Opening Weekend

It's been exactly one month since my last post. Hard to believe.

After deciding it was time to stop letting snow get in our way, I'm happy to report we finally made the
familiar trip north last weekend for the first time in weeks. Thanks to our neighbour blowing out our driveway, the trip in was seamless. We arrived at the cabin to find it just as we left it. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the outhouse we were loaned last year. The weight of the snow was too much for it sometime in the last month causing its roof to collapse. I'm actually very surprised it didn't happen earlier in the season. We've had an incredible amount of snow.

Sarah joined us this weekend making her the Official First Guest Room Occupant™! The weekend involved vodka, Ikea furniture assembly (thanks Sarah!), snowshoeing, and a few rounds of Small World.

Oh, and an unfortunate incident involving me falling through ice. Spence and I really are meant for each other, aren't we? Next time I get water from the river, remind me to take a pole with me so I don't have to use my foot to test where the shore ends. Because here's a hint: when it ends, you go in. Luckily for me only one leg went in and only up to my thigh.

While I was in the water Sarah had to prompt me to let go of the watering cans and take her hand so she could help me out because all I could think was, "Wow, this is a great angle for filling the cans!" That's how I roll, folks.

Cue more vodka shots and some warm R&R inside the cabin. All in all it was an excellent opening weekend.

There have been some cougar sightings in the area so it's not wise to go into the bush unarmed.

The Polar Bear Club

To flush our toilet we fill watering cans from the river and manually pour it into the tank. We've never thought much of it, that is until the snow began to fall. The trip to the river got a bit harder each week and last week it took Spence almost an hour to come back with his haul.

This weekend, the temperature warmed up significantly turning the three or so feet of snow into a substance that was even more difficult to navigate. Yesterday when Spence strapped on his snowshoes and told me he'd be back soon, I nodded and returned my attention to the dresser I was assembling.

A while later I heard his footsteps outside the hallway door and got up to greet him. He looked exhausted. "If... you... fall... through the ice and into the river, the key is not to panic." Then I noticed that there was a steady stream of drops of water falling off his coat. He was soaked.

"All I could think was, 'I gotta get out! I gotta get out! Don't panic! Don't panic! I'm panicking,'" he continued.

Yup, Spence fell through the ice near the bridge and went in up to his armpits, snow pants, coat, snowshoes and all. "At least my hat's not wet!" he concluded. Have to love a man who thinks positively.

He managed to get the water too. Kicker is, though, when I went to use it a couple hours later the tank was empty. I went to fill it, but found the watering cans empty too. What happened? Spence had filled the tank, but a small stick had jammed the seal open ever so slightly. All the water he worked so hard to get had trickled out.

Sure, that was bad news, but on the plus side let's all congratulate the newest member of the Polar Bear Club!

As for me, I finished assembling the Ikea furniture and after three years of living out of a huge red duffle bag on weekends, we finally unpacked our clothes. It felt amazing.

I have to say that life at TP isn't always easy, but it's definitely interesting.

Spence's water collection uniform (pre-soaking)

Our brand new assembled dressers!

The Story of Brave

On a Saturday back in late fall Spence and I helped friends move to a town about half an hour away from TP. We spent that morning and most of the afternoon making trips between the house and moving truck. It was during one of those trips that a friendly kitten caught my attention. She was extremely skinny and amazingly affectionate; this was no barn cat. She leaned into me and let me take photos within the first minute I knew her.

We were told she was a stray and that two weeks prior she had been extremely emaciated. So much so that a gentleman living nearby had taken to leaving a bowl of yogurt and scraps out for her (the home he lives in has a strict no pets policy). She'd stuck around ever since and while she wasn't packing on weight, at least she wasn't losing any more.

With temperatures set to dip below freezing within days, Spence and I started talking about what we could do to help. With her weight being so low and no warm place to sleep, we were sure she was at risk of death. That afternoon I made a few calls and a neighbour in the city agreed to take her in temporarily while we found her a new home. It was a go! Spence and I picked up a crate and collar that afternoon, but because we didn't have a place to keep her overnight, we decided not to pick her up until Sunday evening when we were heading home. We couldn't risk taking her to the cabin with the dogs because we weren't sure how they'd get along, nor did we know if she had fleas or any other issues.

By the time we headed out on Sunday night, the sun had set and a heavy, cold rain was blasting the area. We thought we'd never find the cat we were now calling Sweetie. Despite it being a 30 minute detour, we decided to give it a try anyway. Once we arrived, we took deep breaths, pulled up our hoods and set out to find her. I hadn't taken two steps away from the car when I heard a meek meow. Then another. My eyes darted around in the dark trying to locate the source of the sound through the pitter-patter of the rain. There she was, standing four feet away from me on the stairs that lead to the front door. She'd come to greet us.

We didn't know what to expect when we tried to put her in her carrier since most cats will fight you tooth and nail to avoid that fate. Spence put on his work gloves and picked her up. She went limp. She made no attempt to stop him as he slowly guided her into what would be her new home for the next three hours. As he closed the door, she curled up into the towel we'd put in there and closed her eyes.

She didn't make a peep the whole way home. I think she knew she was finally safe and grateful to be warm.

Sweetie fit in at her foster's mom's house from the very beginning. She didn't fight with the other three cats opting to be a cuddlebug instead. Within two weeks, she'd been checked out by a vet (she got a clean bill of health!), had her shots, was spayed, and most importantly, she found a permanent home with two amazing people who renamed her "Brave" in honour of her story. They post photos of her once in a while which always make me smile. It's clear she's living a very happy life now and what could be better than that? She certainly earned it.

Photo credit: sandi_bean

Photo credit: shinelightshine

Photo credit: sandi_bean

Guest Room: The (almost) Final Chapter

I realized yesterday that I never posted pictures of the nearly completed guest room and that just won't do. A couple weeks ago we primed and painted and laid the floor. It made for a long couple of days and we were absolutely exhausted by the end of it, but it sure felt good when we finally got to sit down.

We didn't stay down long though. This was the weekend of the ice storm and we were very lucky to not lose power at Twin Ponds or in the city. Before we knew it, it was time to pack it in and make our way home. And that was when we learned another important lesson for country living.

We started down our driveway, slowly following the ruts in the ice and snow remaining from previous trips. We were 3/4 of the way to the road when we saw it: the weight of the ice had caused a tree to bend to an almost horizontal position which completely obstructed our path.

Spence skillfully backed up all the way to the cabin which is no small feat in the dark because of the driveway's twists and turns. The fact that it's flanked by many, many trees waiting for him to make the slightest mistake doesn't help either. Once back safely, he went to the shed and got our chainsaw which was unfortunately too cold to start. So into the cabin he went, turned on our construction heater, and waited. Five minutes later Spence was back on the porch, newly warmed chainsaw in hand. It started on the first pull. After a few revs that announced, "I'm ready for this!" he turned it off and put it in the trunk.

We headed back up the driveway and once we reached the slumping tree Spence hopped out. He started the chainsaw and a second later the first big branch was severed and the tree righted itself ever so slightly. By the time branch two hit the ground the tree was standing a little straighter once again. Now, to cut off the big branch that will surely let the tree right itself enough for us to pass. Spence raised his chainsaw and just as he was about to make contact the chainsaw sputtered out. Yup.

Luckily using some muscle he and I were able to push the tree out of the way enough to make it past, but it was a close one.

Moral of the story: always make sure you have enough gas. Some extra layers of clothes and a pair of work gloves won't hurt either.

Why Hello, Winter

Floor, floor, guess who has a floor! Spence and I laid the floor in our bedroom and the hallway this weekend. I wish we could say we're done, but we're one box short. Here's hoping Home Hardware still has that particular brand and colour in stock...

More importantly, Sunday marked the first time we stepped out of the cabin and did something not reno-related this winter: we went snowshoeing! We've both owned snowshoes for over a year now, but this was our first time strapping them on and hitting the trails. Mark came along on skis and together we made it almost all the way back to our property line. It felt like there was a bit of magic in the air as we carved a path through deep, untouched powder. Simply beautiful.

On the way home, the snow was coming down heavily and the roads were treacherous. We settled in for a long, slow drive home and turned up the tunes. While driving down a portion of road that often sees the worst conditions, we noticed a car that had spun out into the ditch. There was no one else around so Spence pulled over and went to see if he could help. Shortly after we'd stopped, another car came to a stop on the shoulder behind us. He too got out to see if he could help. The driver of the inoperative car was a woman who'd been driving all day having left Sault Ste. Marie that morning. She was only 10 minutes away from her destination when she lost traction and ended up in the ditch. She declined assistance since CAA were already on their way.

As Spence made his way across the street back to our car, someone else going in the other direction stopped and asked Spence if there was anything he could do to help. Only one car drove by without stopping while we were there. It's nice to see so many people take the time to lend a hand. It makes me smile.

Week 10: Winter Wonderland

.: December 19, 2010 :.

After work one evening early in December Spencer came out to the parking lot, got into the car, turned the key in the ignition, and muttered under his breath while the starter ground away without success. This was only the second time in almost nine years that the car hadn't started. Aside from the fact that it was cold and rainy this incident was particularly annoying, since it had come following what seemed to have been a series of small to medium to large repairs.

Forester to the rescue?

After Spencer took public transit home we started thinking about a replacement vehicle. Over the course of the next few days we considered a variety of makes and models and finally settled on the Subaru Forester. There were many reasons for our decision, not the least of which was its safety rating and all-wheel drive.

Fast forward about nine days: we indeed purchased the Forester and were delighted by how almost elegant the ride is. Of course that's measured in comparison to the old bucket of bolts, so perhaps we're overstating it. Regardless, we love it.

In the first week or so of having the car we were still undoubtedly looking through rose-coloured glasses. So when our region had its first real snow storm of the season, we were unphased. We even triumphantly declared that we were going to visit Twin Ponds, because our car could drive anywhere.

A beautiful sight

The drive there was a bit slow for the first half of the trip, but then traffic diminished and the weather cleared allowing us to reach the concession road in much better time than we had anticipated. On the way we remarked at the amount of snow that had fallen in the area, although we really had no idea what to expect at the property.

The concession road had been plowed in the morning and in the intervening hours more snow had accumulated making the roads a little unpredictable. Luckily for us the Forester handled the white-packed surface very well. After the familiar 8.2 km drive we arrived to see the driveway and the new gate decorated with snow. Lots and lots of snow. But that didn't matter, because we were driving a Forester!

SNOOOOOOOW

Spencer cautiously turned off the concession road into the driveway and immediately stopped the car. He was concerned that the slope on the driveway presented a potential hazard - he didn't want the vehicle to slip into the newly installed gate. That was when we discovered that short of a Sherman tank it didn't matter what you were driving, you were going to get stuck.

The small detail Spencer had forgotten was that the snow plowed off the road had settled in the depression in the driveway causing an abnormally deep well of the white stuff. In short the Forester was (almost inextricably) stuck. And in true Urbanite fashion neither of us was wearing proper winter gear. In his high-top leather Converse Allstars and leather jacket Spencer trekked to the chalet to get the shovel we had (luckily) bought in September.

Peaceful ponds

Until this predicament he had never really appreciated how long the drive from the gate to the cabin is. That became readily apparent while trudging through 2-foot deep snow in running shoes, particularly at that moment when, while coming around the corner of the clearing, Spencer realized he'd left his keys in the car. Fortunately the shovel had been stored in the metal shed (we'd been too lazy to take it into the cabin), so after another long walk back Spencer spent the next 45 minutes digging the car out of the snow. It was also fortunate because Sim wanted to get a picture of the chalet under the unspoiled new snow.

Once that had been taken care of we and the dogs all trudged through the deep snow and made it to the cabin. Spencer (who had already seen it) waited for Sim to catch up. He wanted to see the look on her face as she experienced that virginal glimpse of the cabin under such pristine whiteness.

It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Bubbles!

Actually getting across the deck and through the front door was a bit of a challenge, especially for Bubbles, who had some difficulty navigating through the accumulated snow on the deck. Once inside we didn't stay long. It was cold and Spencer's feet were all wet from the walks to and from the cabin and working to free the Forester. We did, however, have the opportunity to show Jasmine and Bandet the gorgeous snow on the ponds and get some pictures.

After a few minutes we locked the place up and headed through the deep snow back to the car, which we had left on the street side of the gate (we weren't about to risk getting stuck again).

Glad to be back in the car's coziness, we headed home yet again.

Week 6: Blame it on the Rain

Chainsaw time!

Our trip up north on week 6 was like most others: a stop at Burger King for some Croissan'Wiches followed by a casual drive to the cabin. One thing that varied from the norm was that Luke accompanied us. As Twin Ponds is quickly becoming one of our favourite places, being able to share it with family and friends is one of the few things that makes spending time there even better. We were glad to have him along, not only because of his work ethic, but also because, well, he's entertaining.

Upon reaching the end of our familiar, worn drive we all hopped out of the car and got to work.

The first order of business was cutting down what was left of a tree that had perished at some undetermined point in the recent past. It had inconveniently taken root immediately on the other side of the kitchen wall so its early demise was not unwelcome. Spencer and Luke took this opportunity to start a much needed wood pile (which no doubt will come in handy as cooler temperatures arrive). After cutting down the tree initially, they spent the next half hour chopping it up into small pieces. Spencer grinned as he wielded his chainsaw while Luke made quick work of the logs by chopping them into smaller pieces with his trusty axe.  In fact, he actually managed to crack not only the wood, but the rock he was using as a base! Before we knew it a nice pile had formed inside the metal shed that sits beside the cabin.

And, of course, a little axe time

While the guys worked outside Sim decided to assemble a recently purchased coffee table. Although it's certainly too early to start furnishing the cabin (what with the lack of floor, water, and insulation...), we had previously decided that a coffee table would be a welcome early addition to serve as a place to store the various stuff we bring with us each week -- be it bags, snacks, or, most importantly, beer.

With the table completed and wood chopped it was time for a hike. Although it had been raining most of the day, we decided we didn't care. The allure of exploring the unexplored was simply too much. One small problem though: Luke had no rubber boots. His white running shoes were surely the wrong choice for the rainy day we'd faced so far, so we decided to make a quick trip into town to acquire the crucial articles.

One of the many advantages of the cabin's bucolic setting is the distinct lack of traffic. A trip into town always takes the same amount of time regardless of the hour. It's small point of interest for locals (if it's even noticed at all), but for us it's a dream come true.

Forty minutes later the three of us were walking down the main path that leads to the ponds and river. Much to our surprise (and pleasure!) the rain decided to let up for the first time that day. Indeed, the sun even greeted us at one point! The next two hours were spent exploring the various main paths and trying to understand where the property lines are. We never did get an answer to the latter question and therefore decided a survey may be in our near future.

Climbing high... or not

Luke spent our hike exploring various hidden treasures along the path: a huge old tree stump, enjoying some fresh, cold stream water, even making friends with a dragonfly which landed on his shirt (which stayed there for at least 15 minutes to enjoy the trip). At one point we approached the western boundary of the property and came across the tree fort Sim and Spencer had previously seen. Spencer was tempted to remove the ladder, since he was convinced that hunters use it, but elected to leave it be due to an obscure (but discernible) fear of evoking retribution by the locals who had probably lived in the neighbourhood for decades and who had come to consider using it as their inalienable right. We'll figure out how to deal with these issues over time.

Eventually we came across the cute little stream Sim and Spencer had seen on their first exploration through the forest. There it was - trickling crisp, cold, and clear water along the slight grade of the hill. At the point it met the trail it was obvious that someone had installed a culvert to ensure its survival and indeed, the water emerging out of the other end of the ridged pipe continued its flow easily downhill. Unfortunately the soil around the entrance to the culvert had disintegrated and the water was beginning to eddy around it. Luke and Spencer therefore dug a diverting channel so that the excess flow could rejoin the stream below the culvert exit. On the way back to the cabin a little while later we were gratified to see that our method had taken. The Stream was safe.

A new table and some beer

Jasmine, in turn, had a very different experience on the hike. Having consumed some wild mushrooms before any of us could intervene, she spent the journey back teetering between stumbling around as if drunk and experiencing an uncomfortable combination of projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea. Being the tough trooper that she is, though, she refused to lag behind and we encouraged her to drink the water of life from the Stream we'd visited earlier on our little sojourn. She made it back to the cabin under her own power at which point she promptly laid down for the rest of the afternoon.

As we crossed the bridge to return to the cabin Luke decided it was time for a swim. Sure, it was cold out and the water was even colder, but hey, we're here, right? In the interest of doing the experience justice, we've embedded a video of the event below. Check it out - it speaks for itself.  Did we mention it was cold?

A bon fire was next. Even though the wood was wet, Spencer and Luke wasted no time getting the flames going. Before long a fire blazed between Pond Superior and Peanut Pond. Quietly enjoying the heat, sights, and sounds of the fire we watched as fog gradually grew over Pond Superior and deliberately swirled above the surface of the water. A perfect afternoon.

Before too long we found ourselves back in the car heading home. Our traditional A&W stop, during which Luke ate more food than we thought possible, was once again the highlight of an otherwise uneventful ride home.

Week 3, Day 2: Sunrise

Morning fog

We woke up fairly early on Sunday morning. The air was cold. We had both slept somewhat fitfully; the ground was harder than our sleeping bags were soft and neither of us was used to the spartan padding. Spencer hadn't really suffered from the crisp temperature, but Sim's feet and toes were cold which made sleeping for her difficult.

Spencer arose before Sim and went to the ponds to prepare the morning fire. Sim joined him shortly thereafter and they enjoyed the warmth of the fledgling fire while watching the mist over the water under the morning sky, whose sun hadn't risen over the ridge to the west of Pond Superior yet. A little while later Luke joined them after having a less than comforting sleep himself. Although he typically has an unusually high metabolism and body heat, the cold dampness of the night seized on him unexpectedly. Perhaps he should have slept with more than just a single sheet...

We all enjoyed the morning and after a while went back to Tim Horton's for breakfast.

Our very own Dr. Doolittle

Returning to the estate we had no specific agenda. Instead we attended to one thing or another as our mood saw fit, including more sanding and staining and general cleaning around the cabin. Luke and Spencer spent more time in the river under the warm sky playing with the fish and other marine life.

Over the course of the day, and in fact the whole weekend, Luke had been busy channeling Dr. Doolittle. That is to say that he was at one with the animal kingdom. In short, he had befriended four fishes, two crayfish, one baby monarch butterfly, a little frog, and a snake. Quite impressive actually!

By late afternoon we were all pretty much done so we decided to pack it up once again and head out. It should be noted here that on our way home we stopped at A&W to enjoy their epicurean delights. One of many stops there to be sure - it's quickly becoming a family favourite.

Another satisfying stay under our belts. Twin Ponds was slowly changing a posse ad esse.

Week 2: The Journey of 1000 Miles

Our driveway

Although we certainly cannot be considered advocates of communism, we have to admit that Mao was right: the longest journey does begin with one step. It then continues with many more.

On our second trip to Twin Ponds we had already arranged to meet with its former owner - a gentleman named Peter. We had been notified the week after closing that he had been diagnosed with cancer and was starting chemo treatments. Accordingly, we had decided to say nothing about his belongings still being in the cabin and elsewhere on the property until we knew exactly what was going to happen. Given his condition, it's particularly extraordinary that he took the time to pay us a visit.

A slight digression is necessary here. On our way up north on Saturday morning we stopped at the Home Depot in Guelph and sought out a few tools and other items, not the least of which was a power sander which we wanted for the adirondack chairs since they really needed to be spruced up (they're made out of pine). More on the sanding later.

We were also shopping for a chainsaw and chainsaw accessories. This was no small event. Spencer had made it known to Sim that for as long as he could remember he'd always wanted a reason to have a chainsaw. So, knowing we intended to buy one (we'd previously seen some at Canadian Tire but had decided to wait) Sim had done sufficient consumer research to help us decide on the make and model. Luckily for us Home Depot had our target model in stock and we took no time in pulling the last one they had out from under a shelf (and it is noteworthy that to get it we had to cut across a store-long line of people waiting, all of whom were purchasing toilets on special for $39 - never seen anything like it).

Now some of you who know Spencer are probably saying to yourselves, "Spencer and a chainsaw. Not a great combination." All we can say is we'll see. We'll see.

So what has that got to do with Peter? Well, Spencer was busily trying to assemble the chainsaw (remember, it was his first, so he was being gentle/careful) when Peter and his companion Carol arrived. Sim was at the ponds at that moment so Spencer left his task to go greet them and called Sim over. Peter excused himself for not being able to speak very well due to his cancer, but he needn't have bothered. He was kind and polite and we were eagerly awaiting the morsels of background on Twin Ponds without any concern about the quality of his voice, so long as we could understand him.

Out standing in his field

Peter was a sweetheart. It quickly became clear from talking with him that he loved Twin Ponds (which, in case it isn't clear, is the moniker we chose) and the surroundings. He had plenty of tidbits of advice for us as well. The most interesting was his austere warning to always remember that although we might be owners in the community, we "would never be one of them."

He told us about the various wildlife on the property and that we could expect to see wild turkeys, coyotes, bears, white-tailed deer, beavers, muskrats, grouse, and especially rabbits. We learned of the conservation plan affecting the property and that it was actually good for the forest to cut down trees intermittently. Also, in Field of Dreams fashion Carol imparted to Sim some advice about tending the fish: if you feed them, they will come.

One thing which dismayed us was the vandalism that Peter described. He showed us how vandals had broken some of the front window panes and had kicked in (and split) the front door. Hunters had also shot holes in his paddle boat. We thus decided that we would take measures to minimize such wanton destruction - a subject on which we will have some discourse in due course.

Be that as it may, it was a very pleasant visit. Peter promised to have his forces remove his decades of collected miscellany, except of course the bed and the adirondack chairs. There were some parting pleasantries, among which was Peter's kind words of gratitude for buying the property "for the right reasons." He and Carol had disclosed how they had had many family activities at Twin Ponds and wished us many happy memories too. They drove away slowly down the lane, almost as if they were asking themselves whether this would be the last time they would see the place, and then were gone.

Sim had intended to work on the sanding, but alas there was no electricity (more on that in another post perhaps), so her plans were foiled. Meanwhile Spencer returned to his chainsaw. Seeing as how he had assembled it just prior to Peter and Carol's arrival, the only thing left to be done was to fill it with 2-stroke gas/oil mix, don protective eyewear and earmuffs and let 'er rip, which is exactly what he did.

Once again, for those of you who know Spencer, you're probably asking yourselves (and if you're not, you should be), "What can go wrong?" To most of you the answer would seem obvious: he's going to maim himself or cut off his {insert name of body part here}. Well, nothing quite that dramatic happened. Instead, while triumphantly wielding the chainsaw in true "watch me conquer the world" fashion for Sim to see...

...the chain fell off...

and Spencer was standing there holding a chainless chainsaw against a dead tree limb watching it bounce back and forth as uselessly as a screen door on a submarine.

Thinking about sanding while watching the chainsaw show

After assessing the problem and determining its cause it became clear that the chainguard had not been properly secured. You see, that was what Spencer had been in the process of doing when Peter and Carol had arrived. And that was what Spencer had forgotten he'd been doing by the time Peter and Carol left.

Several minutes later (after having successfully become intimate friends with the forest floor while scouring it for a missing bolt), the chain was back on and ready for action. Spencer once again wields the chainsaw, brings it down against the tree limb, and desperately holds on to the chainsaw when it bounces off. Again.

In his frustration Spencer had installed the chain assembly upside down, which meant that the chain was backwards and was once again as useful as a bandaid on a corpse. Luckily, the situation was remedied quickly and after only a few more minutes there were copious amounts of sweat, cut lumber, and sawdust everywhere. How glorious it was (finally)!

No doubt much more could be said (including how Spencer ignored Sim's advice about what to do with the tree clippings and then paid the price), but you probably get the picture.

After watching the fish for a while and (Spencer) taking a quick dip in the river to clean off the sawdust and sweat, we packed up our stuff and, feeling rather accomplished, headed back to the Big Smoke for yet another week. We shouldn't fail to mention, however, that on the way back to the cabin from the river we stopped to see the fish in Pond Superior. It was then that Spencer suffered his injury. Walking towards the pond he jammed his right shin into a tree root sticking out of the ground. Congratulations - you can wield a chainsaw but you can't walk. Time to go home.

Take that, Mao. Two steps forward, and only one step back. Ha!

Week 1: Intimidation

You know how sometimes when you have a big project at work you look at it and feel like you don't know where to start?

We went to Twin Ponds the day after closing, prior to which we'd come to an agreement with the former owner that he would make sure all his stuff was removed (with a few specific exceptions). This was no small issue for us - when we saw the place on day 1 it looked like the owner was a bit of a collector. There were all kinds of things in each and every corner of not only the cabin, but the yard, the metal shed, and the wood shed. The stuff was mostly ancient and dustbound, although it could be said that it was transgenerational (read: originating from various times between the Korean war era and today). Perhaps what was so imposing was the quantity. Very overwhelming.

So it was with a slight amount of trepidation that we opened the front door of the cabin that first day after closing, not knowing whether the place would truly be ours or whether there would be lingering traces of previous occupation and ownership. And there it was. Almost exactly the same as it had been when we first saw it.

The thing is that while we harbored no ill-will for this regrettable turn of events (after all, the seller was very patient with us and even agreed to close with a week's notice once we finally secured funding), we did not feel like Twin Ponds truly was ours. Instead there was some unspecific discomfiture. Part of it was doubtlessly related to the fact that while the other guy's stuff was still there we couldn't make any progress. We were in neutral with no stickshift.

It wasn't a complete wash though. We had a couple of minor but remarkable experiences that first day.

First, on our way to the cabin we stopped at Canadian Tire for some supplies, the most important of which were the rubber boots, the hatchet, and the axe.

Second, to quell our curiosity about the property we went exploring. It was a great little outing: in our rubber boots we started out by following what seemed more or less to be a path and on our return kinda got lost. There were a few moments there where it was touch and go, but we had a general idea about our geography and, being two relatively intelligent people (ha!), we figured it out before dark set in. Jasmine wasn't lost at any point - she just put up with us and rolled her eyes. Spencer had fun with his hatchet, even though he tried cutting a branch off a tree lying on the ground and the blade of the hatchet struck a rock instead.

Having crossed the bridge over the river we headed back to the cabin. To our delight Sim noticed fish in Pond Superior. And they looked like koi! Both ponds have them and in good numbers. What a bonus.

Thus, our first visit to our cabin was a little short-lived. Having nothing more to really do, we went back to Toronto.

In the Face of Adversity

So within an hour of seeing Twin Ponds for the first time we were in Ed's office making an offer to purchase the property. Little did we know that the certainty we had about this acquisition would in short order become anxiety thanks to the unreliability of a certain financial institution which shall remain nameless (we're looking at you, ING) and other factors beyond our control.

Luckily for us the stars were properly aligned and everything that we needed to fall into place for the financial arrangements to work out did indeed come together. It took a little longer than expected, however. We had to delay our closing for over a month and, to our chagrin, had to agree to let the seller sell it to someone else if the seller found another buyer in the meantime.

Fortunately that didn't happen. Our arrangements came together and then faster than you could shake a stick, Twin Ponds was ours.

Birth of an Adventure

It started with the seed of an idea and grew into a big reality. One hundred (that's right - 100!) acres of reality. To put it into perspective that is equal to 100 football fields. Just thinking about that now is a bit mind boggling. What the hell are we going to do with that much land?

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's go back to the real beginning.

Last spring Sim was serving as a bridesmaid for a friend's wedding. One of the pre-nuptial celebratory events was a weekend bachelorette held in a rural setting, which corresponded to the "cowboy/cowgirl" theme the other bridesmaids had thought up. Sim was so impressed by the peaceful environment that when the weekend was over she decided to delve into the properties in the area that were available.

Sim found a number of promising prospects, but only one really stood out as a great looking place with great value for the money. Plus it had twin ponds and a river. So she showed it to Spencer and it was an immediate hit.

By the following weekend we had already arranged for a broker, Ed, to show us the place. He was very nice and in fact agreed to take time out of his Father's Day to do so. So we got up early that morning and drove north to see what this place was really like.

We had arranged to meet Ed at a place called the Varney Inn. We arrived a little early so we hung out and let Jasmine run around while we waited for Ed to show up. Once he did, we were on our way. In just a few minutes we turned off the main highway onto a gravelly and bumpy local road in keen anticipation of seeing what could possibly be our first cottage property.

Upon our arrival we drove slowly down a long, tree-covered lane which brought us into the heart of the property. We stopped and just to our right in a small clearing in the impressive forest stood the A-frame cabin, beckoning us to come, take a look, and fall in love.

And fall in love we did.