This weekend was so many things. Scary, frustrating, exciting, sad and well just so much more. My fiance, step son, father and I ventured up to my late grandfathers cottage.
It was hard to be there knowing he no longer was with us. This was his place. When you thought of grandpa you thought of him fishing up at the cottage. Now all that is left is the stuffed fish he caught on the wall and a few pictures and memories to share. I was glad to be back there. It was the first time since he passed that I had been there. His funeral was nice but being at the cottage and saying my own goodbyes to him in my own way was great closure.
This year is also the year of renos for the cottage. What started as a small project to "spruce it up" has turned into a major overhaul on the whole place right down to gutting the whole place. You see it was just a little place for my grandfather to rest his head at night after a day of hunting and fishing. It was by no means a place of luxury or the finer things in life.
This weekend due to the renos and the slowly aging materials it was a true weekend of "ruffing it". There was barley running water with very little water pressure which only worked in the bathroom sink since the kitchen is fully gutted. Which made it fun to do dishes this weekend. As well the hot water tank was having issues and would just not work. I was very happy for that hot shower Saturday morning before we left and that it was only one night up there.
Instead of bathing in suds I bathed in bug sprays and oils this weekend, the black flies and mosquitoes buzzed around my head with a constant hum. I actually resorted to wearing one of those mesh hats from time to time so I could breath air not bugs.
With it being the beginning of the cottage season and the fact our cottage is kind of in the middle of no where the animals were abundant we saw turtles, ducks, loons, beavers, hawks and even a moose or two and that was all within a few minutes of the cottage.
The only wildlife I was not a fan of at all was the squirrel that was "napping" in my bed when I went to unpack. The squirrel had been there for who knows how long and this was the bed I was suppose to sleep in. Thank goodness it was also the matters we were thinking of throwing out and replacing. We had brought up the replacement and had it in the storage area but it got quickly changed out and I got to sleep squirrel free. It was an interesting weekend, I enjoyed and hated it all at once. I am glad to be home but can't wait to go up again soon.
This weekend was also the first weekend we got to bring our newest furry family member up to the cottage but that is a story for another post...
It was hard to be there knowing he no longer was with us. This was his place. When you thought of grandpa you thought of him fishing up at the cottage. Now all that is left is the stuffed fish he caught on the wall and a few pictures and memories to share. I was glad to be back there. It was the first time since he passed that I had been there. His funeral was nice but being at the cottage and saying my own goodbyes to him in my own way was great closure.
This year is also the year of renos for the cottage. What started as a small project to "spruce it up" has turned into a major overhaul on the whole place right down to gutting the whole place. You see it was just a little place for my grandfather to rest his head at night after a day of hunting and fishing. It was by no means a place of luxury or the finer things in life.
This weekend due to the renos and the slowly aging materials it was a true weekend of "ruffing it". There was barley running water with very little water pressure which only worked in the bathroom sink since the kitchen is fully gutted. Which made it fun to do dishes this weekend. As well the hot water tank was having issues and would just not work. I was very happy for that hot shower Saturday morning before we left and that it was only one night up there.
Instead of bathing in suds I bathed in bug sprays and oils this weekend, the black flies and mosquitoes buzzed around my head with a constant hum. I actually resorted to wearing one of those mesh hats from time to time so I could breath air not bugs.
With it being the beginning of the cottage season and the fact our cottage is kind of in the middle of no where the animals were abundant we saw turtles, ducks, loons, beavers, hawks and even a moose or two and that was all within a few minutes of the cottage.
The only wildlife I was not a fan of at all was the squirrel that was "napping" in my bed when I went to unpack. The squirrel had been there for who knows how long and this was the bed I was suppose to sleep in. Thank goodness it was also the matters we were thinking of throwing out and replacing. We had brought up the replacement and had it in the storage area but it got quickly changed out and I got to sleep squirrel free. It was an interesting weekend, I enjoyed and hated it all at once. I am glad to be home but can't wait to go up again soon.
This weekend was also the first weekend we got to bring our newest furry family member up to the cottage but that is a story for another post...