Last night we lounged in front of the stove on our porch, playing scrabble and eating blueberries on a rainbow coloured Mexican blanket. The first night in a long time that I've been cold; it was lovely. I'm still digging Summer, this year more than ever, I think, but I've been dreaming of Fall & Winter as of late. Gorgeous, crisp leaves, that beautiful permeating scent of decay, fluffy white all around, the stillness and quiet, and the way four walls increase in perfect cozyness tenfold. Yum.
Still, Summer, don't get any ideas, I'm not through with you yet.

I've also been trying to decide where we should go next weekend. Next weekend which is apparently a long weekend and thus means that any dreams of a yurt in a quiet campground are snuffed. (Ontario's urbanites all flee, at the same time, to the too-few provincial parks in the Southern part of the province on long weekends, wholly occupying them; it's not a place you want to be.) So I've looked at Via Rail's routes, only to be reminded of how expensive they are (shame! we could fall asleep in Montreal and wake up on the East Coast!). I'm going to try Amtrak today, but my first choice, I think, is renting a car & driving into rural North-of-North Bay-Quebec. I have fond memories of that place, from well over a decade ago. And it promises two things: 1) the novelty of a weekend spent in French and 2) real quiet. Plus: Lakes galore! Last night I was choosing potential destinations based on the shape of the bodies of water there. Like Lac Manicougan, or the curvy lakes between Saseginaga and Hunter's Point, Quebec. There may also have been a plea to drive up to James' Bay. Twenty some hours in a three day weekend, that's okay, right? It's James' Bay! It's Northern Lights and Arctic Sea! Aaah!

Alright. Holy words. Finishing this coffee and convincing myself to hop in the shower.
Those are the orders of the morning.

Hello.

PS: Everyone should make this cake. Trust me. It's breakfast three days later and it's lovely.
You can't go wrong with that much maple syrup.