When they were handing out that essential Maine trait of being “handy,” I’m sorry to report, I apparently slept late and missed out on my lifetime allotment.

Handy, I’m not. Not even close.

Most of the time, that’s fine. Until something breaks, or needs to be built … or until I meet guys like Rich Rossignol and Mike Thibodeau.

Over the weekend I spent two great days of ice fishing with Rossignol, a Madawaska insurance agent, and Thibodeau, who hails from Frenchville and works at Fraser Papers in Madawaska.

Both are avid ice anglers, I quickly found out. The more time I spent on the frozen surface of Long Lake, the more I realized that both were also at the front of the handy line (while I was still snoozing).

Ice shacks are havens for the handy, you see.

And when you look at a guy’s ice fishing abode, you can tell a lot about their particular talents.

Take my shack, for instance: It’s a Madawaska original, with all kinds of handy features that were added after the great Long Lake fire of 1997 … or was it ’98?

You may not have heard about that fire, which resulted when an equally avid angler (and very handy guy whose daughter I happened to be dating at the time) made a small mistake and hung his Coleman lantern next to a full can of auger gas.

Those who were there assure me that the resulting conflagration was quite spectacular. It left my future shack charred beyond repair.

Beyond repair for me, that is.

For a handy guy like the guy who gave it to me as a Christmas gift? Child’s play.

Handy people adapt. And handy ice anglers turn misfortune into opportunity.

Just ask Rossignol.

On the front of his 8-by-10 ice cabin is a seven-foot-long (by 18-inch-tall) window that he added after finding he couldn’t see all of his flags through the original porthole.

“We started out with some real small windows and it didn’t let too much light in,” Rossignol said. “I decided it would be easier to see the flags if we had a big, panoramic window.”

All it took was a couple handy guys and a plan, and the panoramic window was in place.

But sometimes (like when your shack burns down) your real handiness isn’t truly apparent until it has to be tested.

On the other side of Rossignol’s shack is another large window. Not panoramic, perhaps, but big enough.

And it was a mistake.

“We were moving around my cabin with my tractor and I put my bucket through it, so I decided it was a good place to put another window,” Rossignol said.

Even a well-built ice shack has a few vulnerable spots, you see.

Rossignol found his the hard way … by crashing his tractor into it.

“[The blade] goes through that tin just like butter,” he said with a laugh.

Thibodeau’s ice shack is bigger, and actually has bunks and a gas range … and a portable toilet … and a gun rack … and a TV.

All by design.

It all began when he and Rossignol started brainstorming and planning to build a camper that they could haul into the woods for hunting and fishing trips.

Eventually, that camper ended up on 13-inch-wide skis (which they also built) and makes a comfy ice fishing camp.

“Richie’s always game for a try like that,” Thibodeau said. “He says, ‘Yeah. Yeah. Let’s do that!'”

Eventually, those plans ferment and a combination hunting camp/ice shack is born.

If, that is, you’re handy enough to make those dreams a reality.

Old Town hosts Paddle Palooza

Old Canoe Company and the Old Town-Orono YMCA have teamed up to offer a two-day family event that promises to be lots of fun.

Called “Paddle Palooza,” the event will combine a canoe, kayak and accessory sale by Old Town Canoe with plenty of popular YMCA offerings.

Paddle Palooza will be held this weekend, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday and from 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

The YMCA says the event will be a “celebration of fun and fitness,” as participants will not only have the chance to learn about paddle sports, but take part in a variety of regular Y activities.

Admission is free for the event, and Saturday the YMCA will offer free fitness classes throughout the day. In addition, the racquetball courts, climbing gym and skate park will be open to the public, a youth basketball tourney will be held in the gym, and a number of paddling demonstrations will be held.

“The excellent facilities at the YMCA are a perfect place for us to offer free instructional seminars and actually let people paddle our wide range of boats in the middle of winter,” said Old Town Canoe’s retail sales manager Lloyd Hall in a news release. “In addition to the seminars and huge sale, we will also be showcasing some of our brand new for 2007 boat models.”

Karen Francoeur, a Master Maine Sea Kayak Guide, will be providing two free seminars: “The Right Boat for the Right Conditions” and “Fluid Kayak Techniques.”

Jill Nitardi, the executive director of the Old Town-Orono YMCA said teaming up with Old Town Canoe will produce a fun midwinter event for all.

“By partnering with Old Town Canoe in creating this event, we are able to provide a fun and healthy winter weekend for area residents,” Nitardi said. “This is a nice opportunity for us to show off our first-rate programs, facilities and staff.”

For more information about Paddle Palooza, call the event hotline at 817-8697.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.