We had such a good time over the long weekend, and I wanted to write about it immediately but I had so much work to catch up on, not to mention adjusting to a new routine with Hayley being home from school. It was so nice to just get away from my laptop and the television and all that, and to just enjoy being in the middle of nowhere. We ended up leaving a day earlier than planned, heading out of here around 5 pm on Saturday so that we ended up arriving up north in the Laurentians by supper time. (Of course supper time ended up being much later than usual, around 8:30, but who cares? That’s vacation!)

Within five minutes of arriving, I had my camera down by the lake. It looked like this. And I was in love.

And five minutes after that, I was down there with my glass of wine for my daily self-portrait that I do for 365Days on Flickr. That’s what I call relaxation.

Although George and Hayley camped out in the tent for two of the three nights, Breanna and I slept in the cabin just because it’s easier that way. I was able to let her sleep on the bed in her sleeping bag and leave the room whereas I wouldn’t have felt comfortable leaving her in the tent by herself. Plus, logistically, the idea of trying to get both girls to fall asleep in the same tent was not appealing. The cabin was great – very rustic and adorable.

Despite the fact that it looks tiny, it actually had three bedrooms in it, as well as a general living area and a small kitchen and bathroom. It did have running water but it came directly from a pump in the lake so it’s not drinkable. I liked the bedroom I chose (I got my pick since we were the only two sleeping inside – everyone else was either in tents or a camper), I could see the lake through the window.

It rained a few times, which was unfortunate, but at least it wasn’t constant. I woke up on Sunday morning to a mammoth downpour in the early hours, but it stopped by breakfast, then got warm and sunny enough to go swimming in the afternoon. I was able to break in my brand new bathing suit, and I got both Hayley and Breanna out in the lake in life jackets.

The guys had all brought up music gear and set up on the back deck to play a bit of live music. It was great! It lasted one and a half songs. Although it was early, just after lunch, and although they weren’t very loud, AND although it was St-Jean-Baptiste weekend, which translates to Party Time in Quebec, one of the neighbors didn’t appreciate the music at all. He came across the lake in a peddle boat, pedaling furiously, one hand on the wheel and one had dramatically clutching his ear, and he snarked about how he came to the country to get away from noise. He claimed it had been going on “all morning” despite the fact that they had only been playing for ten minutes or less. We did have a radio on earlier but it was so low I couldn’t even hear it from the lake’s edge. Some people just like to complain. Too bad.

They ended up moving everything inside and they played a bit in there, before and after supper. Crotchety old grump!

That night I felt like a total rock star. I had gotten the stuff to make s’mores and none of the kids had ever had them before, not even the 7-year-old and 9-year-old who came just for the afternoon and evening. I was appalled and made sure they were introduced to this gourmet feast as soon as possible. I have never in my life had six kids so enraptured by something I was saying or doing as I demonstrated the process. It was met with a lot of delight and I think they’re all fans of s’mores now. Thank you Brownies and Girl Guides – I have retained two things from my years with you: How to make a killer s’mores and how to roll up a sleeping bag so tightly that you can actually fit it back inside the case. That second one came in handy the day we packed up for home.

It rained longer on Monday, but the four kids kept themselves remarkably entertained and we took it easy. Once it stopped, they were outside and we figured it was no big deal if they got wet. They had fun anyway and we just coated them in bug spray since mosquitoes were out in droves, especially post-rain. It didn’t work much, we all came home with a ton of bites but no one cared much.

We left after lunch on Tuesday, getting home around 2 o’clock. We were exhausted but it was a great little getaway. It was the perfect amount of time because the kids were really incredibly wonderful together, but by late Tuesday morning, you could tell they were all getting on each other’s nerves. One more day would have been too much, but this way they got to have a lot of fun playing together and that was great to see.

We ate so well, having grilled burgers, lobster (!), scallops and salmon (!!), great salads, sirloin tip steaks, grilled mushrooms in red wine, grilled squash and asparagus, fresh fruits and vegetables galore, dips, and plenty of red wine. Overall, it was a pretty spectacular menu considering the rustic nature of the area. We did quite well, I’d say.

On Wednesday, Breanna was pretty mad at me because she found a rock in one of the bags and she wanted to go throw it in the water, something we did 734934593223 times a day up there, and she couldn’t quite understand why we couldn’t go back immediately with this new rock. Meanwhile, Hayley’s already asking when we’ll go again. I think that means it was a huge hit.

I’d definitely go again!

(Other photos from the trip are here. I took over 200 photos but managed to bring it down to 25. You’re welcome.)