a peek inside the fishbowl

1. It’s not camping if there isn’t a chipmunk to feed, 2. Sarah in the canoe, 3. The gratuitous canoe-on-the-lake shot, 4. Sarah is our expert “drip castle” builder and architect, 5. Loon family from afar, 6. Big Tree, 7. Misty water, 8. After the rain stopped, 9. The scene outside the car window, 10. gunwale bobbing, 11. The Casse-Croute: a regular feature of the Quebec landscape, 12. Twisty winding road

I am recovering from Best Weekend Ever Syndrome, symptoms of which include restlessness, and general inability to concentrate.

On Friday we packed our things and drove to The Campground That Cannot Be Named.

You know that I am usually good about sharing info with you guys, right? I tell you all about the secret spots we go to, where to find the best ice cream cones, the loveliest corners of our fair city etc etc… but in this case I have specifically been asked NOT to reveal the whereabouts of The Campground That Cannot Be Named in any public arena, namely, here on the blog or elsewhere in print. (But if you send me a self-addressed stamped envelope with a crisp twenty contained within I just might be persuaded to change my mind. Let me know.)

The Campground That Cannot Be Named is not in Ottawa, but as all Ottawans know, you don’t have to drive far out to experience lovely natural sights.

We arrived in the pouring rain. The girls and I ate processed cheese cracker snacks while Mark checked us in. We proceeded to our campsite (hitherto unseen) where it continued to pour. We were not daunted by this inclement weather. I knew it would pass. 

And then, as if we were the stars of our own personal Hollywood epic, skies unfolded and angels trumpeted. And that, my friends, was the beginning of the loveliest three day family vacation we’ve had in recent memory.

Check out the whole Flickr set here.

And today, tadaaaa, it’s the girls first day back at school. This is a big year for us, as both girls are now in school full time. Mark has taken this week off work and we’re trying to get stuff done around the house before the fall weather hits.

The back-to-school sendoff was rather uneventful. Both girls have new teachers this year. Both were very excited, although Sarah was visibly nervous. 

 

Emma’s an old hand at this, she knows what she’s doing, but Sarah going into first grade is a whole other matter. She’s finally in the big kid yard, and will be eating lunch at school. I’m so excited for her.

After the bell rang Mark and I darted down to Westboro Village for a coffee. I read part of the Globe & Mail. And now, I’m typing this and catching up on laundry while Mark is cleaning the windows (most of which verge on being unopenable. I am hearing a lot of cuss words right now), but life is good. I feel good, like it’s the beginning of something fresh and exciting. You know what I mean?