My Dad's Hankie

My Dad always carried a hankie in the pocket of his coveralls or work pants.  Most often it was a big red one if he was working but it could be a smaller one too.

When both he and my Mom passed away these hankies are something I kept.

They come in handy in the bush.   Really handy.   And this thin tattered one is the best of the best.  Thin and tattered means it was with my Dad a lot and washed a lot.   On a hot day dipping it in the lake or creek and tying it on is heavenly.  It helps long hair behave and stay out of the eyes, keeps the back of your neck from getting burned, and keeps big and little flies from eating away at your hairline.

Mostly, I have a little reminder of my Dad with me when go into the bush.   He passed away before I started going on these wilderness adventures.   He loved nature and hiking and I have no doubt that he would have enjoyed canoeing.  He loved the challenge of getting places that were off the beaten path.  He would have loved the work and seeing the sights....the middle of nowhere.  It reminds me that I'm a bit like him that way.

I took this photo one morning in Wabakimi.  My hair was really long at that time and each morning I would go to the edge of the water and braid my hair...and wrap it.  Most of our campsites were on these massive granite ridges of the Canadian Shield.  Our canoes would make landfall on these ridges, and on the night of my birthday, we laid out under an incredible moonless sky, watching the Perseides meteor showers...the ridge still warm from the day's sun.    Unforgettable days and moments.  

PS When going through the original photo sequence to locate this one, I realized I took this photo on our last morning.  We were about to pack everything up.   Re-visiting helped me realize an additional detail. 

This is awesome when you're a detail person.