Adventures In The Outdoors

Water is quietly lapping against the shore. The sun dances across the lake. White bark shines between golden and red leaves. Three of our kids are attempting to manoeuvre a canoe along the shoreline- excitement, the unknown, yelling, bickering and tears come from the green boat, creating enough energy to carry them a ways out and back in. Another child is perched on the top of the water slide, casting his rod, hoping to catch an unsuspecting fish. The sun is warm but tinged with the smell of fall. Leaves slowly drop silently from the trees, as if lazy and content to let go and gather on the ground after the summer. There are no schedules. No lawn to mow. No school agendas to sign. No phones to answer. No to-do list, other than to relax, to drink coffee, to eat, to laugh, to rest, to enjoy the scenery and to be together as a family.

After a summer that took a different turn when Linc had his bike accident, we decided to book a get-away in the Whiteshell and get away from the walls we've been staring at in our house. We are in a gorgeous cabin on the south side of Falcon Lake. After a bit of searching online, we found our cabin with an outdoor hot-tub, a large fireplace with a beautiful lake view. Our van was loaded with food, clothing, books and crafts. Oh, and each other. Our plans were to escape the daily routine and doctor appointments, to absorb the last bits of the summer warmth left in the sun and to enjoy the beauty in the woods coloured with autumn glory. Resting and relaxing; the perfect thing to help with Linc's healing and give us all a retreat. And should I be as honest as to add that the wonderful canoeing adventure I started to describe ended after a few paddles splashed and angry words rang out over the lake about someone never paddling and about one wanting to smack the other over the head with their paddle...

As I continue to type between visiting with my family, Jaydi has just completed a solo canoe trip back and forth on the shore (or getting lost at sea as she claims), I heard the loudest splash and looked up to see Linc pulling Paulos (and his rod) out of the water and back onto the dock.- no questions needed as to why we insisted he wear his life jacket when by the water. And moments later we hear an excited screech as Tristan loses his balance and slides from his fishing perch on the slide to be rescued just before hitting the water. I have been told that you can experience peace in the midst of chaos, and as these moments happen, memories are made and stories about the adventures begin to take shape.  The water continues to lap gently along the shore, creating a sense of stillness. A comforting background noise to the life lived out loud in front of me.

And as Meski wrote in her diary yesterday;”...and then we are going to start another day. We had FUN.”