Christmas 2011 - A Different Experience - Part 1

It was sad circumstances that brought this change of Christmas celebrations about, but I think it was the bestest way to start off my own type of Christmases for the future. This year was the first without my parents and I had decided I was not travelling to Dauphin and this summer I started making different plans. Eventually it included my quilting girlfriend and escalated to booking a 3-night Falcon Lake Trails Resort cabin over Christmas. As the time drew nearer I was sort of feeling guilty, but then decided it was better this way and then my sisters can have their own family Christmases and I can have my own.

Off the steps
(out around point of Sunshine ski hill)

Mountain Maple cabin lakeshore frontage

Our own dock!

Out the living room window

Out the dining room window

So the week before Florence (not my sister) informed me she had started packing already – HUH! I hadn’t even done my laundry as I still had a week of working and needed my clothes, but I did start on packing the two quilts that needed bindings stitched and some of my crazy patch blocks and embellishing paraphernalia and naturally started my ever so necessary LIST!!! That is of what to buy last minute, what to take from home in regards to cooking and enjoyment, and naturally which clothes to pack. This time I did pretty good, I took nearly only what I needed, except for the CQing stuff which I didn’t get to at all, but could have used my XC skis, but was afraid of doing more injury to my knees.

Dang it! I wanted to take a picture of my poor Babe (Montana van) before we started unloading at the cabin but I totally forgot, just too anxious to get settled in and start our relaxing!!! BUT for two people I can tell you that there was no space available except for above the headrests and that would not have been safe for travelling at all. Yep even the space between the seats had a cooler sitting there! We were stock piled full and majority of what we took we used, except for a few articles of clothing.

Upon settling in the owners came by with lovely ice made votive candle holder for the hot tub area - WOW just beautiful and wished we could have taken it with us but it was melting even being outside.  See the ice on the tree next to our cabin?



It was in spiral formation - fascinating!

Florence was the Chief Menu Planner/Cook and I the Chief Cleaner Upper and it worked out very well and the meals were AWESOME and I didn’t even miss my chips but was craving my Pepsi but made do with the wine and water!!! Our menu consisted of: Christmas Eve a tourtiere pie and spinach salad; Christmas Day was bacon and eggs breakfast, leftover pie and salad, baked bread and Bruschetta topping for snack, supper Cornish game hens, stuffing, roasted mixed veggies and an awesome mousse type of chocolate/vanilla cake later on that is; Boxing day was cereal/toast breakfast, leftover pie and more roasted mixed veggies, supper was to be out somewhere but NOTHING WAS THERE except for the ski chalet which we weren’t interested in - so back to the cabin and more leftover pie and cleaned off the salad and more cake. Good thing Florence brought a jug of skim milk for we both had our share. It’s a good thing Florence is a great cook or I’d have been driving to who knows where to get food!!!

The outdoor deck hot tub was used daily and so necessary after our long walk, that’s for sure!!! The resort provided bird seed and we thoroughly enjoyed their entertainment with Florence checking the cabin bird book for the names and both Florence and I kept trying to keep that danged squirrel away from it. Guess it finally took the hint and didn’t show up anymore, that is while we were there. The woodpeckers, grosbeeks, chickadees cooperated for my annoying picture taking but the blue jays were way too fast so avoided my attempts.

Not afraid Chicakees
I was up to a foot away - stayed put

Through the window Grosbeeks and Woodpecker

Through the window Grosbeeks

Through the window Woodpecker

We made use of the wood stove daily, but I had to chop the wood smaller to get it going and the last time I didn’t do as much as I was getting quite sore on my right side and thus left the wood box just about empty. Oh well someone left it stock for us with huge logs – which I promptly took back to the wood pile, heck one of them wouldn’t even FIT INTO the stove – DUH!!! I totally forgot that I wanted Florence to come out and take a picture of me chopping but most time I did this while she was otherwise busy so that would not have worked!

. . . stay tuned for Part 2 . . .