Muskoka Soul 2020--Day 3

Blogger is giving me a hard time with photos. After I moved some to where I wanted, they wouldn't re-center, even though Blogger says they're centered. I gave up. 

It'd been a few years since we had an organized extended family  vacation, so it was decided to rent a cottage again. With the COVID situation this year, there was some doubt it would happen, but it did! 

Where’s Day 1 and 2? Longish story. The girls came up on Friday with the rest of the family. Rob and I took the dog to my Mom’s on Saturday, and we stayed the night, then drove over to Gravenhurst on Sunday. It was a pretty drive, though a little busy. I can’t remember the last time I was in Gravenhurst---probably when the kids were little and we went to Santa’sVillage . That’s closer to Bracebridge, so we might not have even come into Gravenhurst. We found the cottage, Muskoka Soul Lake House  and started unloading

It’s quite different from the last cottage we stayed at .  They’re both extremely nice, and both are “traditional cottage” in many ways, but this one is more wood beams and deck, while the other was more modern but decorated in rustic charm, if that makes sense. 

There’s a gorgeous view of the lake, though a lot of stairs down to the dock. We brought my Dad’s little boat, knowing it could be carried by two men, but it’s just not practical (or even safe) to try to get it down the stairs. Rob will take it to the closest boat launch and motor over. 

Luckily, on this lake, and being close to town, there are several boat launches close by.

We arrived just as they were cleaning up lunch. Lucy had texted me that she had tried pickled onions and thought they were actually good! She picks out onions from stir fries and pizza and never partakes in the glorious slurping of a juicy garlic dill pickle. Hopefully, exposure to her aunt’s cooking will awaken her palate.

Rob and I headed back into town to pick up food items for our first cooking day—Monday, August 17. There was no room in the freezer, so it’s all packed in a cooler, with ice, which is then packed in a larger cooler, and filled with ice. We had thought we might be bringing the items with us, but we were too packed. I had a regular cooler, an extra large “Hello Fresh” insulated box, and the very large Costco insulated cooler bag, as well as a big Rubbermaid bin full of food. And this was just our stuff we brought up. I had already sent up another Rubbermaid bin full of pantry items.

After we got back, a storm rolled across. I love watching a storm come across a lake. Or ocean, from our cruise ship balcony...

This was two doors down. It finally took off on the last morning we were there. There were lots of other float planes though. You can get a float plane taxi to town from various points on the lake.

Dinner was Lou & Pawel’s duty. They (along with their helper of the day, Megan), prepared charcuteries boards of French cheeses from Quebec and Italian cured meats from Ottawa, along with many sweet and savory condiments and fruit and crackers. Lucy did try a bit, but then made her own charcuterie plate from the meats and cheeses we and her grandparents brought LOL.

After dinner, the girls and Rob went for a swim.

This is Nya, floating away on the giant inflatable swan

 I sat on the dock and knitted. I am planning on doing a lot of knitting. I was having trouble with the internet, so I hope I brought enough yarn! 

After they dried off, we relaxed. Six played a card game called Dix It. They were quite enjoying it. I was able to get some internet and had a nice chat with an old friend. Then, it was bed time!

Our room is nice, we have a king size bed which is quite the treat. This is Rob showing how much room we have LOL. We have to share a bathroom with Lou and Pawel, but the girls get their own ensuite. It was strange getting up during the night and the dog not being on the floor next to the bed!