Yes, I have the right picture! When we moved here this area was a big sand dune — a perfect place to have big bonfires.
And we had BIG bonfires! Family groups, church groups, just ourselves — we burned all of the tree branches from out woodlot. We loved our bonfires. In fact, some say that an alternate spelling of pyromaniac is b-o-y-l-e …
Fire is very useful to the jack pine forest. The heat bursts open the pine cones and reseeds the bush. Thus, over the years, the bonfire dune has turned into the lovely new grove that you see above.
Growing up on a farm, we learned that gasoline is an excellent aid to starting bonfires — DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!!
Our most memorable bonfire occurred on July 19, 1999. That was two days after Mike Boyle married Gayleen Boyle. They actually interrupted their honeymoon to be there! That was because Mike wanted to shoot a flaming arrow to start the fire. The stack of branches was high. A sufficient amount of gasoline was used to ensure Mike had a target. All was ready.
Then the groomsmen encountered difficulties getting the arrow to ignite. After some delay for adjustments, it was ready to do. Mike commented: “I hope I don’t miss” and fired. We did not realize how difficult it would be for him to miss! The very warm evening, coupled with the delay, ensured that the gasoline fumes had spread. The arrow landed. There was a terrific woooosh up the centre, followed by two billows of flames that rolled out in the direction of the assembled spectators. The fire stopped about 10 feet short of the people. But it caused some excitement.
At that point Mike Boyle exclaimed: “That’s the most fun that I’ve had all weekend!” (Gayleen Boyle, THANK YOU FOR FORGIVING HIM, we like having you around!)
(First Posted on Facebook in 2016)