I have to apologize.  I’ve been very inconsistent with my blogging.  The reason? I’ve started working full time in a new marketing position.  While I love what I’m doing, it’s left very little time for anything else, that is after I spend some time with my children, walk the dog and organize our house.

My radical lifestyle change is also going to impact my vacation time. I’ve gone from 52 weeks of holidays a year, down to four weeks.  In term of cottage time, I’m likely only going to be spending long weekends and maybe two weeks a year at the cabin, if I’m lucky.

I realize this is what most people have to contend with, but I’ve had it really good.  Spending most of August at the cabin was a pretty great gig.  Holiday time has now become a very precious commodity.  No matter how you slice it, when I get time off there’s no place I’d rather be than behind the boat wakeboarding.

How ’bout you?  How much time do you get off and what do you do?

Cheers,

Julie

The September sun is beating down as I navigate the boat towards the launch.  The spray coming off the waves is warm, not the shocking cold, I’ve come to expect.  The lake is busy with other boaters pulling tubes and skiers. ‘This is all wrong,’ I think to myself, ‘we should be going wakeboarding, not pulling the boat out for the season.’

September is arguably one of the nicest months to be at the cabin, at least that’s what I’ve been told from our neighbours.  I have yet to experience this warm weather phenomenon.  Once the kids are back in school, our lives become immersed in mainland activities: piano lessons, choir and later skiing.

Normally our close-up weekend is tied into an early annual Thanksgiving dinner with our cottage neighbours, but the timing doesn’t work out for us this year, so we decided to close up the cabin while the weather was still nice.  Big mistake.

It’s hard to put away the toys when it’s still daylight - sunlight in fact.  Taking the ladder off the dock means no more swimming.  And then there’s the dock.  Brand new and floating upright. It’s already for the mooring whips.  The new floats mean more people at happy hour or at least drier feet.   “This just seems all wrong,” I say to Bill.  “The weather is so nice.  The cottage is all fixed up and we barely got a chance to enjoy it.”  He agrees.

The truth is, and this happens every year, I’m not ready to say good bye to summer - the parties, the swimming, the campfires and especially the toys.  It’s like Peter Pan returning from never-never land.  I have to grow up and assume my adult responsibilities.  The schedule, the routine and this year a new job.

I wonder if the neighbours would mind if I started a fire in the back yard and roasted some marshmallows - just for old times sake?

Cheers,

Julie

The first day of school is my January 1st. I really think the Jewish folks got it right with Rosh Hashanah. The fall, not the wiinter or January 1st, feels like the start of a new year. This is when I usually get:

• new clothes
• new shoes
• new routine
• new season

While the summer is a time to kick back and relax, the fall brings a renewed sense of energy and purpose. One of things we always do this time of year is to sit down and do our annual budget for the year. We tend to be backward planners. It goes something like this: the Visa bill arrives and we go, “Holy cow! Why is it so big? Where did we spend all that money?”

Summer is also a relaxed time for spending money. For us, having a second home means increased expenses especially travel expenses. Boat fuel, driving to the cabin and the ferry fees are the main culprits. While gas appears to be coming down, we we’re filling up at $1.40 a litre. The assured loading card which cost $850 a year ago is now $1,300 and is rumoured to be increasing again.

And then there are the cottage improvement expenses like the new dock. The total cost to re-float the dock and build the extension amounted to just under $4,000. Ouch. Thank goodness the labour was free - well almost. Bill did drink more beer that week.

The one thing that’s really important for all cottagers is to keep really good records of your cottage improvements. The new dock enhances the capital value of our property, therefor we can use it offset any capitals gains (if there are any) when we decide to dispose of it.

The majority of capital improvements on a cottage or new property occur within the first four years of ownership, so it is really important to keep your receipts. We have a binder we throw everything into. It’s not pretty, but at least it’s all in one place. Ten or 20 years from now, I will be hard pressed to remember where I parked my car, let alone when or what we did to the cabin.

It was decided at this year’s annual budget meeting that we’ve finished all our big projects. Ironically it’s been four years since we bought the cabin. While there might be a little bit of yard work to do and some paint touch-ups, the cabin is pretty much going to stay the way it is until the next generation takes over. At least I hope.

What did you do to your cottage or cabin this year?

Cheers,

Julie

I’m expecting Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Popeye and Olive Oil for potluck dinner on Saturday night. Batman and the Hulk may also show up. It’s our annual year-end summer bash at the lake and we usually go out with a bang.

This year’s theme, “Super Heroes,” promises to be an interesting night. I’ve learned since we first bought our cabin, that the cottagers take this event very seriously. We failed to dress up for our inaugural party, “Mexican night” and were put to great shame with our lack of effort. We’ve since made up for it.

Two years ago, I was Julia Roberts and Jackie Chan was my date, as we celebrated a night at the Oscars - see above photo. Yes, we’re standing on a red carpet.

The evening commences with an extended happy hour followed by an amazing potluck dinner. After that, and of course some libations, things get really interesting. We’ve an added surprise for this year’s party where the super heroes will have to perform. That’s all I’m saying, but look for the photos on Monday.

Part of the hosts’ job is to also come up with some prizes. Our goal was to keep them under $2 - something we managed to do thanks to the Superstore. With all the details neatly tucked away, we are now scrambling to get our own costumes together - this is proving the hardest part.

Any suggestions???

Cheers,

Julie

Getting ready to head to the cabin, especially for a long weekend, requires planning and precision packing.

I was always impressed by my Aunt Helen who worked all week, come home Friday night and turned around and headed off to the lake. She not only brought home the bacon, she cooked and packed it too.

Due to the remoteness of our lake, food requires careful planning, otherwise we’ll end up eating hot dogs and potato chips all weekend. That actually would be Bill’s ideal food weekend, but I like a little more variety. If you’re scrambling for food ideas here’s what I’ve planned for our weekend:

Menu Ideas

Saturday

• Costco Kettle Ribs (pre-made just have to re-heat)
• steamed baby potatoes drizzled with fresh dill and butter
• corn-on-the-cob

Sunday

• Roast Beef marinated in oyster sauce cooked with baby potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips
• Wild Blueberry crisp (re-printed from Penny’s Blog www.cottagelife.com)
• Wild Blueberry CrispFilling:
  5 cups (750 g) wild blueberries (1.25 L)
  1/4 cup (50 g) sugar (60 ml)
  1/2 tsp grated lemon rind (2.5 ml)
  1 cup (2 medium) diced peeled apples (250 ml)Crisp:
  1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar (125 ml)
  2 tsp cinnamon (10 ml)
  1 tsp nutmeg (5 ml)
  1/2 cup (65 g) white flour (125 ml)
  1/2 cup (65 g) chopped pecans (optional) (125 ml)
  1/2 cup (50 g) rolled oats (125 ml)
  1/4 lb (115 g) butter (60 ml)Preheat oven to 325°F/165°C. In a small bowl, combine wild blueberries, sugar, lemon rind, and apples. Mix well and place in a well-buttered 8″ x 8″ x 2″ (20 x 20 x 5 cm) pan. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, pecans, and oats. Rub in the butter with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread evenly over the wild blueberry mixture. Bake 45 minutes or until the crust is brown.

Monday

• Pasta with grilled sausages - I use smokies, or Freybe’s Turkey and Sun Died Tomato, or something spicy
• ( dice and saute one sweet onion, salt, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 - 3 pounds of fresh diced tomatoes, dash of red pepper flakes heat all the ingredients for 5 to 8 minutes add cooked chopped sausages and serve on a bed of linguine topped with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese)
• Caesar salad

With the food out of the way I can now turn my attention to packing. Here’s my cottage check-list:

• Clean Linens (usually stored in a garbage bag)
• Dog food and leash
• XM Satellite Player
• DVD Player and DVD’s
• Laptop and camera
• Clothes, shoes, coats
• Food (perishables and non-perishables)
• Drinks - kids and adults
• Kid’s activity bag - pastels, colouring books, word puzzles, paints and brushes
• Good book to read (just finished Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden about to start Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali)

Just getting all this stuff together and into the Jeep takes about half a day. My hat goes off to my Aunt Helen who made it all look so easy.

Happy long weekend everyone!

Cheers,

Julie

Regardless of what the rest of Canada thinks about Ontario, there are actually some compelling reasons for buying a cottage in the “centre of the universe” province.

Here are just a few:

1. There are over 250,000 lakes (B.C. and Alberta have approx. 1,000, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have 100,000 respectively) which translates to more cottages for sale
2. Gas sells for $1.25 a litre in Ontario largely due to all the refineries (BC - $1.50, Alberta slightly less - gas gets cheaper the closer you get to Ontario)
3. Good airport - three to be exact
4. Tim Hortons with drive- through windows - the highways are dotted with them
5. Webbers - awesome burgers and malt milkshakes
6. It’s culturally acceptable to leave work early on Friday in order to beat the “cottage traffic”
7. Better odds of getting invited to a cottage, especially if you don’t have one
8. The Spring and Fall Cottage Life Shows - a trade show devoted entirely to the art of cottaging
9. Hot sunny weather in the summer (with the exception of this summer)
10. What’s your reason for owning a cottage in Ontario?

I think it’s also important to set the record straight. Ontario is not the centre of the universe or the centre of Canada for that matter. This honour goes to Manitoba.

Cheers,

Julie

Penny Caldwell, the editor of Cottage Life magazine is pondering a TV for the cottage. In this month’s summer edition she writes:

“The cottage is not a place where you take a TV set. TVs lead to unsightly towers and moral degradation (they don’t call them idiot boxes and boob tubes for nothing). Bringing one to the cottage is the first tumble on the slippery slope toward unstoppable development on our shoreline. In effect, TV at the cottage signals the decline of cottage country as we know it…”

While it is true that your brain uses less activity watching television than it does sleeping thereby earning it the title, “Boob Tube,” I’m not sure watching an occasional movie at the cabin is going to destroy cottage life as we know it.

Penny’s tongue-in-cheek article is part of our Canadian psyche which states, “You should be outside playing on a sunny day not watching TV,” a sentiment echoed by Chritian Lander, author and blogger of StuffWhitePeopleLike.com.

There is no doubt that once I turn on the boob tube I have a hard time turning it off even though there is absolutely nothing worth watching, but according to Penny’s editorial, her sole reason for wanting a TV at the cottage is to watch movies. Never once does she mention missing Peter Mansbridge or Rex Murphy- who incidentally are the only two things you’re going to be watching without a satellite dish in cottage country.

Is there anything wrong with watching movies at the cabin? A bowl of popcorn, a blanket and a good movie is a very enjoyable evening. I think we’re loathe to change traditions at the cabin. It’s our rituals that hold us hostage. Old rocking chairs, lumpy mattress and no dishwashers might be the way my parents cottaged, but I’m not sure I want that to be part of my experience.

Penny, I strongly urge you to break down and buy a DVD player. They’re lightweight and portable. Technically, you’re not watching TV, and more importantly, you’ll be able to watch movies in your hammock!

Cheers,

Julie

“Nothing matters but the weekend…from a Tuesday point of view….Like the kettle in the kitchen…I feel the steam begin to brew. Switch into glide” Remember that tune from the Kinks?

Just hearing that song makes me want to escape to the cabin. But surprisingly enough, not everyone feels the same way I do. As a young professional living and working in downtown Toronto, I started plotting my escape to the cottage or a friend’s cottage on Tuesday. By Thursday I was packed. On Friday, ideally before noon, I was on the 401 heading eastbound, all in an attempt to beat the holiday traffic. I wasn’t alone.

There’s an energy around weekends, especially long weekends in the city. But Vancouverites, unlike Torontonians, don’t seem to have that restlessness to get out of town. My friends often comment on this. They’ve heard about cottaging back east, but they don’t understand the underlying emotion that surrounds it.

I liken it to skiing. It’s a place where you go, play and have fun. It’s just that simple. For the folks back east, their playground consists of a lake, a boat and a cottage. For those folks living west of the rookies, our playground consists of mountains, skis, bikes and a condo or chalet. Very rare and very privileged are those folks who have both.

If you’re escaping this weekend or staying in the city, I wish you a happy Canada Day! There are so many great things to do, east or west.

Cheers,

Julie

What’s better than going to the cabin with the kids? Going to the cabin without the kids. Yes, this weekend we will have the rare opportunity to enjoy the cottage sans children. With all the crazy year-end parties taking place right now, Bill and I, along with two other couples are sneaking away to enjoy some R&R at the lake. I call it my sanity break before school lets out for the summer.

The opportunity to sleep in, stay up late and indulge in the company of my good friends is only made better because we’re hosting them at our cabin. Fun people in a great setting. I haven’t even bothered to check the weather forecast, besides, there isn’t a darn thing I can do about it anyway.

I’m just savouring the prospect of watching the “men” cook for us - one of the conditions of the weekend. Even though the husbands are in charge of the food, I know their wives have secretly done all the shopping and menu planning - cheaters!

I on the other hand have collapsed. I’m worn out from all the last minute kids activities. I handed Bill the Costco shopping list and told him to fill his boots. I didn’t care what he bought. The result? Three hundred dollars worth of Costco junk food, sirloin steaks excluded. Is it just Bill or do all men shop like five-year-olds?

While I’m not looking forward to eating cashews for breakfast or red gummy berries for lunch, it doesn’t matter. I’m at the lake with my friends and someone else is doing the cooking or in our case - the opening. It’s all good.

Here’s to an adult weekend - well almost.

Cheers,

Julie

This was sent to me by a friend here in Vancouver. It’s important that we don’t take ourselves too seriously.

A curious fellow died one day and found himself waiting in the long line of judgment. As he stood there he noticed that some souls were allowed to march right through the pearly gates into Heaven. Others though, were led over to Satan who threw them into the burning fire.

Every so often, instead of hurling a poor soul into the fire, Satan would toss a soul off to one side into a small pile. After watching Satan do this several times, the fellow’s curiosity got the best of him, so he strolled over and asked Satan what he was doing.

“Excuse me, Prince of Darkness,” he said. “I’m waiting in line for judgment, but I couldn’t help wondering why you’re tossing those people aside instead of flinging them into the Fires of Hell with the others?”

“Oh those….” Satan groaned. “They’re all from Vancouver. They’re still too wet to burn.”

Here’s hoping we dry out soon.

Cheers,

Julie