Yesterday I came home from work to find my wife in the kitchen baking pies for an event at church yesterday evening. We'd had company on Sunday, and the kitchen table had, for the first time in many months, been cleared of all the old mail and reading material that accumulates there. Sitting on the table were two wine glasses and a bottle of wine. I asked my wife what the wine glasses were for. She replied that we had something to celebrate and asked if I knew what it was. I likely got this panicked look on my face, wondering what event I had forgotten. She told me to check the answering machine.
On the answering machine was a message from Jamie Strader who works at the Great Camp Sagamore near Raquette Lake in the Adirondacks. We had been there in June of 05 for the last No Octane Regatta put on by the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake. While staying at the camp, I was admiring a beautiful new wood canvas canoe that had been built by the gentleman who runs the boat building school at the camp. They were raffling it off to raise money to support the camp. I bought a ticket and had long since forgotten about it. Jamie was calling to tell me that I was the lucky winner!!!
Later that evening I told one of my friends that for the first time in my life I had one something. His reply was "Did you hit the lottery?" I said, no, this was even better than that! What's money compared to a beautiful new wood canvas canoe??? Of all the times I've bought tickets to support worthy organizations, I've never won anything, let alone something I really wanted.
I'm still recovering from the shock. It so happens that next week we have a trip to Syracuse planned to visit our kids and grandkids there. I expect we'll be picking it up then. I'll post pictures as soon as available.
On the answering machine was a message from Jamie Strader who works at the Great Camp Sagamore near Raquette Lake in the Adirondacks. We had been there in June of 05 for the last No Octane Regatta put on by the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake. While staying at the camp, I was admiring a beautiful new wood canvas canoe that had been built by the gentleman who runs the boat building school at the camp. They were raffling it off to raise money to support the camp. I bought a ticket and had long since forgotten about it. Jamie was calling to tell me that I was the lucky winner!!!
Later that evening I told one of my friends that for the first time in my life I had one something. His reply was "Did you hit the lottery?" I said, no, this was even better than that! What's money compared to a beautiful new wood canvas canoe??? Of all the times I've bought tickets to support worthy organizations, I've never won anything, let alone something I really wanted.
I'm still recovering from the shock. It so happens that next week we have a trip to Syracuse planned to visit our kids and grandkids there. I expect we'll be picking it up then. I'll post pictures as soon as available.
