisiveness that was as wide and as wavering as the ocean
And if I said I didn’t plan for it to turn out this way I’d be lying

Because I was born to be the other woman
Who belonged to no one
Who belonged to everyone
Who had nothing
Who wanted everything
With a fire for every experience and an obsession for freedom that terrified me to the point that I couldn’t even talk about it
And pushed me to a nomadic point of madness that both dazzled and dizzied me

Why I named my dog Dyno

I've been rock climbing for several years now, and it's a passion of mine. I named my dog Dyno because I think it's cool to give him a name that is related to my passion, and it's also a simple word that could mean several things.

In rock climbing, Dyno is a dynamic movement that requires pushing off, flying through the air to reach the next hold that is far from where you originally started.

Dynos require power, precision, control, incredible core strength...and some faith. The biggest challenge is holding on after you've made contact. While a climber may get to the next hold, the extra momentum created by the climber's mass moving in another direction means they need to grip with even greater strength. 

It's my personal weakness because I'm afraid to hit the wall. 

And if you miss the hold? You fall.

Dyno goes on a road trip

I took Dyno on a 4-day road trip, just me and him. We went to my favorite places in Quebec; Côte-Nord, Fjord-du-Saguenay and Mauricie. I love the Côte-Nord and its ocean breeze, Fjord-du Saguenay for the mountains, cliffs and sea, and Mauricie for the smell of pine trees.

Our first stop was at parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudiere. I've been to Quebec so many times but never knew about this place. It's much nicer than the bigger falls in the area and you can walk at the bottom as well.

There was a long suspension bridge 23 meters above the river and Dyno crossed it like a pro, did not show much sign of vertigo.

After Quebec, we made a stop in Baie-Saint-Paul where Dyno got to walk on the beach for the first time. At the beach, there were dogs barking at people walking by, dogs peeing on their master...and I look at Dyno and I'm like...what a good boy! I'm so lucky! We spent the night in Malbaie at Chutes Fraser.

Baie-des-rochers is one of the most beautiful places I've discovered on this trip; it's so grand and quiet. This picture does not do it justice. We did not do any hiking but we definitely will next time when Dyno is older.

The traversier to Tadoussac is one of the things I'm most excited about when I go to the North. We walked around Tadoussac and went to the beach.

Our second campsite was on Baie Saine-Catherine with a view of the river. He got to see horses, and co-share spaces with other people and dogs. That helps a lot with socialization and training.

 On the third day, we explored areas along the fjord, it reminds a little bit of Iceland.

This is Dyno about to be blown away with the wind as I try to take a picture of him on the dock of Petit-Saguenay. The Marina at L'anse Saint-Jean is very charming as well.

Our last campsite was my favorite as we had a spot right by the river, and it's pretty relaxing to sleep to the sound of it.

Our last night chilling by the fire.

Dyno was really good in the car, did not complain much about the long drives. I can't wait until Dyno is older so we can do more activities. On this trip, I worried walking him too much, so I carried him some of the times. Travelling alone with a dog has its challenges, such as finding toilets, finding places to eat, but it's all worth it! He is the only one I have patience and want to make effort for right now.