Our Trip to Canada - the Cabin

Our second day in Canada, we toured downtown Magrath, went to the temple then went on to the cabin. The cabin is a paradise about 2/3 of the way between the rolling farmlands and pastures below, and the forested foothills of the Rockies.

The cabin itself is everything a cabin should be ~ rough wood, loft bedrooms, even a bear skin.

The wood stove and two-story rock chimney provide warmth and charm, or at least charm as today was a warm summer day. The cabin itself remained comfortably cool all day.










The first order of business was dinner, Jordan's world-famous
teriyaki burgers...









...which became Jordan's world-famous teriyaki sloppy joes. Dinner was delightful, if not the chef's first plan.




























The next order of business was to prepare the hot tub...





by heating water, carried by bucket from the creek, in a 55 gallon drum over a roaring fire.













Resulting in a relaxing mountain hot tub for two!

Our Trip to Canada - Bridge Jumping

On the way home from boating, I aksed if there was any place to bridge jump. Mandee's reply? "This is Canada, eh!" Several bridges cross the canal, and jumping off of any of them is not allowed - except one.

Now the bridge wasn't that high, but with a cold wind whipping up, it DID add to the excitment level. We each took one jump, then opted for warm...

Our Trip to Canada - Boating

At the end of August, we took our second trip to Canada, to visit a third of our newlyweds ~ Mandee and Jordan. Spencer was unable to make the trip this time, due to suddenly having more employment than a 17 year old should have to worry about, even in summer. We missed him terribly, and every new and exciting experience was tainted, just a little, by regret that Spencer wasn’t there to enjoy them too.

We arrived to a beautiful table elegantly set as only those with abundant wedding gifts can do, and Jordan fussing over that was trying ~ very hard! ~ to measure up to his vision of what a perfect lunch should be. It was so cute! And endearing. Our adventurous, impetuous, all-boy boy, is becoming domesticated!

Mandee joined us, and after a delightful mid-day repast, we made haste to get on the lake for the prime-time summer enjoyment. As is the fashion in Mandee’s family, the boat was filled with cousins of one branch and another, none of it mattering so much as it was all family, out to squeeze every last drop of fun from this particular moment. The moments come and go, as do the activities. What is constant is family ~ laughing, loving, and living every moment big.

So after every youth had his or her opportunity to wakeboard, they asked if I would like a turn. Now humiliation is a funny thing ~ it doesn’t divide, it multiplies. And I didn’t feel the need to magnify my ineptitude in front of this half of the family. So I declined, and they went in to let off the cousins and get the air-chair.

Now for those of you like I, totally unfamiliar with the concept of an air chair, at first blush it looks like an awkward combination of wide water ski, unicycle seat and boat anchor. And somehow, a person is supposed to ride this contraption. AND ENJOY IT!

Turns out, Mandee is the air-chair queen, and after the powerful surge of the boat, she comes up out of the water, and looks for all the world like she is sitting on an amphibious motor scooter. But then, before my unbelieving eyes, she comes up further out of the water, as if a submarine with a very narrow periscope has lifted her ski three feet above the lake surface.

Next thing you know, she is diving, and I’m thinking, “Oh no, this is it. After less than two months, I’ve lost my daughter in law.” And there was a terrible splash, which she shook off, and then she’s rising again. And I promise you, it resembles nothing so much as if she was riding an invisible dolphin, leaping and playing in the boat’s wake with Mandee perched on it’s back.

After she played all she wanted, then Jordan took a try. Now two things about Jordan ~ he never complains and he never gives up. Two traits that come in handy when learning to air chair. Jordan worked hard to get up, only to tip over. He kept at it, and got close, and everyone agreed that it was a valiant effort. Then, in that spirit, and with all the cousins off the boat, I took my try at wakeboarding.

But we won't talk about that. Suffice it to say I have a new appreciation for trolling - from the bait's perspective