It wasn't all that chilly, but anywhere the sun didn't
show its blissful and warm rays the wind made us shiver. And so there we were,
like penguins, bundled up together where the sunshine was still visible on the
dock. The last warm weekend of the summer and I was finally enjoying it like
its meant to be.
That afternoon, we left the cottage behind and took
the boat and canoe to a tiny piece of land they call Ghost Island.
Appropriately named as this island was nothing more than a few meters long and
was barely noticeable. Long enough, though, to lie down on its flat rocks in
the sun, go rock skipping and have an inukshuk building contest. I don't recall
if there was a winner though mine was the biggest of them. As we left the
island, I could still see it standing tall with its tiny feather on top. Though
there was an engine on our modest vessel, none of us knew how to use it. Now
that I think about it, it wouldn't have made a big difference as it was in such
a state of disrepair. The two others in the canoe got back before us and we
spent a good amount of time trying to take the engine out of the water. We did succeed,
eventually.
Later on, the bravest of us jumped in the freezing
water of the lake as the others kept busy preparing the supper. The food was excellent
and with my stomach pleasantly full I lied down on one of the beds as they were
getting ready to play games. One of them played guitar and I closed my eyes for
a while, listening to him.
The cottage was located near the shore, rustic and
kept to a bare minimum, which I loved. It was down a hill, surrounded by trees
in such a way that the sun could barely make it through, making it cold inside.
Something that, I thought, must have been perfect during summer time. It had a
nice wood stove and once we started the fire at dawn the warmth of it quickly
made it cozy and relaxing. We did have a bonfire outside later that night where
we shared stories and marshmallows. It was barely midnight when I left them to
go back inside. Truthfully, I was a little sick and all I wanted at that moment
was to bundle up in blankets and have my feet warmed up by the heat of the
fire. I hadn't slept so peacefully in months.
When I woke up the next morning, I was amazed by the
fact that out of 7 people none of us snored. Slowly, we woke up. Slowly, we
rekindled the fire. As I did the dishes from last evening, one of us made
coffee as someone else prepared breakfast. Soon, the entire cottage was filled
with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and crepes.
Three of us went on our own little adventure later
that day. I was at the front of the canoe, paddling away with a huge smile on
my face and most definitely glad we left the boat and its unreliable engine
behind. We stepped off the canoe momentarily to drink a beer and dip our feet
in the lake. It didn't
last long, yet it seemed like it washed away most of my troubles with so much
ease.
We left early
that afternoon, just after lunch and a nap. We stopped for ice cream on the
drive back, with a spectacular sunset on the background and a bloody moon later
on.
I hope I'll get to go back there someday.
