I had waited much to long for the delivery of my Bell Northwind Canoe. Nine months in fact. Ownership had changed they told me. Problems tracing the paperwork I heard. Production issues they told me. Finally a boat was secured I was told. It had my name on it and was in production.

I had purchased this boat through the company as there was no dealer near me. I finally got the call that a shipment was leaving and that within days I would be the proud owner of a Bell canoe. Wilderness canoe trips were dancing through my head!

When the driver called, he said he was about two hours away. I couldn’t wait. It was 6 pm. The driver called again and said he'd gotten stuck in rush hour traffic so he was 90 minutes away. Finally, I got the call that he was getting off at my exit -- four hours from the first call. Ten minutes later a truck and a trailer pulled up to my home. It was 10 p.m. The trailer was loaded down with boats. The driver got out and said, "See that one all the way up at the top? Tthat one is yours."

"But first, I have a small traditional ritual you’ll have to undergo before getting your boat."

"Hmmm, I thought, what's up now?"

The driver reached into his truck and pulled out a package. In it was a Bell hat, T-shirt and a key chain bottle opener. I thought, ok that’s nice as i put slipped on the shirt and donned the hat.

Lastly he pulled out a well chilled micro brew beer from LaCrosse, Wisconsin and handed it to me with a smile. So there I sat, in my new t-shirt, hat and sipping on a cold one, watching my boat be off-loaded from the trailer.

While Bell's tardiness in getting my boat and the lack of communication from start to delivery had left me a bit sour, rather like sucking on a bushel full of lemons, I have to say the company and driver finished it all off with a serious portion of sugar. Turned my lemons into lemonade.

Don’t call this weekend…I’m off to go paddlin!