fall vacay!

Blast it all, I've been trying to write this post for the last three days. It's been sitting on my desktop and I've been adding to it bit by bit between tasks at work, so if it sounds chopped up, well... it is. :) It's already been a busy week and it's only Wednesday.

Personally, I think the government should instate Thursday as the new Friday in this country. (that goes against most of my political views, haha) Then we could all always have delightful little 3-day pockets of time to really relax and actually get refreshed instead of cramming all the housework into one day and spending the other sleeping to recover . If I were running in this election, that would be my first bill... now you all know who to vote for! Or something. :) I'm so not political. Ha.

Anyway, we had a WONDERFUL weekend at "our" cabin doing pretty much nothing. (I say "our" because we've been there once before and it felt so homey, we plan on going back often) We left our apartment in St. Anthony around 6:30 pm on Thursday, after being informed by Aaron (the guy we'd been corresponding with about renting the cabin) that the construction (!) and rain had rendered the road to the cabin un-drivable. He offered to give us a gift certificate for a free night, seeing as we were definitely not interested in staying home. Who cares about a little mud anyway? We just swung into Wal-Mart to grab some flashlights and set off. The cabin is part of Camp Lebanon, in Melrose, MN but it's a good ways away from the main camp (ie, lots of buildings and people, if there's an event, which there wasn't).

[zoomed in; we're the blue dot on the shore of the lake!]

When we got there, it was pitch dark and we did indeed have to park down by the main lodge and tromp through the woods at night carrying our bags to get to our secluded cabin. It was actually a fun, adventurous way to kick off the weekend!
[the cabin. from the front; the road is off to the left of the picture]

I've always considered myself a "city girl" in that I prefer city activities (driving, shopping, dressing up, seeing lights and action) over country or outdoorsy ones (hiking, camping, dirt, bugs). But I'll tell ya, this last weekend was pure bliss. There was nothing to do! Nowhere to go! Not even any internet! *gasp* And I liked it. The stillness and peacefulness of being very far away from civilization was so... refreshing in contrast with my usual busy, electronic life. I even enjoyed making food again (this is no small wonder). I'm still not going to say that hiking and actual camping- the kind that involves sleeping on the ground and cooking in the dirt- are high on my "enjoyed activities" list, but THIS kind of camping, in a log cabin with real beds/showers/toilets, is just my style. It had all the benefits of getting away from the usual scene, enjoying the quiet and gorgeous scenery, and even cooking over fire... with none of the things I hate, like being dirty and trying to get clean using only cold groundwater. I think that if it had been a little warmer, I would have even gone for a walk. :) [from the front door]

As it was, we contented our need to be out in nature by swinging on the porch swing and taking pictures of the scenery and each other. And of course trying to start wood fires, but succeeding only in starting charcoal briquets on fire in the BBQ. :)

[the porch swing]



[a piece of flying flesh!]

[hey, a normal one]

[why am I the only one who does goofy solo poses?]

[Handsome Rob]

[taking a picture]

[the picture]

[fire attempts]

Rob did most of the actual cooking- outside on the grill! But I still planned the meals and prepped the food. We ate like kings. Steak and grilled veggies (yellow squash and red bell peppers) with biscuits the first night, followed by s'mores and popcorn (microwave, haha!) while watching Patriot Games on the lappy (heck yes we brought it). Bacon-wrapped salmon, wild rice, yams, and more grilled veggies the second night, with brownies and cold milk for dessert. I think everything tastes 100x better when cooked over open flames. Which is convenient, since Rob loves those flames! Breakfast was eggs and bacon one day, blueberry muffins the next, and... something I can't remember for the day we left. [fiiiyah!]

[dinner, day one]

[mmmmm]

Much of our time was spent talking and reading. And sleeeeeeping! Sunday morning it snowed, so we spent the better part of an hour curled up on the couch watching the flakes swirl. I felt like Jess in The Man From Snowy River when the The Man (what was his name again?) whisks her off to his cabin in the "highlands" and it's all windy outside, but they're insulated from not only the weather but from all the cares of the outside world as well. It's a gooooood feeling.

The cabin is rustic (made out of real logs! Like Laura Ingalls' house!) but totally modern and actually quite spacious. It has a large living/dining room with a handy kitchenette, a good-sized bathroom, a small bedroom (with a huge bed), and a loft above the bedroom that holds two twin beds. The whole front of the cabin is windows, with a wooden deck wrapping around it, and it faces the lake.

[bedroom, from the kitchenette]

[in zee kitchen. bathroom is on the other side of the wall behind me]

[looking out into the living/dining room from the kitch]

[turned slightly left]

[look up- windows!]

[look left-- loft!]

[view from the loft]

We left on Sunday around 3ish. Rob decided to brave the muddy road and see if he could pull the car up to the cabin door. I'm so glad he did, because somehow our stuff had multiplied while we were there and I wasn't relishing the thought of hiking to our car in the windy/snowy/freezing weather, hauling our bags over the mud. For the record, the "stuff" that had multiplied was food, since we had taken a little trip into town for a few things we needed, like y'know, the steak. ;) I really did actually pack light; we shared one duffel bag that contained all our clothing and toiletries and shoes. I promise! After all, why pack much when there are no actual activities to be at? This was a breakthrough for me. However, I still managed to bring one whole outfit that I never wore, which is noticeable in the pictures. They are from all three days, despite the fact that I'm wearing the exact. same. thing. in each picture. I don't think the trees cared. heh heh

So, fall vacay is officially over. My appetite is definitely whetted to go back next year!