10) Winter Getaways

(Picture taken from Esterel Website)

Winter Getaways

A memoir by Chantal Bellehumeur

 

My husband Jeff and I had spent some time in the Laurentiens during the summer as well as the fall of 2015, and planned on going again in the new year for a winter getaway.

 

We first talked about going back to the Tremblant Ranch with my fifteen year old son Aidan and go horseback riding again, but seeing that it was out in the middle of the woods we were afraid that the weather might cause us problems getting there or back home.  We never knew when a snowstorm could occur or the roads could freeze and become dangerous.  Horseback ridding in a blizzard obviously wouldn't be pleasant either.  Planning ahead of time was difficult.

 

I looked into some hotels in St-Sauveur, thinking we could all go tubbing for a few hours and spend the night in town.  I also proposed that Jeff and Aidan go skiing or snowboarding together one afternoon while I stayed indoors by a nice fire to read a good book or do some writing. Of course, those activities required snow and Mother Nature was playing tricks on us so it would have been hard to plan ahead for this too.

 

Plus, although my son looked mildly interested in the outdoor activities I proposed, he didn't seem too eager to get away at a hotel with Jeff and I.  We probably would have booked separate rooms, but I don't think Aidan would have enjoyed the relaxing moments as much as Jeff and I.  So, I figured that if we ended up doing winter activities as a family, we should just head out to have fun and come back home the same day.  

 

We actually ended up going to the ranch with Aidan at the end of January to do a one hour horseback riding expedition in the woods.  We made the plans a day in advance, knowing the weather would be ideal to travel and also be outdoors.  The roads ended up being nice as there was no slush or slippery ice on them.  Sand had been placed on the asphalt of some streets to minimize the chances of car accidents.

 

The three of us left for Val-des-Lacs shortly passed eleven o'clock on the Sunday morning of January 31 2016, and we saw some huge chunks of glittering ice on the rock formations when we rode on the busy highway in the Laurentiens.  We also saw some skiers moving rapidly down the many snowy slopes in the distance. The mountains looked quite lovely with the green pines and naked trees powdered in light snow. 

 

We stopped in St-Adele for lunch.  Knowing that Aidan would not be in the mood to do much walking around or exploring, we went directly to a cafe/restaurant/bakery Jeff and I had been to earlier in the fall and liked.  The place was packed and their heated terrace was closed for some reason so we had to wait a few minutes to be seated. 

 

As we patiently waited by the nice glass displays of chocolates and pies as well as a large orange juice machine, we noticed that all the waitresses were wearing crafty looking crowns with hearts on them. Jeff thought it was because there was a kids birthday party upstairs. We could hear a lot of children talking and laughing over adult voices, and see staff members rushing up and down the stairs that appeared to be barred to the public because a thick rope was attached horizontally across the walls of the staircase.  The waitresses had to detach it every time they wanted to go up or leave the staircase. I assumed correctly that the crowns were worn because Valentine's Day was approaching.

 

When we were brought upstairs of the old building, where there was no party but just as many people as if there was, we saw that there was an opening in the centre of the floor with a wooden safety gate around it.  Each thick pole had a big Valentine's Day gift bag on it and we wondered how they stayed in place.  In the middle of the opening, there were two fake life sized reindeers on a flat surface.  I presumed it was another temporary display.  On the ceiling, large fake snowballs with pinecones as well as big flat snowflakes were hanging from thin strings.

 

While sitting at a table near an open door that led to a fire escape, I read on one of the many blackboards that the restaurant's French name, La farandole, was a type of dance in which you hold hands. 

 

After looking at the many choices on the two sided menu more than once, we all ended up ordering the exact same bacon and eggs breakfast.  It came with home fries as well as slices of pineapple, watermelon, and cantaloupe.

 

I asked for a small glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to go with my meal.  Aidan had one later when Jeff was enjoying his second cup of strong coffee and myself my first because the busy young waitress had forgotten to bring mine earlier on.  My son is not a fan of orange pulp so Jeff and I ended up finishing his juice.

 

Jeff and I experienced the restaurant's bread bar which basically consisted of us choosing slices of white or whole wheat bread from a large weaved basket with a metal tong and putting them on a big toaster.  It was neat to watch the hot metallic grill turn and spit out toast onto a metal tray.  I had mine with butter and marmalade.

 

As we were eating our good food, I saw a baby sitting in a high chair at the table in front of me and mentioned it to Jeff and Aidan.  They turned around to see. Right on cue, the blond haired baby turned her head in our direction and gave us an adorable smile.  Every time she looked our way with her big bright eyes, she gave us the same smile and we could't help but do the same in return. 

 

It reminded me of Aidan as a baby and toddler since he had always been very social and smiley.  As he got older, he became more reserved and often grumpy. One of the reasons I was glad he was out with us was because I wanted him to spend a bit of time away from his computer.  Although he had fun playing on it, he also got frustrated a lot so I wanted to see and hear him be cheerful.  I also thought it would do my son some good to be in the presence of people since he did not see his friends much.

 

Being out in the middle of nowhere that day enabled Aidan to have access to the internet, so he had to socialize with real people-us.

 

Arriving at the ranch shortly after lunch felt nostalgic for Jeff and I. It brought back good memories.

 

Two horses, one black and one brown, were in the large outdoor pen eating hay.  We could hear the horses crunching as we approached them on foot. 

 

The brown horse had created a big bowl shaped hole in the hay and kept sticking its head inside to get more food.  At times, it looked like it was playing hide-and-seek using the if I can't see you then you can't see me theory of a young child.

 

We pet the horses as much as they would allow us to, and soon headed towards the long log building where my husband and I had rented a room earlier in the fall.  We heard country music as soon as we opened the door.  

 

My husband and I saw familiar faces.  Our last host, Jacques, greeted us when we came into the lobby and the person who had guided us on our last expedition, Camille, was waiting for us at the stable in her cowgirl attire with four brown horses ready to go.    They just had to be let loose since their leading ropes were tired up to wooden beams so that they would not wander off.

 

Jeff got to ride Moonshine again.  My horse, Diamond, had gotten sold so I was given another female horse to ride.  Her name was Daisy and she had long blond hair worthy of a shampoo commercial.  Aidan was given a female horse named Texas who ended up being very gassy, and Camille rode her large stallion Mayo again.  When we were waiting for Camille to mount him, the horse stood right under a long and pointy melting icicle.  Jeff and I were worried for his safety at first, but it turned out that he needed to cool off.  

 

It was three degrees celsius outside so we humans were dressed accordingly to keep us warm but not roast.  It was the perfect day for a winter horseback ridding expedition. 

 

Aidan felt a little nervous even though he had gone horseback ridding in the past, and had asked Jeff and I a lot of ridding questions before arriving at the ranch.  Although we answered him, Jeff and I also told him not too worry because we knew that everyone would be given proper instructions and demonstrations. We also knew from our past experience that the horses at this ranch were very well trained and would pretty much just follow each other.

 

When we were all on our assigned horses and ready to go, Camille led followed by Aidan, then myself and Jeff. 

 

The two pet dogs did not come with us like they had the last time.  In fact, we did not see them at all. We heard them barking from inside the stable though. Camille told us that they were keeping their energy for the dogsled rides. 

 

We went on a different trail than last time so we would not cross path with the dogsled ridders later on.  We all enjoyed the lovely winter scenery as we rode on our calm horses.  Ice and snow was melting from the pines as well as tree branches and sometimes fell on us like a light rain.  The river we had to cross using a small wooden bridge wasn't completely frozen so we could see and hear the stream of water.  We saw bunny prints in the snow every so often, heard a few wild birds cawing, and a small black squirrel ran right across our large snowy path on our way back.

 

Before turning around into an open area of the woods, Camille warned us not to let our horses smell the abundant snow because they loved to roll in it.  Apparently, Daisy had played a trick on her once.  I was glad the horse did not decide to do the same while I was riding her.

 

When we were back at the stable and off the horses, Jeff and I talked to Camille for a few minutes.  We mentioned wanting to come back to the ranch again at some point because we all had a great time, and she told us that all seasons were pleasant to go horseback ridding except the spring because of all the bugs and mud.  Jeff and I considered returning in the summer since Camille reassured us that it never got too hot. 

 

During our short conversation, Moonshine had made her way towards the closed sable doors and looked back at us every so often as though Camille was taking too long to bring her in.  Jeff and I thought it was pretty cute.

 

As Camille started bringing the loose horses into the stable, Jeff and I slowly made our way back to the ranch with Aidan.  We stopped to look at two brown horses, one light and one dark, within a small and tall wooden pen behind a home.  The light brown coloured one came close enough to the metal door of the pen for us to pet it.

 

We then hung out inside the ranch lobby for a bit.  Country music was still playing, but aside from that it was very quiet.  We drank some self served hot chocolates, which we paid for later on, by the big stone fireplace.  A leather sofa had been relocated right in front of it.  A few other things were different than the last time we were there, such as bull paintings for sale.

 

A man I don't recall ever seeing before came in and placed fresh logs in the fireplace so it made the fire bigger. 

 

I was enjoying the relaxing atmosphere as well as the sound and smell of the fire. 

 

The previous evening, Jeff found a way to somewhat mimic the feel of having a fireplace by finding a soothing video of a nice crackling fire online. It played with romantic music in the background.  I on the other hand, had discovered that a thick white winter scented candle given to me as a Christmas gift a while back actually smelled like wood burning when lit, so Jeff and I knew we could more or less re-create the fireplace setting at home.

 

We used that setup on Valentine's Day to play a couple of boardgames while drinking cold Baileys in mini dark chocolate shot glasses, as well as give each other massages on a black exercise mat with artificial red and pink rose petals on it.  We ventured to Starbucks despite the colder than the North Pole weather later in the day and sat by a real fireplace, but it wasn't as warm as in our overly heated apartment so it almost felt fake; its flame source being gas didn't have the same charm as the wood burning fireplace from the ranch or even the simple one from the screen back home.  Being in a cafe full of other people wasn't as intimate either obviously.  Right before going to bed, Jeff and I cuddled on our living room couch in complete darkness, mesmerized by our lit tabletop fireplace.

 

Before getting back in the car after exiting the ranch, we took a look at the two horses in their pens again. I tried to feed the brown one, but since it had tons of hay right in front of its face it wasn't interested in the few dry strings I was holding. I had actually taken it from the same large pile it was eating from so...

 

As we were leaving the ranch, I gave Aidan the choice of eating dinner at a restaurant in St-Agathe-des-Monts or go straight home.  To my surprise, he chose to eat at home.  When we got close to St-Agathe about 20 minutes later, I asked him again and he decided to eat at a restaurant.  We headed downtown, where there wasn't a soul in sight, and parked on a familiar street.  The sky had darkened by then and a few places were illuminated by small white Christmas lights.  There was even a lit pine tree.

 

A cafe/restaurant Jeff and I had been to in the summer burned down at the end of September.  I remember hearing about the major fire on the news while I was sitting at reception and getting chills.  Looking at the empty snowy lot where the building had been reminded me of the tragedy.  I told Aidan about the incident, feeling sad.

 

I then changed moods and pointed in the direction of the Italian restaurant Jeff and I had gone to that same summer as well as other places we could eat, and let Aidan decide where we would dine.  He chose the Italian restaurant Jeff and I recommended.

 

Before entering Il Vigneto, Jeff and I pointed out the corner of the small terrace where we had dined.  It had been super busy that day.  When we entered the dimly lit restaurant decorated by fake vines with Aidan, it was completely deserted.  We ended up having the place all to ourselves.  It would have been quite romantic had Jeff and I been alone, especially with the classical music playing, but of course we were happy to have Aidan with us and told him as much.  He seemed pleased about his day which made my husband and I content too.  I especially enjoyed hearing Aidan say that, although we couldn't see it, he had a big smile on his face the moment his horse started moving forward.

 

We all enjoyed our bread and delicious pasta dishes, surprised that we managed to finish everything in the large bowls handed to us.  We were too full to even consider eating dessert, so when our meals were done and our cold glasses of ginger ale, white wine, and beer were empty we paid our bill and left.  Jeff and I took mental note of how intimate the restaurant had been on a winter Sunday night for future reference.

 

On our way back home, we saw the bright lights of the ski hills shine on the snow which was really nice.  I didn't see anyone on the slopes, but I noticed that a few skiers were sitting in the moving chairlifts.

 

I started dozing off sometime after that and so did Aidan.  The fresh air had made us tired.  Luckily, Jeff was able to keep his eyes open and bring us home safely.

 

*****

 

Weeks before our pleasant family outing, Jeff and I still thought it would be nice for us to get away from our city for more than a few hours, so we decided to do a romantic trip again.  Jeff's mom had given us money a few months after we got married, as a late wedding gift, so we figured we could spoil ourselves once more without feeling guilty about the expense.

 

At fist we were going to book a room at l'Auberge des nuits de reve in St-Agathe-des Monts because we had really enjoyed our stay in their large Romeo and Juliet themed room during the summer.  After browsing on their website again, we decided to reserve the Cleopatra and Cezar themed room.  It had a wood burning fireplace, a jacuzzi, and an amusing bed that looked like a double tomb.  The top part lifted up to the ceiling to reveal the queen sized mattress, plus a interesting mirror above. 

 

It was decided that my husband and I would go to L'Auberge des nuits de reve around Valentine's Day if the room we wanted was available.  We were two months away from February at this point and hoped it wasn't too late.  Unfortunately, I had problems making the reservation online and when I called the bed and breakfast I was told that on weekends rooms had to be booked for at least two nights.  I had been told the same thing a while back when trying to book a room at a Victorian themed bed and breakfast in Montreal for our wedding night, so presumed that the policy applied to all bed and breakfasts.

 

Jeff and I simply wished to book a room for a single night, so we had to make other plans; either we took a Friday or Monday off to make a two night hotel reservation worthwhile, or we looked for other accommodations.  We really liked the themed room and would have both loved to take a day off work, but ended up choosing to look elsewhere.

 

Whenever there was a dead moment at reception while I was there, I browsed on the internet for hotels with fireplaces in the Laurentiens.  I found many interesting cottages for rent as well as fancy hotel suites, but nothing really caught my attention at first and I didn't want to book a room just to book a room.   

 

I thought about going down to Ottawa and spending a night at the Chateau Laurier. It is located right beside the Rideau Canal so we would be able to go ice skating outdoors.  The long rink wasn't open when I looked at the city's tourist site in January and I was afraid that it might still be inaccessible when Jeff and I decided to travel.  I knew it had a tendency to open and close throughout the winter season depending on the thickness of the ice, for safety reasons.

 

I still showed Jeff the luxurious 4 star hotel's webpage in case he was interested, and also showed him a couple of interesting places I had found in the Laurentiens. 

 

My husband instantly fell in love with the Esterel Resort after taking a single look at a breathtaking picture of their outdoor nordic spa, and decided on the spot that we were going there.  I had already seen pictures of their fancy suites while browsing on their website and loved them too so I was happy to make a reservation even though it was a bit pricey.

 

Before booking a room in the 4 star hotel, Jeff and I took a look at the numerous couples' packages they offered to see if one might interest us. 

 

We considered taking one that included snowshoe or snowmobile rentals, but decided to do one or both of the winter activities as an extra if the weather was good. We knew that there was a chance of the temperature being much too cold for us to want to spend time outdoors so we didn't want to waste our money.  

 

Instead, we chose a romantic package much like the one we got at the Chateau Vaudreuil for our delayed honeymoon.  It included flowers as well as chocolates and bubbly wine in the suite plus a four course meal at one of their three restaurants as well as a breakfast or brunch.

 

I have to admit that I was a little worried about the food situation, especially after being ill at the Chateau Vaudreuil because of my digestive illness.  However, I decided I was going to contact the restaurant about my intolerances to see how they could accommodate me.

 

After deciding with my husband that we would celebrate both Valentine's Day and our one year wedding anniversary at the Esterel Resort, I called the resort to get some general information and also to see what their room availabilities were for a Saturday night near the end of February or beginning of March.  I was able to book a lake view suite with a double sided fireplace on March 5th.  Reservations for dinner at the Rok and Sunday brunch were done at the same time.

 

The next day, I sent a polite message to the resort explaining what foods I could not eat and asked if I should place my order in advance or mention my intolerances the day I would be dinning at their restaurant. When I go home, there was a message on my answering machine from somebody at the resort saying she spoke to the chef of the Rok and that he would prepare something for me; all I had to do was mention it to my waiter or waitress. The restaurant itself also left me a message to reassure me and say that the chef would come talk to me at my table.

 

I was really impressed and it made me look forward to our getaway even more, knowing I did not have to stress about eating.  I later discovered that the Rok was a pretty popular restaurant in the town of Esterel and had many great reviews so was happy to be able to experience it.  From what I read, everything was grilled on rocks and I found it interesting. 

 

Eager to leave but having to wait a month and a half, I looked up tourist stuff to do in Esterel and the surrounding areas in case Jeff and I ended up wanting to do an activity the day we were leaving the resort.  There wasn't much around aside from other hotels, places to rent winter sporting equipments, and restaurants. 

 

I found a cute looking restaurant and cafe called O'Marguerites with an indoor heated terrace overlooking Masson Lake.  It served breakfast all day as well as lunch and dinner, plus had its own boutique that sold products made with all natural ingredients.  I mentioned it to Jeff and we considered going there for lunch on our way to the resort.  It was only a five minute drive from our final destination according to Google Maps.  Our original plan was to stop somewhere to eat in St-Sauveur, ruffly twenty minutes away from Esterel.

 

With our new lunch plan in mind, Jeff reserved a Communauto vehicle for 10:15 the morning of our planned trip rather then 11:00 like we originally agreed on before even starting to think about lunch possibilities.  I guess it was a good thing that we could not make the reservation more than a month in advance. 

 

We figured we would arrive at O'Marguerites at around noon if we left our apartment shortly before 10:15 to get the car.  We would not be able to sleep in for very long that day, but still longer than if we had to get up to go to the office.

 

****

 

As usual, we left a little later than planned on the beautiful Saturday morning of March 5, but not by that long.  It was close to 10:30 when Jeff and I were both in the rented car with our luggage in the back seats.  Jeff had suggested putting them there rather than the trunk to avoid anything getting wet.

 

I originally planned on setting up the GPS to direct Jeff and I to O'Marguerites in Ste-Marguerites-du-lac-Masson.  However, I ended up printing out directions to the cafe as well as the resort ahead of time, just in case the GPS failed or Jeff's cellphone died.  After briefly looking at the directions right before leaving, I was confident that we could get to the cafe without needing the GPS.  Jeff and I were staring to know our way around the Laurentiens.

 

We made a quick stop at a McDonald's drive-trough to get free coffee shortly after leaving our apartment, and it was smooth driving until we reached our first destination about an hour and a half later. 

 

I loved seeing the snowy mountains and icy rock formations once we were in the Laurentiens.

 

I took out my printed directions once we were off the highway to make sure we were on the right track and payed attention to the addresses on our left.  Most buildings were far apart from one another until we reached the little town of Ste-Marguerites-du-lac-Masson. 

 

Jeff found the cafe which looked like a house and we started looking for a place to park.  It didn't take long for me to see an available spot on the right side of the street, almost right in front of the cafe.  I made sure we were allowed to park there to avoid getting a ticket.

 

Once we were sure our rented vehicle was in a good place, Jeff and I crossed the street to the cafe and walked up the wooden steps that led to their long balcony and front entrance.

 

When we walked in, we saw a few people at the cash.  There was a horizontal menu at the top and prepared food in a glass display case.  Behind us as well as to our right were wooden shelving units with packaged goods for sale.  There were more goodies on the counter by the cash register as well.  Long pairs of socks as well as other hand made articles hung on one of the wooden walls, and we could see a separate section with more fun items for sale.     

 

Two square tables were available in the first section, and an old man with a short white beard was sitting alone at the third by the window.  We saw a black and white framed picture of him hanging on a wooden wall between two windows after we sat down a few minutes later. Perhaps we was the owner.

 

Jeff and I had found a round table for two right beside some windows on the small heated terrace connected to the bakery and boutique.  There wasn't many people around so it was nice and quiet. 

 

I took off my long dirty white winter jacket, exposing my clean white turtleneck sweater.  Jeff was just wearing a t-shirt under his coat.

 

I had a view of the frozen lake from where I was sitting, and could see a few people skating on it.  I could also see long icicles melting from the roof.

 

On the wall behind Jeff hung a nice clock attached to a long wooden light green painted unit with a small shelf.  There was another clock near a second door that led to a small yard.  That one had stopped working.  Jeff and I noticed it when a man went out to try and remove some of the ice chunks that were stuck to the bottom of the roof.  He made a lot of noise banging on the thick ice with a long hockey stick. 

 

The only thing that might have been noisier was if the bell from the church I could see started ringing.  We didn't hear it at all while we were there though.

 

When the man gave up on his mission, it was quiet again; not that his labour had been terribly disturbing.  To be honest, it had been kind of entertaining. 

 

After looking at our plastified menus, Jeff ordered himself a breakfast meal as well as a coffee.  I decided to try the bacon and apple pizza.

 

Soon after my husband got his coffee, I ended up asking for a hot chocolate made with dark chocolate and almond milk, thinking it might be better for me than cow milk.  I received my drink in a long glass mug and the waitress had sprinkled dark coco powder on the light foam to form a six petal flower. 

 

Shortly after receiving our plates of food, the place started getting packed, mainly with other couples, and eventually became quite crowded.  We heard the waitress telling people that there was a half hour waiting time for the food.  It hadn't taken that long for Jeff and I's meals to be prepared. 

 

When we got up to use the one bathroom or go to the cash when we were ready to leave, it was hard to move between the tables and I was afraid to accidentally hit somebody with my purse.  Luckily, I made it out of the terrace area without harming anyone.

 

Getting to the cash to pay wasn't as much of a challenge, but all the tables were full so Jeff and I were glad to have gotten to the cafe when we did.  It started off looking like date central, and I had commented on how much quieter the place was in comparison to the cafe we had gone to in St-Adele. Then it all changed... Jeff and I still enjoyed ourselves very much though.

 

We left the cafe without having purchased any of the extra items for sale even though some of them looked very appealing to us.  I had smelled some of the soap bars and oils on display as well as looked at the few articles of clothing and cloth purses while waiting to use the facilities earlier on.  I even looked at some of the brochures inside the bathroom while I was in there, but didn't keep any.

 

Jeff and I got back in the car and tried to make use of the GPS to see how to get to the resort from where we were without having to go back to the highway, but it wasn't working.  There was a blue road sigh up ahead with a white arrow pointing right for the town of Esterel, so we went in that direction and started looking for roads we knew would lead us to the resort.

 

We got a closer look at the frozen lake and skaters as we drove by.  I noticed that stairs had to be taken to get to the lake.  There were some ice or snow sculptures below and we thought about going to check them out, but decided to maybe do it on the way back home instead.

 

After driving around cautiously on a few curved roads, longing tall snowbanks hiding residence entrances, we found the street we needed to be on and spotted the resort shortly after.  The long five story building didn't look all that special from the outside, but I knew how it looked on the inside.

 

When we drove towards the entrance, longing more tall snowbanks, a couple of cars were stopped ahead of us.  A valet talked to each driver and then to us. 

 

There were two sections of the resort; one called Emotion and the other Evolution.  After requesting my reservation name, the valet told us in which section we would be staying in, Evolution, and where to check in.  He also informed us that a valet service was available for a 10$ fee if we were interested.  We had the option of parking the car at the drop-off zone for a few minutes to bring in the luggage etc, so that's what we decided to do.

 

The Evolution section was the closest one from where we had driven in so we didn't have far to go.  After getting our luggage out of the back seat of the car, we walked towards our entrance and up a few concrete stairs to get to the door.  The doorman kindly pressed a button for the door to open for us. Once inside the luxurious resort, we waited in a small line-up to check in.

 

At the back of the reception area, which was technically on the second floor, were large floor to ceiling windows and we could see people cross country skiing nearby.  Inside, near the windows as well as the entrance, there were some couches and matching chairs as well as rectangular tables with three small silver candle holders and tealights. 

 

Some people were playing a game of cards.  I had packed a game of Skip-Bo in case Jeff and I didn't want to be outdoors for whatever reason.  We never ended up taking it out; not even when we had a bit of time to kill.   

 

As we looked around, Jeff and I knew we were going to have a great time.

 

To our left, below a small set of stairs, we saw a few people wearing white bathrobes coming out of a hallway.  They looked very calm and relaxed.  I hoped that Jeff and I would look and feel the same during our short stay.

 

Our turn to register came up pretty quickly. I had been told over the phone that our suite might not be available until 4:00, but that we could still have access to all of the resorts' facilities and that there were changing rooms available if needed. Even though we arrived at the resort at around 1:30, our room was ready.

 

Once everything was settled at reception, Jeff and I headed in the direction we were kindly told to go which was on our right.  We took the elevator up to the 5th floor, walked on the carpeted floor of the long hallway to our right, and quickly found our door (number 1503) on the left.  We used one of our magnetic keycards to enter and were instantly in awe.

 

Inside the perfectly heated open-concept modern suite was a rectangular light brown wooden kitchen table that seated four people which touched the back of a large grey velvety couch.  Right in front of it was a light brown oval wooden coffee table with a remote control.  To the right, we saw a small black wooden desk with a phone, a thin pad of paper, a pen, plus touristic brochures on it and two empty shelves above where I envisioned placing framed pictures if I were to move in. 

 

A large light brown wooden unit with a big circular mirror stood beside the desk, where I visualized myself typing away on my laptop.  Jeff and I realized later on that the unit could pull out into a double bed, and that's when we discussed how the layout of the suite was perfect for a potential home.  We both agreed that we would not mind living in a place just like it when Aidan was older, and that him or other guests could sleep on the Murphy bed when they visited us.  Of course, everyone would have to behave since there were no doors separating any of the sections aside from the bathroom.

 

To the left of the suite was the see through gas fireplace as well as the bedroom section with a queen size bed which had a long abstract painting above it and two small black night tables that looked like they were floating on each side. They each had a metallic lamp above them, one of which was lit.

 

There were flat screen televisions mounted on each side of the small white tiled wall above the fireplace. 

 

Long grey wavy curtains ran across the entire backside of the bedroom and living room areas.  The velvety grey backs of two big chairs were almost touching the curtains from the living room section. 

 

When we moved the heavy curtains of the living room area to the sides, we saw a long snowy balcony and the frozen lake covered in snow where several people were snowshoeing, skiing, or snowmobiling.  A small area in the shape on an O had been cleared for skating.  In the distance, we could see other properties as well as naked trees and pines.

 

I was half tempted to open the patio door and build a small snowman on top of the pile of snow that was as high as my waist, but I was afraid that some of the snow would fall into the suite.  I got that silly idea out of my head and continued looking around.

 

To the left of the entrance was a well stocked kitchenette, two small square abstract paintings on one of the white walls, as well as the entrance to the bathroom.  To the right there was a tall light brown wooden unit with two doors.  I opened it and found several hangers on a horizontal metal bar, plus a black plastic mat at the bottom.  I decided to hang my jacket and store my wet boots so that I would not dirty the dark striped carpet any further.

 

Jeff had to go re-park the car se he left while I continued to explore.  Actually, I made my way to the bathroom because the almond milk from earlier had not been good for me after all.

 

The tiled floor bathroom was pretty big.  To the right of the toilet was a large ceramic bathtub as well as a nice tree painting, and to the left was a glass stand up shower big enough to comfortably fit two people.  Close to the shower was a black wooden counter with a big white ceramic sink plus two long black shelves below.  A large circular mirror hung on the wall under a light fixture.

 

When I got up to wash my hands, using the provided round greenish soap bar, I saw more shelves on the left of the counter which had folded hand towels as well as small plastic tubs of greenish blue coloured shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, plus white lotion.

 

Jeff took a while to get back to the suite, saying the only parking spot available was near the back of the parking lot.  We didn't stay in there together too long after his return despite the beauty of it though. 

 

We wanted to go do some winter sports, so dressed up warmly/added layers of clothing, and headed downstairs using the elevator.  We walked passed the reception area, down the small set of stairs, and followed the signs to the activity centre which was in the Emotion section.

 

Along the way, we passed by a large game room with pool tables and arcade games, a lounging area with a lit gas fireplace within the wall as well as big chairs, the inside entrance to two restaurants (Bistro a Champlain and 260), the spa, and a boutique selling sportswear as well as fancy jewellery.

 

The activity centre was actually linked to the boutique and we asked one of the two young women behind the counter if we could rent cross country skis for an hour.  The other options were rentals for four hours or eight but we thought it would be too long for us.

 

After paying for the rental in advance with my credit card, we told the woman our shoe sizes and she went to look for ski boots in the equipment room behind her.

 

Jeff and I put on the boots given to us while sitting on a padded bench under a twirling staircase.  My husband ended up needing to exchange his for a bigger size, but mine were fine.  I had asked for one size bigger than usual on account of the thick thermal socks I was wearing.

 

When we were ready, Jeff and I were given skis as well as poles and went outside with them.  It was a bit hard to push the glass door open while holding all our equipment, but we managed and started walking on the long black mats that had been laid out on the concrete ground. 

 

The weather had been very odd lately.  We saw freezing rain, hail, snow, and slush throughout the same week, and once all in the same day.  There was a storm warning a few days before our getaway, but we missed it.  The temperature was perfect for what Jeff and I wanted to do that day, so we were quite happy.

 

I stopped walking for a second to just take a big breath of the fresh air.  It felt really nice.  

 

After walking up and down a small slippery and snowy hill with parked snowmobiles on it, we were on flatter ground and were able to put on our skis.  It took us both a few tries to clip the top parts of our boots to our skis, but we did it and started moving forward in the snow.

 

We mainly skied on the pre-made paths of the frozen lake, but also ventured onto untouched packed snow and created new trails. Snowmobilers passed us every so often.

 

As we looked upon the back side of the resort in the distance, we noticed that the majority of the glass walled balconies had no snow on them.  All the ones below the fifth floor were clear, and a few on the top floor as well.

 

After about a half hour of exercising with no particular destination in mind, I saw a small hill close to the beginning of a wooden area and decided to try downhill skiing.  First I had to get to the top of the hill.  Jeff went ahead of me and I then mimicked his technique.  The way I moved forward with my feet pointing in opposite directions made me feel ridiculous so I laughed at myself.  Jeff told me that nobody ever looked classy going up a hill with skis.

 

I bravely skied all the way down the hill without falling so was proud of myself. Jeff did the same, but it was expected since he knew how to ski.  Jeff had gone downhill skiing many times in his life and loved it, whereas I had tried only once and didn't really enjoy my experience.  I was kind of afraid to be honest. 

 

I was okay on small hills thought, so we repeated the action a few times before deciding to move on.  We then continued cross country skying on the top part of the hill and found another way down between some tall pine trees but it was much too steep.

 

We continued on our way, and as I was looking at my serene surroundings I fell to the ground.  It was hard to get back up with my skis on, and of course Jeff only laughed with me instead of offering a hand. 

 

Once I was finally back up and had both my poles in my gloved hands, we started moving again.  We passed by the gated nordic spa, crossed a small wooden bridge, and found ourselves back at the beginning.   

 

Jeff and I went back on the frozen lake and made our way to the small hill again where we did some more downhill skiing, and more falling while not really paying attention; myself more than him.

 

I then decided to head towards the wooden area but snowmobilers kept approaching us at a fast pace and I felt it wasn't safe.

 

We headed back in the direction of the activity centre, and when our hour was over we went inside to give back the rented equipment and put our own boots back on.  They had been left with other people's boots beside the bench.

 

Jeff and I headed back to our suite, smiling and agreeing that we had a lot of fun. 

 

My husband said he liked my sense of adventure, and how I just moved forward with my skis without hesitation, just like I had done with skates the previous month; on February 13th to be exact.  I still couldn't believe I had gone skating, let alone suggested it, on one of the coldest days recorded.  Jeff and I had originally walked to the local winter festival that Saturday only to find out that it had been cancelled because of the harsh weather, but I forced myself to go get my skates at home and head back out anyways.  If I didn't have a witness, I don't think anyone would have believed me seeing that I usually try to avoid winter.

 

I was actually embracing the winter season this year, and was starting to like the sight of snow.  Jeff and I saw a lot of it through the windows and glass doors of the resort as we walked passed the lounging and reception areas to go back to our room.

 

When we entered our suite, there was a nice surprise on our kitchen table.  We saw a big bottle of bubbly wine, a nice flower arrangement, and a white box wrapped with a thick black ribbon.  I presumed that the box contained chocolates, but didn't open it to find out yet because Jeff and I had other plans.

 

We got changed into our bathing suits to go into the outdoor hot tubs. 

 

There were two folded white bathrobes on the top shelf in the bathroom, so we put them on before leaving our suite.  I made sure that at least one of us placed our room keycard in the front pocket of our robe.  We also slipped on our flip flops on our feet because we did not want to walk around the resort barefoot even if it was very clean.

 

We headed back to the activity centre and exchanged paper vouchers for large white and blue striped towels. It was weird to see people getting ready to do winter sports or coming back from doing them while we planned on heading outside in our bathing suits to go in water.

 

Towels in hand, Jeff and I were on our way to try a new experience.

 

We hung our bathrobes on the same metal hook, poured ourselves some tea into a small paper cup that had pullout handles, and walked out into the cold.  Actually, it wasn't so bad. 

 

Although walking along snowbanks in our bathing suits felt weird, and I had to agree with the shivering boy running towards us saying "cold, cold, cold..." in French, it wasn't as big of a shock to my nervous system as I thought it would be.

 

I was still eager to get into one of the three hot tubs which all had burning fire pits in the middle.  Sitting in the hot water and relaxing by the jets while drinking our tea and listening to calming music was quite nice.

 

When the heat became too much, Jeff and I would just stand in the hot tub to expose our upper bodies, or sit on the concrete edge by the snow for a few minutes to cool off.

 

Some people went to one of the two cold pools or even rolled in the snow between trips to one of the hot tubs, but neither Jeff or I wanted to try it.

 

We remained in the same hot tub for about forty five minutes before deciding to head back to our suite.

 

My husband got out of the water first and went to get my towel, which I had left on the concrete ground by the stairs of the hot tub.  As I rapidly went out of the water myself, Jeff hugged me with the soft towel.  I kept myself wrapped in it, went to get my flip flops, and quickly walked towards the door with Jeff to get inside the resort.

 

As I was drying myself off, I saw a stream room and decided to go inside.  As I opened the door, hot steam hit my face right away and I could not see a thing as I slowly moved forward into the hot open space.  I told Jeff as much when he asked if anybody else was inside. I soon heard a male voice saying hello and faintly saw a hand waving among the steam. I laughed and said hello back.

 

Jeff and I were out of there in less then 30 seconds because we couldn't stand the intense heat; it was hard to breathe.  A woman mentioned that there was a dry sauna in the building but I wasn't interested.  Neither was Jeff.  We just put our bathrobes on and left the area. 

 

Before passing the activity centre, I dumped our used towels into a bin in exchange for more vouchers in case we needed some towels again later.

 

We figured the hot tubs might be crowded at night, but knew how lovely they looked with all the lights on because of pictures we had seen so thought about returning later.  We never did though. 

 

As we headed back towards our suite after our only hot tub session of the weekend, I decided to get myself some hot chocolate because I had spotted a big thermos as well as a big glass bowl of mini marshmallows on a clothed table in one of the hallways earlier on.  Unfortunately, it was all gone by the time I wanted to serve myself.  I wondered if it was because kids kept taking a bunch of marshmallows.  I had seen a few of them swarming around the table and running away with see through plastic cups filled with only marshmallows.

 

I got the free hot coco out of my head and resumed my walk and short elevator ride with Jeff to our suite. 

 

We slowly began getting ready for dinner, starting with taking a hot shower together to get rid of the faint chlorine smell. Jeff used the provided body wash, but I had brought my own; a travel sized bottle of apple scented body wash I had received as a bonus gift from Yves Rocher. 

 

After drying myself off with a small white towel, I sprayed some apple scented body spray on my neck and wrists then left the warm bathroom to get dressed.  I put on a brown long sleeved shirt as well as a short black skirt and black leggings, plus long leopard print boots and matching cloth headband.  Jeff put on some beige dress pants with a light blue dress shirt.

 

I asked Jeff to open the cold bottle of bubbly wine, and I poured the alcohol into two flute glasses from the kitchenette. They weren't the same size for some reason, but it didn't matter. We did a toast and drank by the lit fireplace, then continued getting ready.

 

I took my unfinished drink with me to the bathroom when I wanted to brush my long damp hair and put on my makeup.

 

Jeff took pictures of me with his cell phone when we were both ready.  We also tried to take a few together.

 

One of our selfies was taken in front of the circular mirror hanging on the back of the Murphy bed, and it looked like somebody was observing us from a magnifying glass.  I thought it looked pretty cool. 

 

Shortly after finishing my second glass of bubbly wine, I left the suite with my husband and we went to find the restaurant we had reservations at. There was an inviting ad for it inside the elevator saying reservations were strongly recommended.

 

The Rok was located right up the stairs from the activity centre and looked quite nice.  I especially liked the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling because they had an interesting design.

 

We were greeted by a young woman who then brought us to our reserved table, passed the bar where a hockey game was silently playing on a flat screen television.  I presumed it was on mute because of the calm music playing within the fancyish restaurant.

 

We were seated by a set of windows, with a great view of the frozen lake.  People continued doing sports on the snow until the sky got dark, and even then a few snowmobilers were out. At that point, we could hear their loud motors and see their illuminated front headlights.

 

When the waitress came to see us shortly after we were brought to our table, Jeff ordered himself a beer.  I was still pleasantly buzzed from the sparkling wine so was fine with just drinking water.

 

Before looking at our menus, which I had actually already seen online, I told our waitress about my intolerance.  She was about to go get the chef but I said it wasn't necessary; as long as she reminded him that I could not eat onions, garlic, or spices.

 

The waitress left and came back to tell me what appetizer the chef had in mind for me as well as my two options for an entrée.  I chose the beef tartare over salad.  Jeff could of had anything on the menu, but he chose salad with balsamic dressing.

 

A small white plate with decorative greens plus two pieces of cantaloupe as well as prosciutto was brought to me, and Jeff was given a metal spoon with a ball of cheese and other ingredients inside.  He wasn't sure how to eat it so just shoved the whole thing in his mouth.  That's what I would have done too.        

 

Three small hot buns as well as soft butter was given to us on a long white plate, so we buttered up a portion each.

 

Our entrees came next. 

 

I was given a wooden cutting board with my tartare in a small cast-iron frying pan as well as metal spoons with different accompaniments inside; parmesan cheese, sea salt, dried tomatoes, and dry jalapeño peppers.  There was also a shot glass with lemon sauce inside and the waitress double checked to make sure the black specs she saw were only pepper. There was a small bottle of tabasco sauce too which made Jeff and I laugh because the waitress said there were no spices in it.  She was technically right.  I guess I should have specified that I could not stomach anything spicy; in other words, no hot peppers or anything made with them.

 

I put what I wanted in my raw beef (parmesan cheese and dried tomatoes), mixed it up, then ate it along with the long pieces of dry bread that was also on my cutting board.  Balsamic vinegar had been poured in some areas.

 

As we ate, Jeff and I smiled at the two young girls, presumably siblings, dancing and chasing each other around the restaurant as they waited for their food.  There was practically nobody around at this point, so they weren't disturbing anyone.     

 

My husband and I patiently waited for our main courses.  We both ordered steak; mine was to be prepared without the regular spices.

 

We knew our meat would be cooked on a volcanic rock, but when our food arrived Jeff and I were amazed.  Our steaks were sizzling on a square piece of dark rock to the left of a wooden cutting board, and a small baked potato as well as cut veggies in a mini cast-iron frying pan had been placed to the right.

 

Our meat continued to cook as we cut it up and ate it.  We could cook the raw mushrooms, sliced peppers, and cherry tomatoes on the rock as well.  The only thing we weren't allowed to do was put butter on it. 

 

Jeff and I agreed that it was the best meal we ever ate, mainly because of the way the steak was cooked.  It tasted amazing!

 

When I was done eating, the rock was still hot so I used its heat to keep my hands warm.  I only realized I was cold once the rock was taken away from me, but I brought a shawl to the restaurant so I wrapped it around me.  

 

It was soon time for dessert, and to my surprise I didn't feel as full as I thought I would be after eating all that food.  The portions had been reasonable though.  I wasn't feeling hungry, but I still had room for a little something sweet.

 

Jeff chose to have a piece of lemon meringue pie and I decided on the chocolate trio which consisted of a small brownie, a piece of fudge, and mousse.  The waitress verified that no spices were used to make any of the mini desserts before serving them to me on a long white plate.

 

After Jeff paid our small bill, because everything but the beer was included in our package, we headed back to our suite.

 

I closed the open curtains, turned on the fireplace, and as soon as Jeff went in the bathroom I quickly changed into the short white see through lingerie I had worn on our wedding night.

 

Jeff was pleasantly surprised when he saw me in the sexy attire.

 

We drank more bubbly wine by the fire, and I let Jeff take a few pictures of me with his fancy digital camera before grabbing a thick brown blanket from the top shelf of the bedroom closet.

 

Despite the perfect romantic setting, the fresh air and big meal made us both just want to lie down in bed without moving.  We cuddled on top of the white comforter while the flame in the fireplace continued to burn. It reflected on the long mirror hanging on the wall right beside the closet and was quite nice.

 

The fire eventually turned off by itself because it was on a timer.  Jeff and I soon turned off the single dim light that was on, went under the covers together, and quickly fell asleep.

 

*****

 

Early the next morning, we ran a hot bath and drank leftover bubbly wine while we bathed.  I put an apple scented bath cube in the water.

 

After getting dressed, I pulled the curtain of our bedroom slightly open to look out the second patio door leading to the balcony.  The sun shined brightly on my face, creating warmth, and it felt really nice.

 

Soon I opened the curtain more to let the sun shine into the room, and eventually opened the sliding patio door to try and get some fresh air. It felt really warm. I then slid the screen door and pocked my head out. I could see a few early risers on the frozen lake and almost felt like I was spying on them.

 

I originally wasn't going to stand on the balcony because of the snow that had pilled on it, but there was one section with much less snow so I finally decided to put on my boots and jacket to go out.

 

Before going outside, I made myself a coffee crisp flavoured hot chocolate. I used the microwave in the kitchenette to boil water, then put some coco power in my mug and mixed it up with a spoon. Jeff took the unused half of my individual hot chocolate package to make himself a cup too, saying it was a good idea for me to have packed it.

 

I contently went outdoors, enjoying the pleasant heat of the bright orange sun.  Had I known that it rose on our side of the resort, I might have gotten up earlier to watch the sunrise.

 

Enjoying the view of the risen sun, I sipped my hot drink just standing on the balcony.  One person below saw me and pointed in my direction.  I thought about waving but didn't.  I later sat right in the snow.  When I was done my hot beverage, I placed my small coffee cup in the snow as well and just lied there with my eyes closed.  Jeff said I looked like I was sun bathing and I realized that I could easily get a sun burn on my face because I wasn't wearing sunscreen.  I hadn't packed any either.

 

After deciding that I was too comfortable to move and accepted the risk of getting a racoon look, I asked Jeff to join me on the balcony.  However, he was content just keeping me company from inside.  We kept the patio door wide open so we could talk to each other.

 

Soon it was time to head out since the check-out was at 11:00, and so was our reservation for the Sunday brunch.

 

We did some quick last minute packing and made sure we weren't leaving anything of ours behind before leaving the suite.

 

Jeff and I headed downstairs to the reception area with our luggage, and when I went to pay the balance of our stay I could not find my credit card in my wallet.  I thought I might have left it at the activity centre by mistake, but as the patient woman at the front desk was calling to see if anyone had seen my card I realized it was in the small leopard print purse I had brought with me to The Rok the previous evening.  I had to open the large suitcase Jeff and I shared to go get it.

 

When everything was paid for, we headed to the parking lot to put our luggage as well as my flower arrangement in the car and went back to the resort to go eat.  We had been told that brunch would be served inside the Bistro a Champlain so Jeff and I headed there.

 

The staff wasn't letting anybody into the restaurant until exactly 11:00, so Jeff and I relaxed in the lounging area beside the lit gas fireplace for a few minutes.  Other people eventually started doing the same.

 

When we got back to the front of the restaurant, there was a small line-up.  Families and couples were seated pretty fast though. Every group was called in one by one and told by a staff member to follow them into Bistro a Champlain or 260 which turned out to be linked. Jeff and I entered through the 260 entrance and were given another window table which was nice.

 

Aside from seeing people doing winter sports, we spotted a man walking around in the snow with his black labrador.  I wondered if he was a hotel guest or a venturous local out for a leisure walk.

 

My husband and I didn't bother sitting down once we were brought to our table; we just got rid of our jackets by placing them on the backs of our chairs, and prepared to go serve ourselves.  I went straight to the first food table I saw, which mainly had desserts, and poured Jeff and I some small glasses of orange juice.  We then both headed to the main buffet table together, and filled our plates with a variety of breakfast foods.   

 

I didn't want to leave my purse unattended earlier, but was able to place it on the thick border below the window once I was seated.

 

Jeff went to get us some coffees before getting comfortable.

 

As my husband and I ate, we both said we liked the taste of our food. The only thing Jeff wasn't a fan of was his scrambled eggs.  I personally liked them.  

 

I had seen that there were a few lunch items at another buffet table, so when I was done eating I went back for seconds.  Unfortunately, I didn't really like all the selections so didn't finish everything I put on my plate.  The ravioli tasted way too sweet, as though there was maple sugar inside, and the chicken was stuffed with something I figured I shouldn't eat so I just ate the dry poultry meat alone.  Everything else tasted fine.  

 

Jeff and I finished our second cup of coffee, which had been poured by a waitress, before leaving the restaurant.  We didn't even try any of the desserts because we were too full.

 

Since we didn't have to pay for anything, we didn't wait for a bill.

 

After politely thanking our waitress and wishing her a good day, we headed back to the car to get the black duffle bag we put our skates in. Jeff saw that a lot of parking spaces closer to the entrance had become available, so he moved the car at the same time.

 

Jeff and I used the entrance of the Emotion section to get to the activity centre because it was the closest door from the parking lot. It was quite different from the Evolution section, and we had to walk down a dim hallway with conference rooms on the left to get to were we wanted to go. 

 

Once downstairs, we made use of the bench to put on our skates.  We then headed outside where I noticed a digital thermometer indicating that it was three degreed Celsius.

 

We carefully made our way to the ice rink, cutting through snow with the blades of our skates, and started skating on the thick ice.  Another couple was taking turns shooting a puck into a hockey net with their sticks, so we avoided the section they were in. 

 

Jeff and I eventually had the whole skating area to ourselves, but going around the whole place was difficult because it was bumpy. 

 

We took several short breaks and often looked around.

 

At one point we noticed some people in a private hot tub and wondered if it was part of a first floor suite or the spa.  It was hard to tell.

 

It looked a bit dark outside, but when I took my transition glasses off for a second I was almost blinded by the sunlight. The sky was pale blue, not marine blue as it appeared through my blackened lenses.

 

I put my glasses back on to continue skating with Jeff.

 

After doing a few laps, I starting feeling a bit nauseated and considered plopping myself in the snow at the centre of the man-made ice rink.  I was having a hard time finding a good spot though, and the single time I tried to sit in what looked like a snow bench I slipped and almost fell on the ice.

 

I had brought my purse with me, not wanting to leave it in the car, and had asked Jeff to hold it while I was trying to get comfortable in the snow.  After giving up on that idea, I laughingly skated away from my husband who continued to hold my purse. 

 

Eventually I took my purse back and we skated for a little while longer.

 

My ears started getting cold because of the wind despite the fact that I was wearing my hat.  What was weird was that I was boiling everywhere else.  So was Jeff, but he found the wind cold too so we decided to stop skating.  We had been doing it for almost an hour by that point.

 

Jeff and I headed back inside the resort to take off our skates and drink some water, then went back out through the front side of the Emotion section. It dawned on us then that we hadn't checked out the indoor swimming pool during our stay.  I wasn't even sure where it was.  It didn't know where the gym was either, but didn't really care for it anyways.

 

I had been slightly interested in visiting their wine cellar since they were giving free tours, but I had noticed on the elevator ad that the tours and paid wine tastings were later in the afternoon and I didn't want to stick around just for that.  Neither did Jeff.

 

We walked back to our rented vehicle and left the premises with the intention of returning again some day.  I thought that we should try going in the summer when the lake would be free to swim in or go boating, but I finally agreed with Jeff that the resort was the perfect place for us in the winter.  The themed hotel in St-Agathe des Monts where we could go boating for free, was our ideal summer destination.

 

Thinking about the quaint town made us decide to spend the afternoon there.  We knew it was only about a ten minute drive away from Esterel.

 

We went towards the highway the same way we had left it the previous day, passing by the same tall snowbanks, people skating on the frozen lake in Sainte-Marguerite-du-lac- Masson, the cafe we had eaten at, and other buildings we didn't think we had seen before. 

 

I could have sworn that I saw a sign saying we were leaving St-Adele at one point and thought we missed a turn. Later on, when we chose to go in the direction of St-Agathe des Monts, we came across other signs for St-Adele and got confused.

 

Jeff and I ended up in St-Agathe like we wanted which is what mattered.

 

We went to the McDonald's drive trough to get some free coffee, and headed downtown towards the lake so we could go skating again.

 

The small town was having their annual winter festival so we decided to go check it out while we drank our hot coffees. 

 

Jeff parked the car on the street beside the small park fenced in by short snow walls.  We could see a few ice structures within. 

 

We saw kids going down some long ice slides using crazy carpets and were tempted to do the same after finding a way into the festival grounds.  There were no lineups, but we felt weird going on the slides without any children with us.  The only adults we saw using the slides were taking their kids on it.

 

Instead of venturing on the ice slides, Jeff and I headed to the closed fire pit we saw ahead of us and listened to the pop music playing from nearby speakers. 

 

The fire pit reminded me of the one Jeff and I found in the centre of Old Montreal early in February, the day we tried going to the chocolate festival inside Bonsecours Market.  We technically did go, but there were so many people there that we left the building right after I got the one thing I had specifically come there for; chocolate powder to cook with.  Afterwards, we walked outdoors with the intention of going to a cafe and saw several fire pits with large wooden chairs around them in an area called the cozy zone.  We sat by one of the fire pits for a bit, enjoying the warmth and smell of the burning fire as it lightly snowed as well as the sight of he horse drawn carriages stopping in front of us, then were on our way to Starbucks.  We walked right behind one of the carriages for a while and Jeff thought I had planned our departure accordingly. 

 

Standing in front of the fire pit in St-Agathe, I noticed that a big white square sign with a heart shaped hole used for taking pictures was advertising the 2015 Winterfest and commented on the fact that we had gone back in time.

 

When Jeff and I got closer to the sign while we were exploring the small grounds mainly aimed towards kids, I saw that somebody had tried to convert the number five of 2015 into a six using a black marker. 

 

We walked through the entranceway of a tall man-made snow wall, and on the other side I found a fake door as well as a window on a short snow tower.

 

I noticed that the town's chalet was open and presumed we could lace our skates inside.  We had seen a few people go in and out of the main entrance.  There actually weren't that many people around and it was nice.  I didn't like big crowds.

 

Jeff and I headed back through the doorway of the tall snow wall and followed a path that led us back to the sidewalk.  We got our skates from the car and returned to the small chalet.  We entered from the back door. 

 

I found the bathrooms right away, beside a drinking fountain, and was quite happy to have access. The woman's facility wasn't as clean or decorated as the ones inside the Esterel Resort, but it was functional and that's what mattered most to me that afternoon.

 

People were putting on or taking off their skates in a large room full of windows to the right which had long wooden benches all around and open square cubbies in the centre. To the left of the hallway we were walking up was a place to rent skates or buy some hot chocolate.

 

Jeff and I saw that there was a room with tables and padded chairs in it so we went there to finish drinking our coffees before putting on our skates in the other room and heading to the frozen lake.

 

We originally thought that snow had been cleared all around the lake because we saw people moving forward further away, but they were on foot.  Skaters had to stick to the nine shaped ice rink.  There were a few large cracks in some areas, but in general the ice was very good to skate on. 

 

Jeff and I did many laps as it snowed lightly.  We could hear the music from the festival in the background.  At one point we also heard church bells.

 

We stopped after about one hour of skating and went back to the warm chalet to put on our boots, which we had left in red coloured cubbies.

 

Because of the festival, Jeff and I presumed that "our" Italian restaurant would not be as cozy as it had been the previous time we were in town.  It was too early for dinner anyways, so we drove to St-Sauveur which took us about fifteen minutes.  There was a lot of traffic once we got closer to the area for some unknown reason.

 

I wanted to go on a ten minute alpine coaster ride called The Viking or on a type of zip-line called the Dragon because I heard we could get a nice view of the mountains from either rides, but wasn't really sure how to get to the ticket office within the water park they were in.  I thought there would be signs for the popular attraction, but neither one of us saw any. We ended up going into town and driving on the main street when we unknowingly should have gone directly to the mountain.

 

There were many people walking around, plus going in and out of quaint little shops.  I was expecting to see at least one horse drawn carriage go by, but it wasn't the case.  Jeff couldn't imagine how one could go by with all the cars around, but I had seen it on the tourist site when I was browsing and also live many summers before.

 

When we reached the end of the small commercial area, we headed back to the highway. I tried to use the GPS but it wasn't working so I finally googled the tourist site and called for directions.  I was sure the two four-season rides were functional until 5:00 every day and that we would have time to go on at least one of them, but unfortunately the woman who picked up the phone told me they had closed at 4:00.  She was kind enough to tell me how to get there for future reference though.

 

My husband and I decided to head back downtown to park on the main street and find a place to eat dinner even if we weren't all that hungry yet.  

 

The fist place we saw was a steakhouse advertising meat cooked on a rock.  They were offering a good special for two people and it was tempting to go there at first because of how much we had loved eating at the Rok. Since we had just gone to the restaurant the previous night though, we preferred eating something different and a little less pricey.

 

We walked hand in hand on the sidewalks and checked out the displayed menus of each restaurant we passed by, going from one side of the street to the other. 

 

Jeff and I also went into a shop and quickly took a look around out of curiosity.  Among the expensive clothing for sale, Jeff saw the exact same brown tartan scarf he was wearing around his neck.  We also saw some old rotary telephones and porcelain dolls at the back. 

 

After walking out of the store, we headed to an art gallery across the street.  Jeff and I instantly loved the cartoon-like paintings of animals on display inside the high ceilinged log cabin; they were mainly of sheep, but there were also a few paintings of horses, cats, and dogs.  They all had such innocent looks on their faces, and realistic hair or fur going all over the place.  We met the proud artist and complimented her on her work.  

 

We continued on our way and found the perfect restaurant.  It advertised pizzas cooked directly on a wood burning oven.  When we went into the busy place, we saw employes in front of the big stone oven which had a large fire inside it.  I couldn't wait to try one of their pizzas, but was also in the mood for pasta.

 

Jeff and I ended up splitting a dish of penne with tomato sauce and veal meat balls plus a Quebecois pizza which had mushrooms, green peppers and pepperoni on it. 

 

The food was good, but I stupidly neglected to mention my intolerances and paid the price later on.  My bad cramps made me appreciate The Rok even more than the previous night when I felt perfectly fine.

 

We ordered drinks before deciding on our food at the Italian restaurant in St-Sauveur, but Jeff didn't get to have his Heineken since the waiter had just given the last two bottles to people sitting across from us.  Jeff settled for another kind of beer, and I had a glass of the house red wine.

 

As we sipped our alcoholic drinks at our given window table, we observed what was going on outside and commented on several things.  All the shop owners around seemed to know each other, and conversed in front of their doors before closing up.

 

As the sun set while we ate our meals, small white Christmas lights lit up on the roofs and windows of the small old houses turned into shops. 

 

A blue light was hidden behind a large ice sculpture of a polar bear and it was quite nice to see the reflexion.  People passing by it stopped to take a closer look.  A grown man pet the fake animal as though it was alive and tamed.  When Jeff and I left the restaurant, I decided to go hug the ice bear.

 

As we slowly walked back to the car, I spotted a red heart shaped decoration on one of the street corners and insisted Jeff and I take a selfie in front of it.  We were on a romantic getaway after all.

 

Before reaching our vehicle, we had several nice views of the lit ski hills.  It kind of made me want to go on them, but I didn't want to ski.  I figured I would try convincing Aidan to go tubbing with Jeff and I at some point instead.

 

I was under the impression that the water park in St-Sauveur turned into a tubbing area in the winter because I had seen chairlifts when I had gone many years before with Aidan, but that is not the case. It turns out that there is no tubbing on Mont Saint- Sauveur like I thought, only skiing and snowboarding, but there is a place a few minutes away on Mount Avila called "Glissades des Pays d'en Haut" we could go to.  After finding the place on the internet plus seeing that the prices were decent and that there were over fifty different trails to choose from, I proposed it to Aidan and he looked interested. 

 

This was on the evening after Jeff and I came back from our getaway. 

 

Before getting home the previous night, we had stopped at the gas station on Decarie to full-up.  At the same time, I went into the attached McDonalds to pick up two free coffees for myself and Jeff, plus two snack-sized apple pies for Aidan.

 

The traffic had not really dyed down since leaving St-Sauveur so we were cutting it close, hoping that nobody would be waiting for the car.

 

Because I buzzed once I arrived home, Aidan helped me get the luggage, cardboard tray from McDonalds, as well as my flower arrangement inside the apartment while Jeff went to return the car a couple of minutes late.  My teenager then quickly disappeared into his bedroom with his given treats.  At least he thanked me for them.

 

My son came back out a little later, after his online video game was over. Jeff was home by then so him and I told Aidan how much fun we had on our mini trip.  Jeff also showed him the pictures taken with his cell phone after transferring them all onto his desktop computer.  I think that's when Aidan realized that doing winter sports could be fun.  I was certainly glad to have rediscovered them.

 

*****

I was going to suggest going tubbing the following weekend, but Spring had suddenly arrived.  The snow had half melted in Montreal, creating slush and exposing mud, so I assumed it would be the same near St-Sauveur since the temperature was about the same; around nine degrees Celsius.

 

Aidan ended up eating dinner at a friend's house on the Friday plus sleeping there too, and I didn't want him to feel rushed to get back home the next morning on the rare chance that we did decide to venture out to the Laurentiens. 

 

Jeff and I had a relaxing evening together the night Aidan was out of the apartment, starting with a candlelight dinner.  My husband was a bit distracted so the romantic evening I had imagined didn't quite happen, but I didn't hold it against him. In fact, I was very comprehensive; the way Jeff always is with me.

 

My husband was really concerned about his dad always falling and not rushing to move to a retirement home, so we took him out for brunch the next day to try and convince him to at least be placed on a waiting list.  Our conversation went well.   

 

That same weekend, Jeff and I discovered a new chocolaterie/cafe while walking around our neighbourhood to get some air.  The glass door had been left half open and we stepped into the quiet place simply to check it out at first. It was nicely decorated for Easter plus had nice framed portraits of cupcakes hanging on the painted pastel walls. Shortly after we came in, we were welcomed by a friendly and chatty dark skinned woman.  Jeff and I talked to the proud owner for a bit and told her we might come back after doing a few errands.  We returned a little later for hot drinks and a snack.  The owner of Festive Creations made us big mugs of good coffee as well as mocha and brought them to the square glass table my husband and I sat at. There were two other tables in the dim room, and they remained unoccupied while we were there even though two other people walked in.  While we drank our hot beverages, Jeff and I shared a delicious chocolate cupcake. We joked about saving Aidan a single mini chocolate chip.  My husband and I had invited him to come with us, but he didn't feel like going out.

 

Aidan's close friend Cecile was out though.  She saw Jeff and I through the large window as she was walking by with her mom.  I laughed as soon as I saw her walking into the chocolaterie to say hi because she always found Jeff and I when we were out having coffee close to home.  She used to always pass by when we were at the cafe across the street.

 

"Our place" other than any Starbucks, O Grace de Madeleine, seemed to always be closed though, but we really liked our visit to Festive Creations so Jeff and I claimed it as our new favourite local place.  Although I am sure we would have entered the chocolaterie eventually, if not that day, I was really glad to have given it a try when we did.  I had a feeling we would be coming back often in the warmer days to come since the prices of the fnacy treats and drinks were reasonable.

 

Despite the fact that I was enjoying the recent warm days, I was still hoping that the weather might permit us to go tubbing on one of the weekends that followed. 

 

The forecast called for rain all week in Montreal as well as around St-Sauveur, including on the Saturday and Sunday.  That made a lot more snow melt away...

 

It surprisingly snowed overnight after St-Patricks Day, but it all melted within a few hours of the sunrise.

 

I knew that there was always a chance of getting more snow, especially on the ski hills since the owners sometimes used snow machines.  Several places were still announcing that they were open near the end of March, but looking at the mucky ground around us didn't really put us in the mood to go tubbing.

 

Instead, it made us want to go to a sugar shack.  Aidan had suggested it a while back and we kept it in mind.

 

A lumberjack type street fair was going to take place in Verdun with typical sugar shack foods such as maple taffy on snow etc, but we all preferred to go to a real sugar shack.  There were several of them near the Montreal area so I picked one more or less at random within the Laurentiens and noted down the important information, such as directions.

 

Seeing that the forecast changed and that it was supposed to be sunny rather than rainy on the weekend, Jeff made a car reservation on the Friday evening and we left for Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines at around 10:30 on the morning of Saturday March 20.

 

Earlier that same day, I thought about going to Drummondville to the "Village Quebecois d'Antan" which Jeff and I visited in the Fall to see their popular haunted village created for the occasion of Halloween.  I knew they served sugar shack type meals at their restaurants in the Spring, but didn't think my husband or Aidan would really want to visit the old style homes within the gated site like I did.  So, instead of trying to slightly modify our plans, once I got in the car I stuck to directing Jeff to the sugar shack we had agreed on the previous evening.

 

Nothing looked familiar to us after we passed Laval because we were going in a different part of the Laurentiens then we were used to.  There were smocking factories and empty fields in sight rather than nice rock formations and tree filled mountains.

 

The only appealing things in sight were the groups of birds flying in V formation up in the cloudy blue sky.

 

I thought we might have been heading towards Drummondville for a bit because I clearly remembered seeing signs for Quebec City then driving on the same highway for a long time.  It almost made me change my mind about going to the "Village Quebecois d'Antan." It still wasn't too late, but I was afraid we might need reservations.

 

It was dark out when we had gone there in the Fall, so in broad daylight it felt like we were driving in that part of the province for the very first time. It turns out that we were someplace new. Sainte-Annes-des-Plaines and Drummondville are in opposite directions of each other from Laval which proves my bad sense of direction.

 

I turned on the GPS at one point to make sure we were going the right way, and was given a route that required a toll so just stuck to my written notes.

 

It should have taken us less than an hour to get to the D'Amours sugar shack, but we somehow got lost. Jeff and I realized it when we saw a sign that said highway 640 had come to an end when we were looking for our exit.  We had no idea what town we were in.

 

Jeff said we might have accidentally gotten onto the 440 at some point then back onto the 640. The highway could be confusing at times.

 

Not knowing exactly where to go anymore, I decided to rely entirely on the GPS.  I managed to find a new route that did not require a toll, and Jeff followed the verbal directions.

 

We weren't too far from the D'Amours sugar shack so it only took us about 20 minutes longer to get there.  Other sugar shacks were advertised along the way so we could have gone to any one of those instead, but decided to stick to our original plan.

 

We passed by a small airport with private planes lined up outside and drove through the town of Mascouche, surprised to see three hotels on one of the streets we drove on.  We reached Terrebonne, then finally arrived in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines.  We passed by a few residences and old barns between large fields and a few bare trees. Our destination was finally seen on our right.

 

Jeff turned into the entrance, and a man soon directed him to en empty parking space.

 

After my husband parked in the small muddy lot, we all got out of the car and walked towards a mini farm.  Two brown chickens were outside a small barn pecking at the ground. 

 

Inside the grey metal rimmed building were a couple of families with young children looking at the few animals. It was rather dark in there, but the sun shining through the open door and closed windows provided enough light for us to see.

 

To the right of the entrance, there was a white pony in one pen which I pet as well as one white lama and two big fluffy sheep in another. To the left were two big roosters and small lambs in one pen, then three goats and three rabbits of different sizes and fur colours in another.  Two of the goats started playing together by head-banging each other and pushing one another with their hard horns. The white baby goat innocently got in their way and the adults stopped playing around for a few seconds.  They resumed once the other goat was at a safe distance, but one of them almost stomped on the small grey rabbit lying still in the hey.

 

After looking at the animals, we headed to the sugar shack which looked like a big one-story house made of flat light brown wooden boards.  We passed by a large empty wagon as well as a wooden pen with a few saddled horses and naked maples inside.  In front of it was a sign that said the horses were for rent. There was also a small hut to get maple taffy, but nobody there to pour the syrup on the snow.  The area was practically deserted.

 

We walked up a set of concrete steps to get to the balcony of the sugar shack and opened the main door.

 

There was a long line-up inside, right beside racks of empty hangers and hung jackets. The place was very loud with several people talking to each other at the same time or yelling over others.  It was also a bit confusing.  Some people went ahead of us holding tickets in their hands and ended up coming back near the entrance, while others remained in line.  I presumed we were in the right place to buy tickets for the lunch but wasn't one hundred percent sure.  Those standing behind us had the same doubt.

 

I noticed that a lot of men were wearing checkered shirts, and so did Jeff. My husband said he should have worn one of his and I asked him why he didn't since he wore them often. 

 

None of us really put much thought into our wardrobe that morning. We kind of all just rolled out of our beds, ate a light breakfast, and were on our way. 

 

Jeff had left before Aidan and I to get the car, and called me to ask if I could find him some gloves.  He had forgotten his pair in the back seat of another Communauto vehicle, the same day he lost the skeleton key to the communal boxes where the keys to individual cars were securely kept.  He could not find his missing key, but was able to get a new one for a 20$ fee.

 

My husband was able to make good use of the cars again, obviously. Aidan actually found the missing key weeks later, among our shoes stacked on the wooden rack in our front hall, and gave it to my husband.

 

The line inside the sugar shack slowly moved forward and I finally saw a hint of a wooden table with a woman sitting down behind it.  She was handling the money, interact, and credit card transactions while a man standing next to her was giving tickets to some people and sticker bracelets to others. 

 

Once we paid for our entrances, which was twenty dollars each including tax, we were given VIP sticker bracelets and headed to the large room on the left where there were many people sitting on benches attached to long tables or dancing to traditional Quebecer folkloric music in the centre of the many rows of tables. Some kids were jumping in the inflated castles or playing arcade games.  An artist was sitting in front of an easel doing caricatures of people.

 

At first we thought that the food wasn't ready yet, but then noticed another room with many people inside it eating at clothed tables.

 

We entered the loud dinning room and began to look for a place to sit, thinking it was a buffet, and were soon asked which group we were with and if we had a reservation.  When I had called the previous evening I was told we didn't need one.  It turns out that we still had to put one of our names on a waiting list, so Jeff did so and we returned to the other room together.

 

As we stood in the loud crowd of people moving about, I noticed several silver disco balls hanging from the high and flat white ceiling matching the practically bare white walls. The only decorations I could see were fake strings of orange autumn leaves hanging here and there.  I thought it looked nice.  The red and white checkered curtains on the sides of each vertical window which matched the tablecloths from the dinning room added a little something too.

 

It wasn't at all what either one of us had envisioned because it was more modern than woodsy, but it was still a nice place.

 

I had seen pictures of the private rooms people could reserve for events, such as weddings or holiday parties, and they looked very different; quite fancy actually. I wondered if that's where they had their lobster dinners I had seen advertised on their website. I imagined the atmosphere would be more intimate and relaxing...

 

Although a bit more chaotic than what I had gotten used to, the sugar shack did have its charms.

 

There was a booth near the main entrance with maple products for sale so we went to check them out.  Jeff and I wanted to buy some maple syrup, but they only sold it in cans.  We wanted a bottle because the last time we had syrup in a can the thick liquid somewhat crystallized inside our fridge and when we tried to boil it back to its original form, still inside the open tin, it didn't work.

 

After deciding not to buy any maple products, I went to the bar and asked for an orange Fanta for Aidan.  I wanted apple cider but they didn't have any so I settled for a Bacardi pineapple rum breezer.  The barmaid only took cash, and if I wanted to use my Visa the woman taking care of the ticket purchases would have to be disturbed. I had seen how slow the internet connection was and didn't want to make people wait so I just paid cash.  I had brought money just in case.

 

Jeff ended up getting himself a beer and we all sat at one of the available tables to drink our cold beverages in plastic cups while waiting to be seated in the other room. We tried to converse with each other, but we practically had to yell.

 

People around us continued dancing and a man in a cowboy hat tried to get a group of line dancers to form a couple of times.  Aidan thought he said lion dancers and asked what it was. 

 

A French polka song called "La danse d'Helene" started playing and I began doing the first moves while still sitting down, mainly just to amuse myself.  I got the expected reactions from my son and husband which is to say they gave me weird looks, and soon stopped being ridiculous.

 

I usually like to dance for real, but wasn't really in the mood; especially that I didn't have anyone to dance alongside with aside from strangers who were all dancing in groups of people they knew.

 

After finishing our drinks, I started becoming a bit impatient.  I was getting hungry and didn't like not having an idea of when we would be called; especially that there were things we could have done outside the building to kill time while we waited.

 

I wished I had brought a deck of playing cards with me, and I think Aidan wouldn't have minded a soft pillow since he was resting his head on the hard table.

 

Full names were being called out on a microphone over the loud music every so often.  They were the winners of draws we hadn't been aware of.  Group names were also called out once in a while and people would then make their way to the dinning room.  We worried that we didn't hear our name or that we might have been forgotten as more and more people showed up.

 

After about an hour of us still waiting, Jeff went to inquire on an estimated seating time.  We were brought to a set of tables just a few minutes later. Everyone had to share their space with strangers, but we were told to leave at least one empty chair between each group for a bit of privacy. I put my jacket and purse on one of those black plastic chairs.

 

Once comfortably seated, we saw that coleslaw, jarred sweet pickle slices as well as sliced beats were there for us to eat so we started serving ourselves.

 

Coffee was offered, so of course Jeff said yes.  I had a cup too and poured some maple syrup in it rather than put sugar like I usually do.  We also drank some cold water which we poured into plastic glasses out of a clear jug shared with another family.  A two litre carton of 2% milk was placed on our table. Jeff used some of it for his coffee, and Aidan poured himself a cup to drink.

 

We were given a big loaf of white bread to share between the three of us, but no bread knife so I used my butter knife and hands to cut up pieces. The family sitting beside us eventually lent us their knife.

 

As we were eating some of our buttered bread, Individual bowls of pea soup were brought to us.  Once we were done eating our portions, several metallic bowls of food were placed on the table so we could pick what we wanted and put it on our white plates. There were mini marinated hot-dogs, boiled potatoes, fried onions, beans, pork rinds, plus a big plate of thinly sliced ham as well as quiche. I was surprised that there were no pancakes or bacon, but couldn't complain since there was plenty of food.

 

I did feel a bit bad for telling Aidan as a joke earlier on that there would be no bacon though, but I think he was happy to see that the rest of my bluff didn't end up being true.  We were not in a vegetarian sugar shack, and our food was definitely not tofu mimicking various meats...

 

We ate until we were full, not knowing that we would be given a choice of desserts after our dirty plates and leftovers were taken away.

 

Jeff chose a crepe which looked more like a greasy hole less donut. Aidan and I asked for sugar pie.  My son poured some maple syrup on his already sweet piece and drank two cups of milk with it while Jeff and I had more coffee. 

 

Apparently, the boy sitting beside Jeff gave my husband a strange look as though he was shocked to see him drinking more coffee.  It was his third cup by then.

 

The boy and his family soon left and their section of the table was rapidly cleared.

 

After leaving a well deserved tip for our friendly waitress in a little wooden box for this effect, we left the busy dinning area and went outdoors.

 

The contrast between the warm building and the cold outside air was nice for a few seconds, but then I began to shiver.  It didn't take long for me to put on my hat and gloves.

 

We went in a small line to get ourselves some maple taffy.  After the golden syrup was poured in different areas of a bed of clean snow by two employes, we grabbed some flat wooden popsicle sticks from a small bucket and began to roll them onto the hardening syrup which easily came off the cold snow.

 

We then got out of the way so that others could get their sweet treats.

 

My little family and I ate our sticky treats on sticks while standing in front of a tall leafless maple tree with a big metal bucket attached to its thick trunk. 

 

Part of my taffy slowly started stretching downwards and I foresaw it making a mess on my left glove but didn't take it off because I knew my hand would freeze. 

 

Because of the temperature, I was glad not to have gone to the street festival.  When I told Jeff and Aidan, they said they felt the same.

 

Although I had been rather unimpressed with the sugar shack at first, mainly because of the unexpectedly long waiting time, it was nice to have been able to sit at a table in the warmth and eat a copious amount of food for a decent price.  I certainly had not expected a three course meal.

 

We continued talking and soon relocated in front of a warm open fire pit to finish eating our yummy treats.

 

While I walked towards the nearest garbage bin to throw out my sticky stick, Aidan tossed his onto the fire pit like Jeff had done while I had my back turned, but it just sat on the metal rack and slowly started becoming black.

 

As we continued standing in front of the fire pit, we observed the few people who were doing short horseback tours within the small pen.  It looked like a fun activity for young kids, but I was glad that we had not come to the sugar shack specifically to go horseback ridding or we would have been highly disappointed.  When I had seen that they did horseback riding on their website, I had imagined something similar to what we did at the ranch.

 

A big red wooden wagon drawn by two brown horses arrived with many people sitting in it. I almost felt like I was looking at a moving picture of the lovely one I had seen on the homepage of the D'Amours website, which is what drew me to this particular sugar shack to begin with. The driver was going to take another group around the wooden grounds full of naked maple trees leaking sap into buckets.

 

I wanted to go in the wagon, but it cost extra per person and neither Jeff not Aidan were really interested.  It was pretty cold out, mainly because of the harsh wind, so it probably would not have been very pleasant anyways. 

 

We didn't really want to stay outside longer than necessary because it felt much colder than the minus ten degrees celsius announced in the weather report for the area.

 

Since I knew we could do a tour of the boiler room where the maple syrup was made, I suggested doing that. We searched for it and found a small building which advertised the boiler as well as a haunted house, but the doors were locked.

 

We saw a log cabin with smoke coming out of a chimney int the distance, but didn't know how to get to it and thought it might be a different sugar shack since there was another parking lot in front of it.

 

We finally decided to head back home, but visited the mini farm again before going to the car.  The barn was a lot more crowded than before, so it was hard to move around. We still managed to get a good look at all the animals again without getting in the way of any young children.

 

One of the roosters was crowing very loudly on a tree branch and I told Aidan he needed one to wake him up in the morning.  The rest of the animals were very calm.  The pony was quietly eating hey, the goats had stopped playing together, and the chickens were hiding in a corner at the back of the barn. I was tempted to try petting one but left them both alone.

 

After getting in the car, I used the GPS to lead us back home and fell asleep shortly after Aidan did.  This was after passing St-Eustache.  Jeff knew where to go at this point though, so he didn't get lost because of my lack of navigation.

 

Unfortunately, I didn't feel so well once I got home because the food I ate felt really heavy in my stomach.  I went to lie down in bed and eventually fell asleep. My nap lasted almost two hours.

 

I was able to eat dinner shortly after getting out of bed, but it wasn't anything extravagant.  Jeff and Aidan had leftovers and salad.  I simply ate a toasted tomato sandwich.

 

Despite the fact that we all felt a little ill from the overdose of protein and sugar we had eaten earlier on, we had still enjoyed our time together and all wanted to return to a different sugar shack in the future; possibly next year.

 

Although part of me still wanted to go tubbing, I didn't think it was going to happen this season. 

 

Even though we had a big snowstorm with twenty centimetres of snow on Easter Weekend, we all preferred to stay indoors and relax rather then venture out.  Besides, Jeff and I knew that trying to reserve a car at the last minute during a holiday was practically impossible.

 

The snow wasn't there to stay.  In fact, it turned into rain and Spring was back in no time.

 

I eventually just accepted the fact that we had missed our chance at tubbing for this year, but that there was always next year.

 

For once, I was actually looking forward to winter.