True to the Alberta way, May Long around both Red Deer and Canmore was forecasted to be pretty soggy. So between the unsurprising weather predictions and the fact that the Cooke family cabin needed to be opened up for the season, Chris and I loaded up and headed west, to Shuswap Lake.
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| Oy, one of us is looking very serious. |
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| I mean really, what's more fun than a road trip! |
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| We drove through a bit of the wet stuff.... |
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| ...but by the time we got to Sicamous, the sun was out! |
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| Hmmm... This might be the first indication that there was going to be a bit of work to do.... |
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| Oh boooy..... |
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| There was tree debris everywhere! |
So we knew that a few large trees had recently been felled (technical tree cutting term I think!), as preventative maintenance, but neither of us really anticipated the mess that would be left behind. Although, kudos to the guys who did it, because not a single bit of damage was done to any of the structures - super impressive considering the slope of the land and the massive amount of foliage. Aside from the cabins still standing however, the whole place looked a bit like a tornado hit it. Kind of overwhelming at first to say the least, but once we got the boat unloaded and had the token "We're at the lake!" beer, we decided to just get started. So, Thursday afternoon and most of Friday consisted of dragging branches and hauling logs. Chris chain-sawed and I was the grunt of the operation - he chopped it and I moved it. And wouldn't you know it, eventually the stairs and the flowerbed emerged!
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| The branches were hauled down to the beach. |
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| The logs were lugged up to the woodshed. |
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| Not sure who thought it would be a good idea to give me the chain-saw..... |
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| Finally! Almost like it never happened. |
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| There is a PLETHORA of firewood now! |
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| Lumberjacks Are Us |
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| Kickin' back after a hard day's work! |
We finished up just in time to head to the marina and pick up the rest of the crew who were joining us for the weekend. Say hello to some more of the Cookes!
Lorelee, Randy, Ashley, and the poochies, made it out on Friday evening, and we ate and drank and got all caught up on what everybody did over the winter. Then of course since we were at the beach, and since we had a ton of freshly hacked-up wood, Saturday and Sunday were spent around the fire. Saturday was gorgeous....
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| That's right... I had some quality naptime with Gus. (The above two pics are courtesy of Lorelee - thanks!) |
Sunday was a bit rainy, okay very rainy, but still completely enjoyable...
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| Brilliant idea to bring umbrellas Lorelee! |
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| That's Rebel Randy in the middle. |
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| Look at these two beauties and their lovely grins! How can you NOT be happy out here! (Pic courtesy of Lorelee.) |
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| Found a couple of funny beach anomalies.... |
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| Love it here! |
As always, Monday showed up way too quickly, and the fun had to come to an end. But the place looks great and everyone had a fabulous time! Can't wait to go back! Until we see you guys again....
Cheers!
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| My token Rockies photo.... *SIGH* Today - my last day off - was the nicest! Go figure. |
