Cottage Country Vibes

I had a restful night sleeping on the comfortable couch in our cabin’s screened-in porch, while my husband and son snored lightly on the queen-sized bed inside.

At dawn the following morning, I was awakened by soft paddling sounds. I arose and watched a couple of kayakers quietly trudging the waters as their oars gently swept the glistening surface of the lake. Their faces appeared so serene as their graceful strokes synchronized with the ripple of the waves. If not for their smiles and their occasional glances at each other, I would have thought they were in a trance.

I wouldn’t blame them though for I, too, was mesmerized by the beauty that was unfolding before me – the sun rising from the east in a myriad of golden shades, the glistening surface of the lake that reflected the brightening skies up above, the early birds already fluttering by, the trees with their rustling leaves as if to greet the gentle breeze, and the flash of woodland creatures inconspicuously stumping along the wooden paths as they gradually stirred from their slumber.

I didn’t think the kayakers even noticed me. I went back to my makeshift bed, closed my eyes again and this time, savoured the sounds of nature around me – the soothing gurgles of the nearby stream, the varied tones of chirping birds and their melodic bird songs, flapping wings, buzzing bees, blowing wind. These, I don’t get every day.

And in the vast expanse of quiet, I appreciatively noticed the absence of the ugly drone of technology – the whirring of vehicle engines, the humming of machines, the blare of the television – this was amazing!

I was tempted to peek in the room to check how my boys were doing but I was sure the creaking of the door would wake them up, so I stayed put. I eventually drifted back to sleep and woke up a second time two hours after. My boys were up and I could hear them rummaging through the food containers. Of course, the first order of the day for them was breakfast.

They had their usual cereal and a piece of roll each. I ate a soft-boiled egg and a peanut butter granola bar. We brought milk, but unfortunately, we didn’t have coffee. There was a coffeemaker in the kitchen but no coffee supplies. I hadn’t remembered to bring some, and even then, had I brought my K-Cups and T-Discs, they would have been useless here anyway because what they have is the conventional drip-coffee machine. This was bad news for me. I am one of those people who must have their coffee in the morning.

My husband said he’d walk to the admin building to check if they at least have instant coffee. He was going there anyway to check out and to inform the office about the mouse we found last night, which, by the way, we had a peek of after breakfast (when our son was in the washroom). The poor thing was stiff and lifeless inside the plastic container where we left him! We buried it again beneath our collection of plastics bottles and recyclables and reminded each other not to say a thing when our son was done with his bathroom business.

The boys headed to the admin building while I started tidying up and packing. A maintenance guy came to collect our garbage, so I mentioned the mouse to him. He said he’d take care of it. I told him we’d load our stuff into the car as soon as my husband came back. He said we could take our time. The next guests were not going to check in until late that night. I thanked him and when he left, I spent some time outside taking pictures while waiting for my boys.

They came back with bad news – there was no coffee at the admin building. Oh boy, this was going to be a long day for me. 

After making sure that we didn’t leave anything behind at the cottage, we explored the surrounding area and took pictures by the lake. The sun was up by then and we could fully appreciate the beautiful views – the glistening waters, the verdant foliage, the wooden bridges and walkways, the small pockets of private picnic areas beside each cottage designed for campfires with their open fire pits and Adirondack chairs, and the various types of boats docked along the shoreline.

I noticed that there were wooden bird houses as well, built like miniature rustic lodges. Though they blended seamlessly with the rustic atmosphere, I could not help but notice the little details – chimneys, awnings, and tiny accents that made them look very realistic. Had they been built bigger, they could have passed for tree houses.

We heard someone approaching and it turned out to be our cabin neighbours who are coming back from their early morning fishing spree. We said hello and chatted with them for a bit. The guy told us they go to the lodge every summer and that he’s been fishing with his family there since he was a young boy. He mentioned that this property has been around since 1920 and was the first fishing camp of its kind in this area. He knew about it from his grandparents and now, he is keeping the tradition with his wife.

It was clear that he is a pro at this. He showed my son how to spot tiny frogs underneath the bushes and demonstrated “stone skipping,” which is the art of throwing a flat stone across the water in such a way that it bounces off the calm surface. The objective is to make it bounce for as many times as you could make it before it sinks into the water.

My husband got onboard as well. They looked for and collected flat stones and followed our neighbour’s instructions on the proper way to launch it into the water, almost like doing a “sidearm” in baseball.

Basically, one must aim low and throw at an approximately horizontal axis. After several minutes of practising, my boys became quite good at it. Our neighbour mentioned that there are championships for this and that the participants are members of stone-skipping associations. Wow, I didn’t realize people take it that seriously!

We thanked our neighbour and bid goodbye to them as it was time for us to go, and it was time for them to cook their freshly caught fish for lunch.

Before going back to our car, though, we took a short walk across one of the wooden bridges and followed the wooden path along the shoreline to reach the other side of the bay where there were more cabins and lots of people engaged in water activities. There were families launching their boats or picnicking and swimming by the lake. There were children doing a diving contest. There were men and young boys fishing atop another wooden bridge.

My boys engaged one young lad in conversation about fishing – what kind of fish he usually catches here, what sort of bait he uses, the best areas to find fish, and the best time and season to get a good haul. We have never gone fishing before and my son was interested in how the bait is put into the hook, so we stayed awhile to watch the fishing enthusiasts do their thing – tie the hook on the line, attach the weights and bobbers, set the bait, and cast the line. We waited quietly with them, but they didn’t catch a fish.  We saw some fishing swimming in the water, but they were not taking the bait. We thanked them and walked back to the car.

My husband wanted to use the washroom before we left so we drove to the administration building to use the facilities. We walked around for a bit to see what else is there. Aside from cabins in various styles and sizes. There were the old, original buildings and the ones that were repurposed and outfitted, and some that have been recently built. Some were big enough to accommodate three large families, while some were cozy like the ones we rented. Some had lofts, while some were one-story with porches. Some were situated directly by the lakefront, while some were more private, secluded behind canopies of trees.

All the cabins were occupied at the time of our visit and there were plenty of activities amongst the families vacationing there – adults sitting under the sun while reading a book or getting a massage from another family member, children playing tag or scampering around a water sprinkler, teenagers heavily engaged in a volleyball game, domestic barbecue masters setting up their gear, and some maintenance staff doing the rounds.

The administration building was perched on a hill and had a commanding view of the lake. I walked downhill to see the waters from this vantage point and my son followed suit. There was a campfire pit on the side and children’s play area with old-fashioned play sets. My boys wanted to play the horseshoe game, so I sat at the picnic area while my husband taught our son a few tricks to get the horseshoes in the stakes. I never knew my husband is good at this.

I had to remind them about the time and that we had to leave in a few minutes. They mentioned they’d want to go back and spend a few days there the following summer. I was not so sure about that. While the lodge is nice and I really liked the peaceful atmosphere, I can’t imagine myself staying here for more than two days. We don’t fish and we don’t swim, and while there are a variety of water activities and water equipment at our disposal for us to enjoy the lake and try something new, I am not certain that they could sustain my interest for more than 48 hours. But we shall see when the time comes.

Before we left North Frontenac, we stopped once more at the astronomy park. My boys just wanted to see the place in daylight and to take some daytime pictures since we arrived after dusk the previous day. Before we left, my husband said we might come back next year, or plan for Mont Megantic earlier.

(Update: We were not able to go back nor visit Mont Megantic the following summer. My father-in-law got sick and my husband spent most of his summer and his time off in Montreal. The next two years were lock-down years due to the pandemic, so we did not go anywhere.)

On our way home, we had a couple of pit stops – one at the side of the road to look at some exposed rocks about 20 minutes away from the lodge, and the other one at another roadside by the Mississippi River somewhere in Lanark County. This time, the boys went out with their picks, shovels, and pail to cut some rock samples. And because it was too hot and humid for me, I stayed inside the car, which we parked beside this river and watched a small crowd swim and play in the water. It seemed like it’s a popular area for locals in the summer for I saw several family vans parked along the road and several more arriving heaping with swimming paraphernalia – multi-coloured floaters, swim noodles, and inflatable toys. I ate another granola bar and longed for a cup of Joe.

When my boys returned, they were all sweaty and red but grinning like the Cheshire Cat. They showed me the new rocks they got to add to their collection. Oh man! More rocks!

As we pulled off, I told my husband that the next pit stop would have to be Tim Horton’s. I needed my morning coffee, and I wanted to have it even if it was already 3 p.m. And next time we go stay in a cabin, I will make sure I take coffee along – ground coffee, K-Cups, T-Discs, instant, 3-in-1 packs, just to make sure. But caffeine-deprivation aside, I enjoyed my first taste of “cottage country” living.