A Trip to Saskatchewans North
Sunset and a Dragon Fly. A late evening picture of the bay just outside our little cabin #4
Well hello from the other side.. of this blog :)
As Adeles 2 hour TV special promo echos in my kitchen, and her song Easy on Me plays for the 150th time this morning, all verbiage that pops in my head seems too morph into an Adele lyric.
Trying to think of how to introduce this little blog on our summer trip to a fly in camp on Careen lake in Canadas North.
But I think I will let the photos speak for themselves.
The family
The Camp
A barren shore line devastated by forest fire on Careen Lake in Northern Saskatchewan
A thick treed, rocky island we passed by while boating.
My COVID Chronicles - Our little shack
Hey there, it’s me again. Just checking in after a few days at the cabin. A quick visual below. It’s nothing fancy but we still pinch ourselves and we love it all the same. As you can see it’s not the kind of cabin with a guest house, 6 bedrooms, and a dishwasher. There is no running water in the winter, and no furnace. We do love going out there and roughing it. It’s so tranquil and beautiful, especially in the winter.
It is our first year of cabin ownership. Hence the lack of seasonal winter photos.
The fireplace keeps us toasty warm. Oh and did you know there is such thing as a toilet seat that snaps onto a 5 gallon pail?
Yup there is. It’s quite comfortable. And there are bags special made for what you do when you sit on that old 5 gallon pail, strategically placed in our bathroom.
It’s our little shack on the lake.
We stayed there for as many days as we could muster with no shower, limited water, grocery supplies, and a shit pail.
Sorry for the visual.
I’m still having waves of crushing anxiety combined with dooms day scenario’s ripping through my brain. I have an involuntary eye twitch that has just returned. Mostly I just worry about the financial impact of all this.
I’m really trying to subdue this foreboding trepidation with something other than weed and wine.
Just kidding.. I also do yoga and I love to get outdoors, but somedays the need to self medicate is just too strong ;)
But out here, you could almost forget about that world wide pandemic spreading across our planet. Isolating was a whole lot easier. Especially the way we smelled. Just kidding we don’t smell. Well, maybe a bit.
A Seasonal Rant With A Side Of Tea
Well I don’t know about you but I’m feeling this whole summer thing came and went way to fast. There has been no gradual easing into the crisp cool of fall.
Leaves are turning scarlet and crimson, they magically lull me into seasonal tolerance. Yes it’s beautiful, but I am never ready to say goodbye to summer. Never.
A list of some of my favourite coping rituals for easing into the fall season, below.
1. Morning coffee on the deck - although this takes place lately in toque, mitts, and a blanket. I stay true to this ritual until there is risk of frozen appendages.
2. Hot tub - It keeps ya toasty warm but still feels like i’m indulging in an outdoor activity.
3. Shopping for fall wardrobe - Although the fall thing is depressing, the shopping is therapeutic. And I always need a new sweater.
4. BBQ’ing - Until -40 and deathly wind chills make this favourite summer past time impossible.
5. Sunday cooking in my kitchen- Fresh summer produce, and cooler temps make Sunday Funday in my cozy kitchen a must.
6. Drink wine - Although not a seasonally specific past time, it goes exceptionally well with all of the activities listed above.
Enjoy -
xo Tam
YOGI TEA
In big soup pot full of water
WholeBlack peppercorns - about 20
Whole cloves - 15’ish
Whole Cardamom pods split (smack with the flat of a knife) about 20
Cinnamon 3 - 5 sticks
Ginger root - no need to peel. Slice the ginger about 8 slices (I keep mine in the freezer)
Black tea bag
Low boil for 30 - 45 minutes
then add tea bag
low simmer for another 30 mins or more depending on how strong you like your tea
Smells amazing!
Strain it through a mesh strainer and discard.
Pour into mason jars - I use a glass 4 cup measuring cup
Store in fridge
Drink hot (reheat in small pot) microwave not recommended.
Just as delicious cold
Summer in the Sask
Two things I know for sure. Summer is most definitely the best season of all in here in Saskatoon. But the heat can be downright oppressive when one is not prepared, nor climatized.. or summerized if you will.
And winter weather sucks ballz.. In a -- My skin on my face hurts and my lungs are collapsing from frozen air inhalation kind of way.
And the reason for this opinionated outburst? Perhaps the fact that upon writing this, it had been in the plus 30's for over a week, and in home air conditioning is a luxury I do not possess. Dyson and I are having a turbulent love affair. It’s like he gets me, like really gets me. Don’t tell Brad.
Oh yes I do have air in my SUV, and the trailer. Living the dream people. It is not unusual to see me driving around aimlessly in 30+ above. Or taking a random road trip to the lake, so my trailer can become my editing cave until mother nature regulates herself.
And really is it that bad? Probably not. But in my defence I am a Canadian girl, born and raised, and we just are not used to long stretches of intense jungle heat with hormonal hot flashes on the side. I am used to sledding, snow banks, blizzards, and frosty beer by the backyard fire pit. Between the hours of 2pm and 11:01 What can I say I'm a rebel.. ( damn you city of saskatoon)
Thats Abby, clearly annoyed by the 2pm - 11pm Fire pit burning bylaw
Now it may seem like I’m bitching. I kinda am, but deep down, not really. Just voicing my discomfort and sweaty distress. There is a difference.
Here is what makes this perspiring, peri-menopausal, on the verge of self combustion - glorious bitch smile.
I swear I’m more creative in the summer. Ok probably not. But it feels that way. It’s the energy in the air, and it changes for sure. That chillin’ summer vibe if you will. The newly emerged greenery and all that springs to life after the chilly winter slumber.
Or maybe it's our mischievous, backyard, nut hunting Squirrels hopping and running along the top of our fence tormenting our dogs.
It's most definitely our delicious bountiful gardens, and giant shady trees. Camping and campfires. The smell of fresh cut grass, rolling thunder and fresh rains. Walks along the South Sask river.
My overgrown ferns to my right, rustling in the breeze, and straight ahead our giant towering poplar with leaves waving. They sound like ocean waves rolling up to shore. And all this as I sit outside, under my gazebo, writing these words.
And nothing tops our bright burning, horizon dominating sunsets, hence the handle "land of living skies".
Ahhh yes, it's summertime.
With heat stroke looming I need to remind myself that our summer heat waves are so worth it. And there are always a million and one kick ass things, (slight exaggeration but it's how I roll), going on here in this great city/province this time of year. It's like we need to cram every festival and function into a hot and steamy 2 month period. Without a doubt there is something for everyone.
Jazz Festival, music festivals, food festivals, Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan , PrairieLilly river tour, hiking, camping, Lake life, ball games, football, picnics, BBQ’s .. Over 100,000 lakes, Waterfalls, ancient ruins, art galleries, museums, micro breweries, wineries, canoe trips, Kayaking, amazing golf courses, You get the idea.
Jazz Fest dog - On a side note, bangs can be such a commitment.
Oh Saskatoon, you really are absolutely beautiful in the summertime with a river running through it all.
Breathe deep and soak it up my friends. It always seems to go by way to fast. That miserable ass old man Winter is lurking in the background awaiting his icy return.
So despite my temperature discomfort, am I gonna let this heat keep me down? Hell no!
Am I going to run naked through town square?? Still nope! Ok the thought may have crossed my mind but I am fairly modest, and not that hormonally unstable, yet. And does Saskatoon even have a time square?
I do love this place in all it’s summer glory. It is, despite my rant my most favourite time of year. I hope if you ever come to visit, you get to enjoy every perfect hot steamy moment, sprinkled with a few of our awe inspiring sunsets.
xx TD
Stephanie + Adam
Every little detail of this day made me want to go back and do my wedding day over again. Well maybe not, all over again, But it was perfectly prairie, and perfectly lovely in every way.
These guys were so much fun! Lots of laughs & cheers.
Some last minute speech writing.
Back to the bride I go
Party bus
Congratulations you two! Wishing you forever happiness + endless love
XX-TD
Farm House
Some of the coolest little adventures come from exploring the mundane and everyday. So when my husband suggested taking a little detour on our way home to Saskatoon, for my own selfish reasons, I was all for it- its the photographer in me.
Front door was open
We were straying off the beaten path to visit the house he lived in as a small boy; An old abandoned farm house in the middle of the prairies? Hell ya.
Green grassy prairies in July
Sask. born and raised, I’m no stranger to old farm yards and the abandoned dwellings that scatter our countryside. The prairies are full of them. But this would have some sentimental value and memories. For Brad, because this is where he spent part of his childhood. And for me, reminiscing about the adventures in exploring old abandoned farmhouses as a young girl with my dad.
This dreary rainy day complimented perfectly the lonely emptiness of this deserted house quietly awaiting our intrusion. Pulling into the abandoned yard Brad maneuvered the truck through the bumpy overgrown field, grass as tall as my waist.
The old farm house
Getting inside was somewhat treacherous! I'm going to admit the flip flops and camera dangling from my neck were not conducive to the task. If ever there was a Kodak moment this was it. God bless a patient husband.. There was a slanted plank propped from ground to the door threshold, that was slippery as hell from all the rain, front entry steps long gone.We strategically assisted one another, (insert husband rolling eyes here) in scaling the slippery slope up into the dilapidated front entrance.
The stairs
Some Old technology left behind.
Cracked, peeling, and in need of love. If these walls could talk.
Ceilings caving in, and bird droppings piled high throughout. Broken windows and peeling wall paper. This place couldn't be more perfect, in all its dilapidated splendour.
The pink room- I'm no interior decorator but that curtain might be a little small..
Remnants of a growing family, an old growth chart still penciled on the inside wall of the upstairs bedroom closet.
Brad - He's so proud
Growth chart penciled inside the upstairs closet
I’m having a bit of a small love affair with the windows in this place.
Room with a view - One of the upstairs bedrooms
Another room with a view of the surrounding Canola fields
My partner in crime decided our time was up and so we hit the road. I really do love Saskatchewan in the summer time!
Backroads & rain drops
Happy trails to you... until, we meet, again-