Easter weekend fell at a very, very excellent time for me this year, as well as an invitation from Yelena for us to join her, Steph, and his niece and nephew, Megan and Michael, and Jethro (of course) at a cottage for the weekend. My job involves a lot of financial responsibility for marketing projects and, with year-end falling on March 31st, the month of March, for me, is a time of high-stress, poor eating, and little sleep. What better way to wind down than to spend time with family, relaxing in someone else’s house where there are no obligations other than helping with meals and clean up? And, I was not to know there would be a couple of surprises in store for me.
So, after a wee sleep-in on Friday, we headed west to another part of Southwestern Ontario we’re not very familiar with – Grand Bend, on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, not far up from Sarnia. But first! With the additional of Megan and Michael, there wasn’t enough room in Yelena’s car for poor Jethro. So grandma and grandpa came to his rescue, picked him up from Guelph, and made sure he got there safe and sound.
Good thing that dog is adorable – he whined for about half of the 3-hour trip and stood up for most of it.
Did you know that Huron County is represented as Ontario’s West Coast? At first I thought that was creative until I got to thinking about all the other “coasts” in Ontario, some more westerly than the eastern shore of Lake Huron. If the county had a suggestion box, I would suggest they call themselves Southwestern Ontario’s West Coast… but that would be me.
Friday evening was perfect, hanging around snacking on cheese, crackers, apples, and blueberries, and enjoying our beverage of choice and some conversation while waiting for our lasagna to cook. And Steph made fabulous toasted cheesy garlic bread. Then, Steve and I had a little jam session before heading off to bed. We were assigned the queen master bedroom with 2-piece ensuite because we are so special (or maybe because they think we’re “old” and need the bathroom more frequently in the middle of the night). Either way, we said thank you and took it (probably because we need the bathroom more frequently in the middle of the night 🙂 ).
All I know is that between the drapes in the bedroom and the numerous trees on the front lawn (that faces west), we thought it was early and we thought it was a cloudy day. Wrong on both accounts!!!
After Steph made phenomenally delicious lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry compote and dark maple syrup for breakfast (brunch) we engaged in something I never thought I would do this weekend – or any other time, frankly. I photo-documented the process of Steph getting an under cut from Yelena and Megan and I don’t know who had more fun – Steph (who wanted this done), Yelena, Megan, or me!
Not to waste this glorious (but chilly) day, we started going ’round the bend by heading down to the beach… Okay, so maybe it isn’t exactly beach chair and bathing suit weather, but it has potential! The white stuff isn’t surf (one could only hope), it’s ice and lots of it. The sand is quite lovely – soft, but also very hilly from the movement of the ice – but I’m betting you wouldn’t be able to find an uncovered square inch of it from mid-May to September!
A year ago, we spent the weekend in Prince Edward County and the beach at Sandbanks looked a little more welcoming despite the ice having only melted off it the previous week. You may remember that I “took the plunge” so to speak, because I could. This year, the closest I got to taking off my shoes and wading in was to wear my sandals with my very warm, wooly socks and looking at the water.
(last year) (this year)
Dinner, thanks to Steph, was marinated/coated/baked chicken with biscuits and gravy, along with corn cob pieces and kale with garlic. We are eating well.
Look what we woke up to on Easter morning!!!
But that didn’t stop us from participating in my second surprise of the weekend, which involved going much further ’round the bend. Yelena had arranged for all of us to visit her friends’ farm – only 90 minutes from Grand Bend, near Kincardine. Ashley and Scott welcomed us into their home and their barn to see their farm animals. But not just any old farm animals – they have pygmy goats, sheep, a horse, some chickens, and a beautiful Sheppard named Charlie. The highlight was Yelena and Megan holding a one-day-old lamb and me holding a one-week-old lamb. Check out our farm experience…
Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a decent picture of a chicken? That pecking motion is perpetual and most of my shots were blurred!
Three of the male sheep were castrated the day before we arrived – the things you learn on a farm – and Dr. Yelena had an opportunity to help with the injections to minimize swelling! (I’m thinking all you guys reading this are now squirming and wincing – am I right?!)
While I was busy snapping away, Steve was trying out the new extended handle he bought for his Go-Pro – or most recently referred to as the Goat-Pro…(although this first link is with the baby lamb and its mommy)
Our daughter and her gracious friend and our hostess, Ashley…
One more surprise awaited us back “home”! While we were at the farm, the Easter Bunny visited and hid eggs all over the basement! For as long as I can remember, and for any Easter that Yelena has been in our company – regardless of her age – she has had an Easter egg hunt. (In 35 years, I think she’s missed less than 5.) For the past two years, Steph has also participated. This year, we had Meghan and Michael. I’m pretty sure they had fun and enjoyed the spoils.
Not that I helped much with Easter dinner (peeled some potatoes, trimmed some asparagus) but while I was close to the kitchen I heard “Look! Pheasants! Or quails!” Turns out, six wild turkeys ran through the backyard (there are no fences)! I was torn between looking or running to get my camera. I looked… and they were gone faster than I could have retrieved my camera anyway. You’ll just have to take my word for it.
Speaking of Easter dinner: baked ham with crackling and pineapples, scalloped potatoes (white and sweet), braised asparagus, and cucumber salad (which no one ate because we were so stuffed). Awesomeness – thank you, Steph!
Going home day… Steph was out walking Jethro and no one else was up. Sitting beside the big bay window was tranquil, yet noisy with all the birdsong so audible through the windows I checked to make sure none of them was cracked open. And yesterday’s snow had disappeared, most likely due to the blazing sun streaming through the trees (yet it was deceptively chilly out there). We can only hope that Spring has finally arrived!
Following a filling breakfast of oatmeal with walnuts and blueberries, drizzled with dark maple syrup, that Yelena whipped up for us, we loaded up the car and Steve and I did the reverse trip to drop Jethro back at his home in Guelph. He must have been tired because there was no whining and no standing up.
Our Easter weekend wasn’t over yet, though. It was Monday and Monday means “jam night”. We had just enough time to unpack, shower, change, grab our gear, and head to The Jam. Good session, including my Billy Idol version of White Wedding. But that’s a topic for later, maybe.
Going ’round the bend didn’t end up being quite so dramatic and scary after all!
what a lovely easter weekend
sounds like a great Easter weekend Maureen.