Hello, Everyone!

I know we're a couple of months out, but I thought I'd get a quick discussion going on the food this year. Old Salt has been so on the ball with getting everything booked, I didn't want to look like a slacker 

Most of you have been with us the last few years, so you know we've done pizzas on Friday night, and then brought in barbecue for Saturday night.

I think that's worked out well, but I wanted to give everyone an opportunity to weigh in on whether or not you'd like to see any changes this year.

We can work out the details once we've settled on what we wanted to do, but lets get the ball rolling on any discussion you'd like to have about food!

And I'll for sure bring beer again, and other beverages as necessary.

So what says you all?
ml

Ditto.

Jimbo   

Food  has been great!

Ditto. How can you go wrong with pizza and barbecue and a cold beer!

The food and drinks have been great. I can bring some drinks like water and pop type drinks. Thanks ML. Also, women are welcome to break up all the dude talk. IC, Jillpine, Spartan 2 etc.   

TomT wrote on Jan 10^th, 2020 at 5:46pm:


I appreciate Tom T volunteering to bring regular pop and water for our gatherings. I also appreciate those who are bringing the beer. We always have a great selection. I will bring the diet pop.

Everyone working together helps to make these gatherings successful! Thanks!

And yes, the ladies are welcome!
Feel free to invite anyone who may be interested.

In the interest of spreading responsibility (or blame) , I’ve asked MuleLars to organize the meals, as he is local in Madtown and Wally 13 to be the Beer meister.

I would guess that dinner plans will be forthcoming soon.

Mossback, Wally 13 will be contacting you to accept your offer. Thanks!

Our best wishes for a speedy recovery SP2. 

Best wishes Lynda.

Lynda,

Surgeries seem to come with the territory of “aging.”   Best wishes and I hope we get to see you in Madison!

Jimbo   

Old Salt wrote on Jan 17^th, 2020 at 2:13pm:


Thank you to all of you who posted good wishes and prayers.

OS--Did you have a myectomy?  I am having a septal myectomy, and also removal of a sub-aortic membrane and replacement of my aortic valve.  The surgeon says the latter will be the most difficult, as he has to enlarge the "root" of the aortic valve, as my opening is small and I need a larger valve.  Means more time on the heart-lung machine, and that is hard on other body functions.  He said perhaps as long as 3-4 hours on the machine, and a very long surgery for Neil to wait through.  Our daughter is coming to be with him and that relieves my mind somewhat.

They say it will be 6 weeks before I feel well afterward, and that is just about 'Copia time, so I am tentative as to whether we will make the trip.  But it is a good incentive.  (And yes, I know there will be rehab--I am weak now and have almost no stamina, so I will have to build back up some energy.)

Interesting.  The reason I asked is because I cannot find anyone in my group of friends who have had open heart that have had the same procedure.  It would be nice to talk to one.

I have been dealing with specialists since September on these problems.  I have no arterial blockages, so that is the good part, I don't have to have any bypasses.  But the myectomy is where they go in and take out some of the thickened, stiffened tissue on the septum (the wall between the two sections of the heart) and allow my heart to beat more efficiently again.  It is the procedure that this surgeon does all the time and he is supposed to be very expert at it.  From what he said, the trickier part is the replacement of the aortic valve, partly because I am overweight.  He has to put in a larger valve and that means enlarging the "root", whatever that is.  He is concerned about how long I will be on the heart/lung machine, and warned Neil that it would seem like a very long surgery.

I asked what would happen if I decided not to have the surgery (since I am obviously upright and have had no cardiac emergencies).  He said "Well, the things wrong with your heart will never get any better, and can only get worse and worse."

If I were 90, I would just opt to have no surgery, get weaker, and probably fade away, or have a heart attack like my mother did at age 77.  But I am 74, and I would like to have a few more years of traveling, spending time with my grandchildren on our annual "grandchild vacations", going to Spartan football games, etc.  So, in essence, I am taking the challenge and praying that the risks won't outweight the benefits.

Scary stuff. 

BillConner wrote on Jan 18^th, 2020 at 1:20pm:


The language was different, but he said my choices were "tissue" or metal.  If I took metal, I would have to be on coumadin for the rest of my life.  I chose "tissue", and I assume it is porcine.

And it looks like I have hi-jacked this thread about 'Copia with my issues.  Sorry about that.

I will have Neil give updates after next Wednesday, on both QJ and BWCA.com. 

As for now, it is just the waiting.  It has taken a while to get on the schedule, but I received a message from the surgeon's office today, so I know it is a "go" for the 29th.  Since I was originally told last August by my cardiologist that she was recommending surgery, it has been far too much "anticipating".  I am trying to keep a peaceful mind about it all, as I know I am in good hands at U of Michigan, my surgeon is experienced, and when this is successful I will have a new lease on life.  I have a little sign over my desk that says, "Good morning.  This is GOD.  I will be handling all your problems today".  That and Joshua 1:9 are what I use as my encouragement; as I know that I am in the Lord's hands in all things.

Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated.   

Thanks, ST.  Perhaps I will check out that book myself.   

While it is difficult, I think I have maintained a positive attitude through all of this, and I know it is a good thing.  Obviously, a surgery of this magnitude on one's heart CAN go wrong, and I know that there is a small percentage of very serious complications that can result, even death.  However, having said that, I do have confidence in my surgeon, and I am not expecting those complications.  In my imagination, I see myself post-surgery, following orders so that I can have a successful recovery.  I do know that rehab will be necessary, and it will be work.  But I have rehabbed three artificial joints, so I am not unacquainted with pushing a bit, and dealing with pain.

Life is good here.  Spartan1 just celebrated the 11th anniversary of his kidney transplant yesterday.   We sent a big fruit basket (as we always do) to his donor, Leslie, and she called last evening to thank us.  She is healthy and enjoying life, and so is my husband.  Just another blessing of modern medicine.   

I hope I’m not eating solo.

Please sign up here for Saturday BBQ Dinner. Thanks!

I'll be there until the "rattlesnake roundup!"

dd

I'm all in!

MossBack wrote on Jan 30^th, 2020 at 2:31am:


The head table is full.

I'm in for Friday night pizza.  I'll be meeting some friends for dinner Saturday, but back for beer and more tall tales after that.

pd

OS,

While I will almost certainly be there sometime Saturday evening, I don't believe I've committed to supper on Saturday, just yet.

Not sure how much advance notice you require.  As soon as my plans firm up, I'll let you know.

I'll definitely be around for the Friday evening meal.

Jimbo   

Hey, Jimbo (and everyone else)-

I'll dovetail onto OS's comment.

We do need a general idea of a count to start the planning, but I will likely not order the food until a week or so ahead of time. Smoky Jon is pretty flexible and will also let you add on - even the day before - if they have the food available.

Bottom line is we want any and all to feel welcome, and we'll plan food accordingly. There are many ways to make it all work out 

And while we set the food up at a specific time, there's no rush to have to be there right away. The food stays until the end of the evening!

Looking forward to seeing everyone again!
ml

Most likely I’ll make Friday evening this year. Looking forward to meeting folks!

Old Salt wrote on Feb 4^th, 2020 at 5:01am:
yeah, i have not been to canoecopia in ~6yrs, but did make a qj lunch. it was great to put names to faces, best part of the weekend actually but time was so short.

No worries. We’re glad to have your participation in our QJ Dinner. We all need to eat sometime. Might as well be the best BBQ in Madtown! 

I understand he will be busy shuttling loads of split (RED) pine via dog sled to various "stashes" around Quetico for use next summer.

Jimbo   

Jimbo wrote on Feb 8^th, 2020 at 4:13pm:



TomT wrote on Feb 8^th, 2020 at 2:12pm:


Guys....I feel like I'm being trolled....probably with a deep TailDancer....Purplescent.....

To be honest, we've been dealing with my wife's health issues for awhile and she's recovering from successful surgery earlier this week....as of now, I am tentative (strong) attendee for the Saturday QJ dinner....

Cheers!!

PK,

I’m glad your wife is recovering from surgery. Hopefully, it will relieve her health issues. We look forward to having you join us for our QJ Dinner and other activities.

If you’re coming on Friday, pizza can be ordered anytime.

Fantastic! Did you book a room?

Hooked a Pine Knot in 30 feet!  Now I just have to reel him in to Copia!

In all seriousness I hope the mrs. is doing well and things are looking up. 👍🙂

Friday night is our ‘Paddlers Rendezvous’. It’s a come & go gathering so it’s hard to say how many will be around at any given time. We usually put in an initial pizza order around 5:30-6:00 pm and additional orders after that according to need/desires. We usually have folks hanging out until about 10 pm or so. That’s about the time some folks start to think about getting sleep before the show the next day. We have no definite ‘end time’.

Short answer: yes, we should be around. Please stop in!  As in the past, we will have a ‘donation can’ to cover room rental costs. Our suggested amount is $5 per person per evening. We hope to see you there! It’s not necessary to ‘sign up’ for this event since pizza orders will be placed as needed.

We do request a ‘sign up’ for Saturday dinner. Thanks!

HnD,

I don’t think the group is against your suggestions, but when we asked for suggestions a month or so ago, the overwhelming favorite was to use Smoky Jon’s BBQ as we have in the past. We haven’t yet figured out the specific menu items because it depends on how many sign up for our Dinner. As it looks now, my best guess is that we will have a couple of meats and 2-3 sides. While BBQ isn’t typically vegan, there are some sides that may qualify. I’m not vegan so I’m not sure what qualifies. You’re welcome to browse their menu and make suggestions about what would be satisfactory.

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I'd be down with coleslaw.  My trick will be how to not over eat.  That stuff is damn good!

My apologies for any misunderstanding that may have been created. Let me explain how our QJ Dinner works. If someone buys an individual plate, you get a 1/4 lb of meat along with two small sides. We are asking $15 per person and using bulk purchases for meats and sides. This works out to appropriate 1/2 lb per person and enough sides to be well satisfied.

To keep the economy of this intact, we cannot do special orders. If anyone wants to get their own food and bring it in, that’s ok. We ask $5 for our room rental.

Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll start a poll.

Hi, OS.  I am a go for the Saturday night dinner.  Thx for helping get things set up....

Planning on attending Saturday night barbecue.

I just voted for my 2 favorite choices in Poll too.

It looks like I will be attending the Friday dinner and bringing a guest. Saturday night is still up in the air but I am staying in the motel that night so I will at least be joining in the discussion period. Bob

Old Salt wrote on Feb 27^th, 2020 at 2:47am:

Saturday is still an option, however I spoke too soon, my guest has plans for Friday after all. But I will be there. Looking forward to talking trips and any other topic. Save me some grub as I will probably have to ingratiate myself at another hors d'oeuvres affair beforehand.

OS & All,

I don't mean to be a party-pooper guys but I've decided NOT to attend Copia this year.  Please remove me from meal lists, etc.. This is a hard decision for me as our Copia get-togethers are a bright spot in my year. 

I will gladly mail any QJer my pre-paid ticket for the Saturday show at no cost to them.

Some will think I'm over-reacting to this virus scare & perhaps I am.  However, we're doing a LOT at my house to stay "virus-free", mainly for the sake of my 95 year-old mom who lives with us.  I simply can't look my wife & mom in the eyes and then willfully take even a minor risk such as this.  Compounding the matter is that there would be no relief of anxieties at home for up to 14 days after my return.  I simply don't want to put that on them... or myself.  I would have a hard time dealing with it if I REALLY goofed it up and actually brought a bug home (which I admit is highly improbable).

We all have to decide these things for ourselves.  The funny thing is, I'm pretty sure my decision would be different if it was just ME at home.  I expect the next action item for me will be to suspend my membership at the local gym for a while... ugh!

I hope you guys have a good time and truly wish I could enjoy a Spotted Cow or two with you.  Keep an eye on hygiene!

Best wishes,

Jimbo   

P.S.  For what it's worth, unless they shut the borders down (which is highly unlikely), I am definitely moving forward with all tripping plans for the coming season.  Traveling with 1 or 2 guys is an entirely different level of risk.

Sorry to hear this Jimbo but it's a good call in your situation.  We will all miss you there for sure.   

FYI, my Copia wristband has just been assigned.

Enjoy the show!

Jimbo   

I have a feeling the show attendance will be way down this year.  Which is good news for those who do go.

Saw on ebay that a bottle of purell is going for $89.     Something tells me there will be ALL KINDS of new products for sanitization on the market soon.  It's the American way. 

My Damned Luck.....I finally get a kitchen pass for a 2 day stay at Copia with some real QJ time, and the virus of the decade settles in to drop a cloud over the festivities.

OK...I,m done grousing now.   Still planning to attend.

MossBack

mpeebles wrote on Mar 8^th, 2020 at 2:49pm:




  It's a well documented "fact" that Tequila will kill ANYTHING germ or brain cell-related. 

I think it sounds like you guys are talking about a close cousin of this virus called the ‘copiavirus’. The symptoms are similar. If infected, there’s a fever. That fever can express itself as a desire to buy or sell paddle related stuff. Probably the worst case I ever saw was a huge pink sale hanging in our room a few years ago. The fever also creates a strong desire to infect others by sitting in close proximity swapping tales of yesteryear and woe. All it takes is one sicko to infect the room. It’s the sadistic pleasure that is derived from infecting others that some find puzzling or disgusting.

You know that a sick person has entered the room when there’s a stuffed map case in hand. You want to steer clear of that guy. I mean, who carries an armload of maps to walk around a motel? Can a guy like that possibly be trusted in the woods? If you have the fever, it’s impossible to make rational decisions. It’s not unusual for spouses to question decisions. It’s like ‘how many kinds of stoves do you need?’ The spouse is infected when she doesn’t realize that it’s the wrong question to ask.

Sorry if I stepped on any toes. With knee replacement having been deferred until after Copia, I stumble around a lot.

We’ll definitely miss seeing you, DD and Jimbo. But I completely understand.

Hope we can connect next year!

Yeah the cruise ship industry is about to go dormant for awhile. 

So, I have this idea of bringing a replacement pack of "wet ones" to Copia.  I want to frequently wash my hands there but gotta figure the bathrooms will be packed with like minded patrons.  So my question is, will the wet wipes do the job or are there better recommendations to keep the bad stuff off my hands and onto my face? Thx. 

TomT wrote on Mar 8^th, 2020 at 8:06pm:


   Coranavirus is the term for a family of viruses.
COVID-19, the strain from China is in that family BUT it's so new there is NOT enough data to conclusively say hand wipes will work on it for sure?

  They "probably" will, but the BIGGEST thing is doing the same you do for the flu. Wash your hands frequently and DON'T touch your face/mouth.

  That is very hard to do for long for most people. I'd do the fist bump greetings. Use your elbow to open doors, foot to flush toilets, sneeze into your elbow and I wouldn't be sharing FINGER type food for obvious reasons.

  How NOT to eat Pizza!
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  ANY wipe that says it kills CORANAVIRUS is good to use until they get more specific data.

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Even the Experts can't stop touching their faces.

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I'm still in.  There's gotta be something there I don't already have 3 or 4 of yet.  After the show, I'm travelling around the state to infect the rest of my family!  See y'all….well, some of y'all there!

pd

OS, at the moment, pizza on Friday, yes.  Saturday I have plans for dinner, but will join the QJ crowd afterward for libations and fish stories. Apologies if the previous post made that unclear.

pd

We’re gonna miss you and the others who have canceled, but we certainly understand. Best of luck in your change of plans.