North Country

Every year, a very good friend of mine invites moi, and two other very good friends of mine up to her cottage for a weekend. It is always lovely, and I appreciate her continued willingness to host us, despite our somewhat destructive tendencies (oops, sorry cooler).

This year though, I have come to realize that a little bit of crazy goes a long way. There's crazy, and then there is Crazy!, and when you are Crazy!(capital C, exclamation mark), you've crossed a line, and probably annoyed 3 people in the process.

So Crazy! might not be joining the rest of us at the cottage next year, and honestly, I'm a-ok with that.

Cause you see. The cottage is about relaxing and chillin. There is nothing else to do there! You have to go with the flow, and know that, for most people, cottage time=time to relax, destress, and to just do whatever they want to do. Making it any more complicated than that is just silly.

Life up there is just slower, people seem to enjoy it more. People wave at every car that passes, regardless if they know the passengers or not. People gather at the dump to watch families of bears scavenge through the garbage, because bears are cool. Wild bears (which I have yet to see at the cottage...maybe next year?) are amazing. And if some old guy with a pipe wants to sit in a lawn chair with his telephoto lens, in anticipation of bear action, then that's cool! It's chill man, it's chill.

Sometimes the cottage life really appeals to me. "I could stay here all summer", I think to myself, "I would just read, and float and swim, and read. Fanfreakingtastic". And it would be. Everything just seems 10 times simpler up there. Maybe it's because the air is crisper and cleaner, but I think it more has to do with every body's attitude-slow it down.

I only get up there one weekend a year, and every year, when the weekend is over, I find myself wishing I was still there. I get back here, and there are cars rushing everywhere, I can't see the stars, I can't hear the lake, and I just can't help but think, "oh, I'd give anything to be back there". It's never long enough, although at points this year it did seem like it was a little too long! I guess that is the way it is with any little vacation or getaway. While you are away, you miss home like crazy, but when you get back, you long for a change of scenery and adventure of some sort. I guess that is just the way it is...for me at least.

And without further adieu, the beauty of our lovely province: