Off to Papineau Lake

So pretty early on Thursday I get this email from my friend Sue which pretty much says something like this ... sorry for the short notice but do you want to come to the cottage this weekend? I ponder for all of two minutes and think that either I can stay home, go biking, do laundry, ironing and other chores, read up on Madrid and generally lay low OR I could get in a car, head to a cottage, catch some rays and relax with (knowing Sue) a cold drink and generally melt away any stress and anxiety in my life. And the little traveller in me truly just wants to get into a car and put some miles between reality and fantasy. So within a few minutes I email her back to tell her that the answer was a big yes. Nothing like being spontaneous and jumping in with both feet, I say!!

So after a busy week at the office, I rush home and throw some clothes and such in a bag and off to Sue's I go. At one point, I realized that I had asked very little questions so I really did not know what I had gotten myself into. But knowing Sue, I figured that she would not take me to some hell hole and make me suffer for two straight days. As we headed out, I nonchalantly asked Sue ... so where is it exactly that I am going? She laughed and proceeded to tell me about how this cottage had been in her family for years and that she had essentially been going there throughout her whole life. Her mom was there for the summer and some of her extended family had a cottage on the same lake.

The ride took about three hours and Sue played tour guide on the way pointing out lakes (pretty much like my mother would do except my mother points out fields!). At one point we stop by this church in Wilno, the first Polish settlement in Canada. This area had been visited by the Pope ... logical once you know that it was the first Polish settlement. So we stop the car in front of this church and Sue and her daughter (who had a friend along with her) bolt out of the car, throw their shoes off and proceed to run up the long flight of stairs in front of this church. I stand there puzzled and basically Sue is yelling that this is the obligatory "fire drill" and that I have to do it barefoot. Mmmm what an odd little family so the flip flops come off and I go bolting up the stairs yelling ... I didn't know that this is what I signed up for ...

So the "fire drill" is Sue's way of saying that we need to get out of the car and stretch our legs ... duly noted!

As we neared our destination, Sue's sister-in-law was texting us that she was getting our girlie drinks ready ... mmm I like her already. Lo and behold, we get there and Karis opens the door with two drinks in hand ... heaven ... some rhum with a hint of colouring from the pineapple juice. So we stayed at Karis' place for a little bit and headed to Sue's cottage. We unpacked the car and she showed me around the cottage and then we went down to the dock to see the water. It was quite dark by then so you could see the stars so clearly. I was just so amazing. You realize how much the light pollution of the city ruins that beautiful sight for us city folk! There were also fireflies which I had not seen since my parents had rented a cottage when I was five years old. Quite magical.

As we headed back up towards the cottage, Sue is directing me because it is extremely dark down there and of course, I have never been there. Being the ultimate klutz that I am, I step on a rock which tilted forward (the flip flops did not help!!) and I went flying. At this point, I am the proud owner of a scrapped knee and what would eventually become a beautiful purple bruise. No worries, only a minor setback ... the weekend is still young.

I love sleeping out in the country. The room is pitch black, I was tuckered out from the long week and drive and the air is just so crisp and clean. Needless to say that I slept like a log. I woke up pretty early and joined Sue and her mom Lois in the front room and then on the deck. We had tea and then breakfast of bacon and eggs ... such a rare thing for me ... bacon!! We threw on the bathing suits and after a bit of puttering around the house (which means that Sue cleaned out the rain gutters while I was walking around eating strawberries from the ground and taking pictures of anything and everything). Karis then dropped by with the Seadoo so Sue and I hopped on and went off with her. I had never been on a Seadoo before and for some reason thought that they were scary but not at all. That was way too much fun.

After some hanging around, having a couple of drinks and just generally relaxing, Sue and I hopped into one of the boats with three of the kids on the tube. They were having just a blast on that thing. So on the way back, I decided that I need to have a go at it. Not much of a daredevil but I had to at least say that I had tried. So much fun and easier than I thought. Granted, Sue probably took it easy on me but still, I survived. We had supper of burgers, salads and roasted potatoes and just hung out and chatted. After a full day of being outside, it did not take long to fall asleep and again just sleep like a log.

On the Sunday, again woke up relatively early and the routine of breakfast, throwing on the bikini and the general laziness resumed. Sue and I hopped in the small boat and headed to Karis' place so that we could borrow her Seadoo. I love that thing .... we toured around the lake and saw the "rock" where the kids go and jump off, a few beaches and the cottages around the lake. At times we would just putter around as Sue was telling me stories of things or places that she had been to when she was younger and at other times we just went for it. I loved the feeling of skipping or bouncing on the water. I then spent the rest of the afternoon just relaxing, reading, catching some rays and being quite mellow. After a couple of glasses of red wine, smoked salmon and baguette, we packed up the car and made our way home. For the entertainment portion of the drive, we drove through Renfrew where the locals are ... well they're something! One guy was out walking his iguana on a leash!!!

So all in all an amazing relaxing and yet adventurous weekend.

The photos can be found at www.pbase.com/carfour/cottage

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