That scene may look warm and inviting, but it was actually 5° with a 50 km/h wind blasting in.

It was a cold weekend at the cottage.

It started with a horrific holiday-traffic drive up in torrential rain with a kayak on the roof. Nobody could see the lines on the road farther than about 30-40 metres. In the midst it, we suddenly we hear banging on the roof and have to make an emergency pull off to the shoulder, thinking that a tie-down or rack had come loose. One of the kayak’s thighstraps–nothing to do with the tiedowns–lost a bolt, and the strap was just flapping and banging. A relief and an easy fix, if it weren’t on the driver’s side while cars are passing at 100km/h in low traction and visibility. Ah, my friend adrenaline.

The rest of the weekend was somewhat less stressful. The Weather Network let us down, so nobody brought clothes warm enough for the sudden drop in temperature and harsh wind. And no outside chores got done. But we snacked and chatted and ate and chatted and desserted. Searched for a suspicious cottage leak, to no avail. Good cottage stuff.

In the end, our family unit got what needed-to-be-done done. We got the kayak out of the backyard, the first step in making it not a moon crater. Made a very successful little sidetrip to advance what we shall dub “Operation Composure”.

In the end, just a lazy weekend at the cottage.