TWO YEARS NEXT WEEK

Discovering the beautiful resort beach on our first night in Mazatlán Sinaloa
TAKEN: NOVEMBER 2019

It’s that time of year again, where the clocks fall back, and I fall into a six week struggle to stay awake during the day and get a good sleep at night. As a result, my day in my home office starts a half hour early, so I can tour around the Trip Central website; dreaming I will find a February deal.

It is hard to believe it has been exactly two years next week since I snapped the pic I am sharing. 

Less than three months after this photo was taken, we were both so ill it was mind blowing, with nothing but speculation as to why. Then, in March of 2020 lockdown began. 

Well, for the second time in less than two years, we both spent the last three weeks getting over what we suspected we had nineteen months previously. Except this time around we could test ourselves to confirm what in January 2020 we could not. 

On the mend with days getting shorter, once again we rally to finish out the cottage season and close it down. The final five boards will be attached to the new deck Saturday morning and Sunday morning we will shut water off and head up the hill.

Every year I hope we will get to hike and haul everything in for a couple of nights over Christmas, but that hasn't happened since the extremely mild December of 2014 - so the expectation it will happen is low - yet my fingers are crossed.

The upcoming 2023 presents a big milestone wedding anniversary in June for us which we began discussing on our drive to and from the Outer Banks. But prices are just too extreme at this juncture to make any decisions. 

Though we've always set a certain amount of money aside every week to travel, with uncertainty in the economy and costs where there are now, I can't see us crossing the pond nor taking an Alaskan cruise (which has my husbands' vote).

Instead, I imagine I will keep dreaming of finding a great travel deal, then hire an excavator to put a new driveway in at the cottage... and together he and I will properly rebuild those shitty fifty-five stairs and associated landings.

Happy Anniversary to us!

OUTER BANKS PAW PATROL

Miya waiting patiently, as my Annie checks out who is on their way to the beach.
TAKEN: OCTOBER 13th, 2022

My hubby, fur-babies n' me, traveled thousands of miles to the Outer Banks of North Carolina the week of Canadian Thanksgiving. 

Of the hundreds of photos I snapped, for so many reasons, the one I am sharing is a favourite.

Extremely candid and a tad dark and stormy, this is us embracing our last morning before heading toward the Chesapeake Bay crossing to Ocean City Maryland on our way back to Canada.

I have said it before, and I will say it again, that I don’t think we are conventional travelers. When neither of our sons could stay with the girls in October, we immediately planned something where the pups could come with, which presented its own challenges. 

Not only is it difficult to find pet friendly hotels along the interstate where you need them, it is very expensive to travel with four legged companions; but in the end, well worth it.

Yes, we rented a large oceanfront house for just us and the girls. It is what we could afford and we loved it. We would return in a heartbeat.

When I listen to some talk of their experiences, it’s always in a tone of how much it cost, or how exclusive it was. We don’t worry about either – simply ask ourselves one question – does it work out best for us without breaking the bank?!

Mid life has taught us both that we are in competition with no one.  We have no desire to play games and lead people to believe we are better than anyone else. Our personal philosophies are simple. We wake up every morning and try to be good people. 

That said, embracing that mindset has had some take advantage of the both of us. 

Though my husband is quick to point out the obvious, I generally choose to help where we can, in turn expecting respect.  For me personally, it took me a lot of years to understand that in order to fully embrace my own self-worth, I needed to let go of those that didn’t value me.

As a hard working goal oriented person, some of those shifts in life have been the most wide awakening journeys of all.

...But that is definitely another post.

SOME GENERAL (LABOUR) HUMOUR

What a great weekend to rebuild a deck. 
(Pleased to report I didn't get yelled at, not even when I told him he was wrong!)
TAKEN: OCTOBER 23, 2022

When we bought the cottage some twenty years ago, we had no idea how much work and expense would accompany the purchase. 

Granted, we didn’t pay a million bucks for the thing, but once you make your payments, keep the heat and lights on, pay the insurance and taxes, there was never thousand dollar bills lying around. 

Though the building is structurally sound, for the last few summers exterior deck boards were replaced when we knew that what we really needed to do was tear down them off, level and rebuild them. We redid our main living area section last spring, and today we tackled the lakeside deck off the kitchen.

Now, the first thing I will say is that neither of us had any ambition for our task at hand, and we admitted that to the other heading into the cottage early yesterday morning. 

As we pulled in the driveway, we acknowledged we'd probably need a wheelchair to get to work Monday morn, and I had only one request of my husband which was simply…. “Please don’t yell at me.” 

That said, I think we work really well together as a team. I feel I am an above average general labourer and can wield a hammer, cordless drill, measuring tape and level as good as the next helper. 

All well and good there, but when we team up, my site foreman tends to have a specific issue with me. 

You see, I am forever questioning his math. Partially because the rule of thumb is that you should measure twice and cut once, and my crew chief tends to measure once and cuss twice; I mean cut twice.

Informed by the boss we had just the right amount of material for this weekends project, double checking measurements began right out of the gate and we never had a single mishap. He never raised his voice or per the norm, never told me to ‘go to hell,’ not even once.

After six hours of layout and levelling yesterday and five hours of hard assembly labour today, all that is left to do is screw nail the top deck boards in place. 

As he naps and I type, I will admit that I always try to learn from every project we do together. 

This weekend I learned that a 4” ardox nail is not your friend if you don’t have a framing hammer, and moving forward, maybe I should be the one that doing the material takeoffs.

Not because I want to - but the boss man was five deck boards short, and we ran out of nails.

Ah, the power of this keyboard as he sleeps.... 

He’s not going to know he is truly entitled to tell me to ‘go to hell’ unless he actually reads this!!

Ya Gotta Laugh About It

SWEET DREAMS OF CAIRO

This photo is worth more than a hundred thousand words.
It genuinely exudes my love for her.
Caroline (Caï) Perrault (née Marceau)
TAKEN in: MATTAWA ONTARIO 1983

There is no other way to share this, other than to say that my Auntie Cai was unequivocally one of the most amazing people I have ever met in my entire life, and today I had to say goodbye. She was 89.

Growing up, my aunt was a beloved mother of her four children whom she cherished. 

And, as silly as this may be read, I have always thought of myself as her fifth. Then, this afternoon, I realized that those of us that thought our ourselves as her special extra 'plus one' were in the hundreds. 

A well respected teacher for more than four decades, she guided yours truly, as well as all of her students like the great beacon she was.  

Growing up, no matter what I had happening in my life, my aunt was always an anchor for me. Providing unconditional inspiration and endless encouragement, not to mention a calm wisdom to the somewhat harsh realities that surrounded me.

In my formative years, my summers on Lake Temiscaming were most memorable when my cousins (whom I truly deem siblings) were at the camp next door. 

I remember the first grand-baby shower, I remember the first big job offer, and most importantly their guys embracing my now husband as one of their own from the time I brought him around. Most of all, I remember how being in their company, felt like I was home.

That said, just like many, we see most family members at weddings and funerals. 

As we gathered after mass today to celebrate her life, I asked the quorum around me how she ended up being called Cai, where her first name was Caroline?

My cousin Tootsie answered immediately. "When she was my teacher, she told us that she always talked constantly about how she wanted to visit Cairo, the largest city in Egypt.” The nickname stuck.

As I share a picture of she and I, my eyes fill with tears. Damn, this pretty lady literally made a difference in my life!

Rest easy and sweet dreams my love. You definitely helped mould me into the person I am today. You will be loved and missed forever by all who had the pleasure to meet and know you.

Don’t forget to say hi to mom, dad, uncle Vic, and all the others in your company. Bring them up to speed about what we've been up to. 

Please let them all know... We will always miss them too. xoxo 

RHONDI AND RODANTHE

Got up to let the pups out this morn, flicked several light switches on and off to ensure there wasn’t a resident skunk passing through; when the harsh reality set in. 

As I stepped onto the back deck I cursed aloud at the pitch-black sky. By the glow of the exterior lights, I could see my breath. With both angst and authority, "FECK" (inserting a different vowel) was all I said.

This is the time of year where I cherish every single ray of light until the time change. I really do love Fall but absolutely hate the short days and long nights that remain when the beauty expires.

Pre-pandemic, the status quo had us hop a late November plane to a sunny destination and regroup in the vitamin D department. This year, respecting my husband’s health and not wanting to venture too far from our health care system, we decided it would be the year of the road trip.

A series of shorter long weekend jaunts to destinations we’ve always wanted to go at least once. Using fewer vacation days, essentially experiencing more.

Top: Miami, via Islamorda, to Key West FLA
Bottom: First stop Bethel NY, then to Woodstock NY for the Midnight Ramble
TAKEN: APRIL & JULY 2022

April was a mid week flight into Miami then we hit the road to Key West. July felt like we were in the summer of ’69 when we landed in Bethel New York (the site of where the Woodstock Festival was held) then headed to the town of Woodstock to celebrate the life of Levon Helm and my husband’s favourite group - The Band.

We have two left before the year is out and our next one is planned for the week of Canadian Thanksgiving. Much farther in distance, this time we are taking the pups. We have rented a house on the ocean and will spend the week embracing the dunes and beautiful scenery of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. 

From the OBX 4x4 highway in Corolla to see the wild horses along the beach, to the ferry ride to cross to the southern banks at Ocracoke, to a simple photo op at the house used as a movie set (Night in Rodanthe - starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane) in Hatteras.

I am truly grateful my chauffeur has the same sense of Wanderlust as I. 

We are always on the same page when it comes to jamming as much as possible into any given day.  So much so that when we hit the hay, at the end of the day, we know we have given it 120% in the experience department.

For the most part, we both agree that resort trips are a thing of the past. In, are us exploring the areas where we can see ourselves spending our winters as snowbirds.

We haven't decided exactly where our two weeks at Christmas will take us with our fur babies. What I do know, is that no matter where the four of us land, we're going to have a blast. Simply because... 

That's how we roll!!

A TIME TO HEAL

We attended a beautiful celebration of life memorial yesterday. You can't imagine the shockwaves that roared, when he died suddenly and very unexpectedly last fall. 

It was a loving service for a young coworker of my husband’s that will hopefully bring some sort of high level of closure to his immediate family; whom are devastated. 

Rest in Peace Dennis....
TAKEN: SEPTEMBER 10th, 2022

My husband has been very close with both of his parents for years, as he and the lad’s dad had also been coworkers since my guy joined the company (when he was fifteen years of age) and they worked together right up until a couple of years ago, when John retired.

Like most, I never look forward to occasions like these. Primarily because I have deep personal struggles when it comes to processing a death. I’m not sure why, but my inner thoughts are because I have seen so much of it over the years.

Just like weddings, funerals are that similar occasion where you come back in touch with so many you never see on a regular basis.  As weird as this may read, yesterday was one of those days when you were grateful we are able to hug again.

One fella, who I have known for decades, I hadn’t seen in over a decade. Though my husband sees him once a week, it took an occasion like we attended yesterday for us to reconnect.

Others, though we know of the other on some level but have no real connection, reacted to each other with profound respect of each, in hope of helping John and Brenda heal.

Goodbye for now Dennis. Sleep well…. You are truly missed.

PS: Say hello to Smartie for me. 

PSS: He'll be the one making everyone around him smile. xo

A LABOUR OF LOVE

 Nothing will work unless you do. ~ Maya Angelou

A dark 9pm. Embracing the annual tradition of listening to Rock95
TAKEN: SEPTEMBER 4th, 2022

When I took this lakeside photo Sunday night at dusk, I can confirm that I was generally feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. In one word - thankful.

In disclosing that, you would have no idea that my legs, butt, lower back, and shoulders were aching like hell from dragging felled trees down the hill all day then burning them,  producing the glowing bed of coals seen here.

Summers have changed for us on Orillia Lake over these the last twenty years.

Gone are the days of diving off the dock a midnight in the hope a neighbours' flashlight doesn’t catch a glimpse. Here are the days where I walk the property wearing steel spiked shoes for the fear I will fall and break a hip.

For the first time in long weekend memory, I cleaned the cottage and we came home. 

Not because it wasn't going to be another great day, I just couldn't bring myself to work the land any longer.

So, we packed up, my hubby made a yummy dinner... and I curled up, feeding my squirrel friends on the deck, appreciating that I have the best of both worlds.

#feelingblessed