Much Needed Get Away

     

     I had three pretty relaxing, no pressure days with friends. Those are the type of weekends most people need now and again. My friends, for different reasons, needed a break as well. G is still dealing with massive family and estate issues, and support for her mom. J took a full time teaching job, but still is taking photography clients on the side after making the hard choice to close her studio at years end. S is busy working and supporting her daughter with a baby and was stretched this week. 

     Friday we all arrived sort of staggered, but beer, wine, and a sausage and gnocchi dish for lunch, wild rice soup for dinner and just chilling was the days plan. Saturday we lingered over fruit, bagels, and coffee, a walk and some picture taking. Then, we headed into a nearby town for some thrift shopping.

      J's daughter was the big shopper finding a couple indigenous artist framed needle work pieces, some fish pieces, and a huge tapestry that she plans to upcycle into pillows and a lined smaller blanket. I found these two items...Mickey chambry shirt, $5 which J is going to use first for Disney day at her school, and these like new J Crew pants for $15, and were exactly what I've been keeping an eye out for. Not great bargains, but fair.

In another shop, J's daughter found a collectible cookie jar, but walked away as she felt she spent enough, but J had G and I buy and camouflage and take to the car for a gift. Clever. I'll arrange a covert drop off. M was home from Alaska, as her contract ended and for foot surgery in a few weeks. She may be going back in January if an opportunity is offered. Here's a little snippet of one of the thrift stores with no rhyme or reason to how displayed. 

     Happy hour was calling, and we shared a huge, mediocre at best, basket of bar snacks. Not our best choice as we all felt very heavy after. Back at the cabin, we still had hours of sunlight and 85° temperatures so we sat lakeside, feet in the water, with beverages until the wind picked up and the sun went down. We lost G and S as G's husband was just back from an international trip and she had to leave again tomorrow for her mom's, two hours away. S's granddaughter was being baptized Sunday. We heated up soup as wanted, with sandwiches, if wanted,  before they left. The three of us left played a conversation game called Tales for a few hours before hitting the beds hard.

Morning sun.

     Sunday was still quite warm. More coffee, fruit, and bagels, another walk, chilling on the deck or by the water with the Vikings game on. We didn't watch much but stayed up on the score. They left after a picky bits/ leftovers lunch. I stayed about an hour making sure all was to rights (friends of course were gems and left their rooms perfect). There were a few fall tasks that didn't get done labor day weekend as they were busy with the little cabin project. I cleaned the refrigerator and threw outdated items, washed the patio door glass, filled with dog nose and sticky finger marks, and cleaned the hanging light fixture of bugs. Bathrooms cleaned, a quick sweep, vacuum, and wet mop, load trash and recycling for bins at home, and I was on the road and back home by 5:00. 

     With nothing that had to be done or anywhere to be, I got some good thinking time in. It reinforced I need to not dwell on things I can't change and put energy into things I have agency over. Back home and a more calm week, I'll spend my days putting my house to rights and my continued quest to make everyday rejuvenating. Here's some random fall lake pictures, and a little wrap up view video on an unseasonably summer weather fall weekend. 

My favorite view. This is often where eagles roost.

Pontoon still going strong for year round lake dwellers. The family pontoon has been taken for winter storage.

I love cattails.

The other directional view.