On Saturday morning, S and I packed up the car and took a drive to cottage country to spend the weekend with his family.
Cottages are really popular in Ontario. Starting in May, usually around Victoria Day, the main highway heading north out of the city fills with streams of cars packed to the gills with people and stuff each Friday.
I didn't really understand the appeal for the longest time. Partly because I've lived in rural Ontario for most of my time here and partly because I'd never been to a real cottage.
The first time I went to Muskoka, though, I got it. Beautiful scenery. Cozy little cottages. Friends and family, fishing, swimming, reading, playing games, and simply doing nothing. La dolce far niente Canadian style.
We got to Bala early in the afternoon and, after some hellos and a quick hot dog, we basically beelined it to the dock. It was a gorgeous, quiet, warm day and both of us immediately decompressed.
We spent the rest of the day spending time with everyone, laughing and catching up, reading, fishing off of the dock, and eating lots.
When the sun started to set, we walked to the point and were treated to a gorgeous sunset. It felt like we had the whole river to ourselves. It was a perfect way to end the day.
The next morning, we all sat on the deck and drank coffee while watching fish jump in the river. A huge crane swooped by and landed on a nearby bank. He waited patiently and then dove into the water for some breakfast. We decided to follow suit and had a small feast before I ran back down to the dock to do some more reading.
It was another beautiful, almost cloudless, warm day. I laid down to do some reading but nearly fell asleep as the wake from the boats gently rocked the dock.
I think we all wanted to stay longer, but S and I had to get on the road before traffic got too bad. The whole weekend was just what we needed: family, fun, warmth, water, nature, total relaxation.
Hello, summer! We're so happy you're here.