On Vacation - Cottage Weekend!

Hey everyone! Sorry about the hiatus again - I had last week off from work, so Tim and I were busy gallivanting around the countryside. Once we got back, I was just a little overwhelmed by the number of pictures we took! But I've got a lot of them downloaded and sorted out now, so be prepared to be jealous of our amazing week.

Sunset on Kasshabog Lake

Dean and Wendy rented a cottage through Tim's last week of teaching and my last week before holidays. Luckily they found one within a half hour's drive of Lakefield on Kasshabog Lake, so Tim and I were able to go up Thursday night after his last day and I just went to work Friday from there. For future reference, one should NEVER drive behind Tim on cottage roads. Everything was so dry and he kicks up a huge dust cloud. My black car is now a dull shade of dingy charcoal. (Still, actually, since I haven't taken the time to wash it since we got back.)

Wendy and Dean enjoying some lakeside sun.

God, I love this face. 

A comparison:

Exhibit A: Rollwagen, Tim - A Tutorial

Exhibit B: Rollwagen, Dean - A Tutorial

Please notice the similarities in hand gestures here - classic Rollwagen Tutorial demonstration. Any time they break this out, feel free to let your mind wander while occasionally nodding and making interested noises. A Rollwagen Tutorial can cover many areas, however, perhaps even one you're interested in. Examples include how to cook something, how to build something, how to properly complete some feat of outdoorsmanship. The list could go on and on. 

Chris and Tim sitting lakeside

Thursday night was fairly low key. There was a lot of dock sitting and dock drinking. Some swimming and paddleboating. I went to bed early because I had to get up for work. Tim, Chris, Matt, and Teri all stayed up late around the fire drinking. 

How many Rollwagen men does it take to barbeque? Depends on how many are there. If one, then one. If four, then all four. 

Delicious results - ribs and steak!

Friday night, being our last night there, was a bit more hectic. Tim's friend Hugh had stopped over with his gorgeous pontoon boat to take us on a tour of the lake. He grew up with a cottage here and had lots of interesting stories about the various cottages and the lake itself. There were squatters and shipwrecks, islands for burning and islands with cottages that languished with never a visit from the owners. There were huge mansions and tiny little backwoods shacks. It was also interesting that we were able to see dust sheets across the water from the mine on the north shore of the lake. I originally thought it was mist on the water. Apparently the mine operator is supposed to water down the area, but it's just been so dry. Having worked for a roads department back in Georgian Bluffs (ah, the good ol' days), I know just how hard it is to keep that dust down in hot weather.

On the pontoon boat with Hugh - constant entertainment!

Jumping rock - Tim's daring dive!

Hugh showing the young boys how it's done.

Matt looking a bit like Peter Pan fluttering down.

And finally Chris doing a 50s style snorkelling dance while jumping.

Matt wasn't quite ready to leave after the high rock, so he found a lower rock to jump off of as well - love the shadow! Great form!

Ah, cottage life . . . 

I found this crazy mushroom growing right next to the cottage. It had pushed through the moss underneath a big pine tree. I must have cuaght it at the perfect time, though, because by Saturday morning it had blown out and wasn't this beautiful yellow colour at all. I'm still waiting for Drew Monkman to identify it for me. 

Tim, Chris, and I took the (insanely rickety) boat out fishing Friday night at dusk. I caught a couple of fish right away and then gave it up in favour of taking pictures of the boys. 

This fish's eyes were bigger than it's stomach. Or it's entire body.

Going fast!

Sun goes down, mosquitoes come out. 

Fishing by the light of the moon.

He's got one! I bet it's a rock bass. 

It's a rock bass.

Sad face - only rock bass all night for Chris.

Happy face! Tim wouldn't care even if he was only catching rock bass. It would still be the best thing EVER!

We had to pack up and leave Saturday, so Tim and I got an early morning start by jumping in the lake. The water was cool in the best possible way. We spent the rest of the day lazing around, fishing, paddleboating. Tim and I even found a big patch of wild blueberries that were actually ripe. It's so early in the season for late - probably about three to four weeks before they should be edible.

I predict a good part of Tim's summer off will be spent doing exactly this.

Tim's cottage feet. Ewww.

The boys also had to spend a portion of the day diving for Matt's sunglasses, which fell off when he jumped in the water. Surprisingly, he actually did manage to retrieve them, with the help of the neighbour's ultra-stylish goggles.

Matt in goggles! 

Matt's diving feet.

Tim getting ready for his attempt.

So, so special. 

Matt and Teri - so cute!

Finally to wrap up the day, Tim and I took a last spin around the lake. Tim wanted me to sit next to him, but I was terrified of the boat - with no weight at the front it felt like we were almost vertical and had no stability at all. While that might be Tim's idea of a good time, it is not mine.

Made for cottaging!

This weekend was the perfect start to our summer vacation. Thanks to Dean and Wendy for inviting us to come stay with them for a few days!

Wedding Season - Allie and Eric's Buck and Doe

I almost thought that I was going to Allie and Eric's buck and doe on Saturday night by myself. After a full day of Newfie Horseshoes and drinking, neither Tim nor I were really in any state to keep going. We fell asleep once we got home and when we woke up around 8:00, Tim actually thought it was the next morning and we had missed the whole thing!

While I got ready, he made a pot of coffee. I thought a shower would be more helpful, but he definitely won out - by the end of the night (who am I kidding? Twenty minutes in) I was absolutely exhausted and he had his second wind. 

Drunk love!

Tim picking numbers and cards and buying insurance and all sorts of other fun fundraising activities.

Allie and Eric were originally planning on holding the buck and doe at their own house, but eventually realized that that option might actually be more inconvenient than renting a venue. They (or perhaps the bridal party) chose the back room at Splice Lounge instead. It was a great choice!! 

Tim and all the ladies doing the toonie toss!

The buck and does I'm used to from back home are slightly different than they are here in Peterborough. back home, you generally make all your money through drink sales. You rent an arena or the community hall and all your slightest acquaintances show up. There are usually a couple of hundred people. But it's easier - when you live in a place where the nearest bar is a half hour's drive away, these parties are huge draws for people to come out and socialize.

In Peterborough, I've noticed it's more likely to be your closest friends attending - usually the ones that will be invited to the wedding. Also, most venues don't let you do your own bar, so you don't make money off of the drinks, or if you do it's only 25 or 50 cents. Most of the money at these events are through games. 

Blaire and the rest of the wedding party did a great job organizing various fundraising games. You could buy insurance that guaranteed you wouldn't have to eat something nasty, you could pick a card to win a $50 bill. There were 50/50 tickets and raffle tickets. There was a longest hula-hooping competition. You could pay to pop a balloon for a prize. As always, there were the toonie tosses. Plus there were lots of great prizes - lots of booze, a patio umbrella, golfing gear, beauty products. It was very well organized, and very well run. 

The space was also really great. Because fewer people here generally come - or they come and then leave, rather than staying the whole night - an arena or community hall is just a bad idea. You need a fairly intimate space that makes it feel like a party. There were lots of people at Allie and Eric's, but it definitely felt like a private party. The back room at Splice was just perfect. 

Male love dance photo courtesy of special guest photographer Blaire Yake

Once the buck and doe had wrapped up around 11:00, the boys had a crazy dance party and then we went to Riley's. It was a great night - now I just can't wait until the wedding!

Last Night's Dinner - Rotini with Garlic Scape Pesto, Garlic Scape Bread, and a Cherry Blueberry Salad with Almonds

While it still seems to be taking up a good portion of the fridge, Tim and I have started attacking the By the Bushel produce. It gives us a good reason to experiment with things. Tim especially likes this kind of explorative cooking. I like that it makes me find new recipes. 

Tim trying the rhubarb ginger syrup out with champagne. He liked it, I didn't - but I think that's because I don't really like champagne. I want to try the syrup with some tonic water and white rum, or maybe even with Sprite to give it some sweetness. 

Dinner!

Our starter salad - rip a bunch of mesclun greens into bite sized pieces. Pit some cherries and cut them in half. Add cherries and a handful of blueberries to salad. Whisk together even parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a little bit of truffle mustard. Season dressing with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Dress salad. Garnish with bacon bits, sliced almonds, and freshly grated parmegiano reggiano cheese.

Our main course was a garlic scape pesto pasta with garlic scape garlic bread. Tim wanted to make the pesto by hand, but I made him use the Magic Bullet instead, because I was really wanting to see how it worked. It was pretty cool - like a blender, there definitely needs to be enough liquid in there if you're working with wetish ingredients. Making the topping for the garlic bread didn't really puree the scapes at all, which was okay. The long pieces of scape actually looked really pretty.

Garlic Scape Garlic Bread

1/8 cup butter, softened

2 garlic scapes, cut into 2-3" pieces

2 cloves garlic

1 baguette, cut into thin slices on the diagonal

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Grated parmegiano reggiano

Preheat broiler in oven. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil.

Put butter, scapes, and garlic into Magic Bullet with cross blades. Pulse until garlic is minced and garlic scapes are broken down. Spread mixture on baguette slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with parmegiano reggiano. Put under broiler until cheese is bubbly - watch closely! Burns VERY quickly!

Rotini with Garlic Scape Pesto

Serves 4, or 2 with leftovers

1 lb rotini pasta

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 zucchini, cut lengthwise, then into 1 cm wide half-disks

1 bell pepper, cut into small chunks

1/2 bundle of garlic scapes

Generous handful of basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup of chunks of parmegiano reggiano

Olive oil

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

Season chicken with salt and pepper and saute until cooked over medium heat. Remove to a bowl and cover. In the same pan, saute zucchini and pepper with salt and pepper until tender. Add chicken back to vegetables.

In Magic Bullet, pulse scapes, basil, garlic, and parmegiano reggiano with enough olive oil to form a thick, chunky paste. Season with lots of salt and pepper. This will smell and taste VERY pungent at this point - don't worry. As soon as you apply heat the garlic scapes really come down in flavour.

Dump pasta into saute pan with veggies and chicken (or vice versa, if your saute pan isn't large enough). Add pesto to taste. Add some or all of the pasta water until you have coated all of the pasta mix with pesto. Taste for seasoning. Serve with freshly cracked black pepper and grated parmegiano reggiano.

Haircut!

 I only get my hair cut once every three months - it really doesn't grow that fast. Plus I don't really style it too often, so it usually isn't in too bad of condition. For some reason, though, this time I had split ends like crazy. Maybe I need to be better about taking my Biotin every single day.

The before version.

The after version - bye-bye dead ends!

I get my hair cut by Jessica at Catalina Salon and she's amazing. I wish my hair wasn't so fine and thin, but there's only so much she can do!

1st Annual Newfie Horseshoes Tournament

Hey everyone! Sorry about the delay - it was a busy weekend and I've been in training since with no time to write up blog posts. 

Part of the busy weekend was the first annual Newfie Horseshoes Tourney at Brian and Julie's. 

Chris taking a toss.

To those who aren't familiar with Newfie horseshoes, the target is a small square box with a cylinder inside. Instead of a horseshoe, you're throwing a small plastic-covered metal washer from a distance of 21 feet. If the washer lands inside the cylinder, you get 5 points. Inside the box but outside of the cylinder you receive 3 points. If you land outside of the box but touching the box or within a couple of millimeters of touching the box, you get one point.

The boys keeping cool with drinks - Jayden, Tim, Kirk, and Curtis.

Each team has two players. One player from each team goes to each end of the field. Players then rotate through throws. i.e. Player 1 from Team A throws, Player 1 from Team B throws, Player 2 from Team A throws, Player 2 from Team B throws. The first team to get to 21 points wins. If a player from one team makes a good throw for points, the points will be negated if the player from the other team manages to make a throw worth the same amount of points. 

Tim and I loving life in the beautiful weather!

The tournament was set up as a two-game knockout. Lose two and you're out. Unfortunately (I did warn him) Tim and I were the team that lost our first two games. 

Dave with a nice toss. 

The weather was absolutely gorgeous. It had been super hot earlier in the week and cooled down towards the weekend. Even still, it was HOT out there in the sun. There was a tiny bit of a breeze and it was perfect when the sun was behind a cloud. As you can see from these pictures, however, the clouds were pretty fluffy and the sun never stayed behind them long. 

Jimmy had quite the follow-through on his throws. 

The tournament board - Chilly Willy (Curtis and Brad) wound up taking home the cash at the end of the day.

Dave with an apparently successful toss.

There were a number of different throwing styles, some more successful than others. Brian did extremely well with his slight frisbee tossing method. I did much worse with my bowling-style toss. Tim told me I needed to get more flip in the washer. A lot of the guys seemed to have good success with a really high lofting throw.

The peanut gallery during games. There may have been a little heckling going on.

The whole crew post games, trying to get a little reprieve from the boiling sun. 

I'm not sure if my cheeks are sunburned or if I just have a bit of a drunk glow going on - there was a LOT of drinking going on. 

Mike may have fallen prey to the drinking and the sun.

Tim and Toby hanging out. 

Toby the Wonder-Dog! He actually had to stay inside most of the day, even though he didn't want to. It was way too hot outside for his moving mountain of fur. 

Tim saying goodbye to Parcells after a long afternoon. 

Brian and Julie also provided a BBQ of hamburgers and gigantic hot dogs, which was absolutely delicious. I can't wait until next year to go to the second annual! I might need to get some practicing in beforehand, though, or Tim will be kicking me off the team.