First week of 2015 on a beach!

Okay...so I got part of it right.

I spent most of the first full week of the New Year on a beach.  How exotic!  The only thing, it was a frozen beach.  And when I say frozen, I don't mean Frozen as in Olaf and Elsa and the crew.

I have a home on a lake about 3 hours north of Toronto.  Most winters I venture up there to enjoy the weather from 'another world' perspective at least once, if not more.  The difference between the weather in southern Ontario and north-central Ontario is incredible.  While the ground in the south can be barely covered in snow, just 50 kilometres away things can be very different.

Now this was not a spa vacation with fine dining.  The house is well appointed, but not luxurious and I was the cook.  It was a great getaway.  It always is.

While there the first deep freeze of 2015 hit.  One morning when I woke up the outside temperature was -28C.  With the windchill it was -38C.  Luckily the inside temperature was cool and turning up the thermostat made it more comfortable.

It was nice to relax in the warmth and look out at the snow that covered the ground and the lake.  Occasional walks in the outdoors were enjoyable, especially as the snow crunched under your feet.  The peace and tranquility of the spot is wonderful.

The full moon shining through the trees at the back of the property gave a nice effect one night.  At another point it shone brightly from across the lake.










This 'time out' reminded again me that:

•  while nice, you don't need to hit a tropical beach to relax;  
• the simpler things in life are quite enjoyable;
• you don't need to travel thousands of kilometres to have a good holiday.