The Food and the Fun in Sturgeon Falls!

Ok, last installement of the Sturgeon Falls Fun Festival!
This time it's the Food and Fun times... I absolutely love fresh strawberries... and even better if someone has picked them for me. So look at what they did just before we got there. They went and picked two giant baskets like this. Ooooh, I was in heaven.

They taste so fresh and sweet like you are bitting into love, and it's perfect that they are shapped like a heart.  I love to eat them just plain and naked like this.

But Paul, Gaetane's husband decided to make some freezer jam which turned out delicious. Here's a photo of some homemade pancakes that Nicolas made with some fresh strawberries and a bit of jam. Can you say 'Berry Heaven'!

Nicolas has always loved cooking and now he is addicted to this cooking show on CBC- In the kitchen with Stefano- and he decided to make a few recipes for us (with the help of his Mom and Dad of course). Here was an absolute decadent bite of love!!!! Bacon wrapped mini potato filled with provolone cheese. I know... crazy, right?

But this is me showing you how to have 'balance' on your plate when these little decadent nuggets come up. See, my vegetables take up half my plate, I have a small scoop of Paul's homemade mac and cheese and then 2 bacon potato explosions!

Next day.... got to work some of that bacon off... so we head off on a boat cruise excursion. It's the Chief Commanda II. It's a beautiful ride on this boat on Lake Nipissing touring the little islands and learning about the history.

We had fun sitting on the very top deck and catching some rays!

... and catching some wind... oooooh, look at the wind in our hair. I promise it wasn't a fan blowing on us.

Melanie and I wandered around the boat and ended up on the second deck and looked down at the water... which made me a little dizzy, so we stopped, turned around and posed... I absolutely love this picture. It was so awesome to be on this adventure with my little girl.

Here she is on the bottom desk checking out the scenery.

And again on the top deck looking over with Nicolas.

Here are the big waves in the back of the boat. So much power... I wonder what the fish think of this....

Oh, I know...the fish wanted to give their life for our dinner that night! That's right... we got some fish and Nicolas and Gaetane made this most delicious walnut crusted fish -another recipe from Stefano. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the best getaway! Your kindness and hospitality was so appreciated. We can't wait to host you at our home... Nicolas, I will have to try and impress you with my recipes this time!

Fire and Water in Sturgeon Falls

This is the second installement of three about our fun trip.  This one is all about the elements... Fire and Water.

We were so excited to have a bonfire. We would get to have 'smores' a summertime treat. But as you can see from this picture- one of my favourites... we were covering our heads and bodies with hoodies because of the enormous amounts of mosquitoes. They were giant, and hungry and there were soooo many. Gaetane and Melanie have the sweetest blood because they got devoured!

Melanie and Nicolas posing in front of the giant bonfire. I know... Melanie is so 'hot' right?

Here we are all posing and tolerating the mosquitoes. The fire was so hot... I couldn't get close enough to roast a marshmallow.

... but Nicolas was brave enough and laid on the ground for me and 'burnt' one up for me... we did use some extra dark chocolate.... but heck... this was a treat, one that Nicolas went to battle for me and so I enjoyed it with bliss!

Onto the water fun now. We spent a day at this most beautiful clear lake in the middle of nowhere just 15 minutes north of their home. It's aptly called Lac Clair. There's my gorgeous girl sitting on the clear lake, not fearing anything because you could see everything.

We walked into the lake for quite a while before it hit our knees, and it was so soft, you didn't even need lake shoes for the 'yuk' factor.

So clear, look you could see the bottom and do you see what's there? A little tadpole and we weren't even freakin' out... it was all part of nature.

What was so amazing was that this beautiful clear sand and water beach was basically deserted.  Such peace and beauty... you never would have believed it. Nothing like this would ever happen around here in the GTA.

See, deserted! There was one other family and us! Heaven on Earth! I told them that I wanted to buy a house right on the water and live there forever... well except for their brutal winter time...

The trip to Sturgeon Falls ... no Falls though

One of my dearest friends Gaetane moved up to Sturgeon Falls last year and Melanie and I knew that one day we would need to make the trip up there to visit them and share in fun times... like we used to!

Melanie was an awesome co-pilot with her aviator shades, maps and iPod and DJ'ing skills.

After a short 5 hour trip (I had to stop every 2 hours to pee) we made it up to their wooden chalet style home in the countrty. But guess what, there are no falls... only when the dam releases it's water???

Gaetane and I worked together for 5 years and develop an instant friendship and sisterhood. I love her and miss her dearly.

And Melanie has developed a nice friendship with Nicolas - her son (middle) since she was 5 years old. Here they are with Nicolas' friend in their giant garden- they have huge land.

Here they are in their nicely renovated kitchen with their cute little grandson who now lives only a few minutes away.

This is the awesome benefit of living in the country. The outdoor clothesline!

The other benefits of living on this vast land in the country... they are growing their own French vegetables - some 'Carotte'...

...some 'bettraves'

... and some 'tomates'. What an awesome change of pace for them and for us visiting them from the big city.

Big and much needed rainstorm

We recently got a big giant downpour of rain that was oh, so needed and it was fantastic. So I thought, I would share some photos with you.

Big streams of rain from the roof. Melanie wanted to be part of the rain so she made me stand under the covered porch and scream with the rain!

Onto the giant overgrown bushes in front of my houses (I keep saying- it protects my house from the paparazzi, you know we are living incognito).

Ok, last shot and it really was a downpour, I swear, the pictures don't do it justice. But this just goes to tell show you - you don't know what you have 'til it's gone. It's true, we missed you rain, the sun has been beautiful, but it has scorched the grass so badly, we need you rain. Like everything in the Universe. We all need balance- some sun, some rain!