Flying in a Float Plane

Morning Mass each day at 9:30 at St. Mary of the Assumption puts one in touch with the devoted faithful who love to take part as often as possible in the daily Eucharist.

One day, a parishioner asked if I'd like to take a plane ride around the neighbourhood, see the cottage where I'm staying from the air? I suggested Thursday or Friday if that fitted my sister Marion and brother-in-law John's other engagements. He said we needn't drive anywhere as he would drop in at the South Portage marina to pick us up.

Ted Dodds is a retired Air Canada pilot who has loved flying his 50-year old Cessna, particularly the chances he's had to fly northern bishops to their far-flung communities (Archbishop Peter Sutton, OMI, emeritus of Keewatin-LePas; his successor, Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie, OMI; and Bishop Douglas Crosby, OMI, when he had responsibilty for the Labrador City-Schefferville territory, which was enormous in size--he is now the bishop of the slightly reduced territory of Corner Brook-Labrador, NL). Now he's added a Jesuit ordinary of a territorially-small archdiocese.

We had a grand time flying over a beautiful part of the Muskokas as may be seen in the following pix:

Captain Dodds (as his cap shows, a proud member of the Knights of Columbus) and John Bayfield

The Bayfields, Marion and John

Spectacular view of Muskoka #1

Spectacular view of Muskoka #2 WOW!

Back on "terra firma", we pause for the official photo

Heading back home, on the other side of Lake of Bays ... Thanks, captain!