Lake – Sandy McFadden

Tomorrow morning I start back to work after a week off. Previously I had a bad habit of at least checking in on work a few times while I was supposed to be away. This time though I disconnected almost entirely. Not even coming into Slack to socialize with my team.

We spent most of our week in Moncton, around a three hour drive away. It was pretty close compared to some of our last few trips but it was exactly what was needed. We rented an Airbnb with close family. It was exactly what I needed.

We had a great mix of fun and relaxation. We visited TreeGo which is a ropes course is a mix of obstacles and zip lines. It was one of my favourite parts of the trip but physically exhausting. Luckily the next day we headed to the beach.

The beach is our families happy place and this beach is one of the best around. We’ve had our family pictures taken there a few times. The water is pretty warm for the Atlantic Ocean, the sand is beautiful, and the water is nice and calm. Was able to out and play with the kids, but also relax.

Out on the water with the kids playing around, the sun high and warm in the sky, I was able to lay back and just float on my back. The water blocking out most of the noise around, the water calm and warm, and my eyes closed. So extremely peaceful. The only thing that I worried about was the life guards thinking I was in trouble without moving. I could have lay there for hours I think.

This morning I went for a 30km bike ride and the the heat was intense. The last 5km were rough and extremely hot. We ended up heading to the lake in the afternoon which allowed me to to relax and rest my tired legs. I was able to float there but the fresh water is not the same as salt water which makes it easier to stay up.

It was a wonderful way to end a vacation but looking forward to lots of summer left to spend some time on the water with my family and friends.

This morning we got up and headed to visit Jen’s Aunt and Uncle at their cottage by a lake. It’s about a two hour trip each way so we wanted to get away at a good time. We took Jen’s Mom with us as well as it’s her Brother we were going to see. Visits out to their “Camp” are always fun days. Not only is the property beautiful, but the company is great too.

The forecast wasn’t looking the best as it was calling for rain off and on for most of the day but we already had plans made and they adjusted their plans to be there to meet with us so we took off anyway. Very glad we took the chance because we had a few fine hours there and even then it just sprinkled for a bit. Once it started raining hard we went inside and on their covered deck so even that was fine.

The kids had a great time playing in the lake. We brought our inflatable boat with us so they paddled that around. They even gathered some water lilies so Jen’s Aunt could make a display with them. Even when the rain started coming heavy Alexandria didn’t want to come in. She stayed out on the water having a blast. Noah made it quite a while with her, but eventually came in to dry off. His highlight of the trip though was a half hour four wheeler ride that Jen’s Uncle took him on.

Camp fires are one of my favourite things, and not just because you can use them to cook S’mores. With the overcast day it wasn’t overly warm so sitting and talking by the fire with Jen’s Uncle was a pleasure.