Because we were in the U.S.A., I guess it's okay that they put their flag a few inches higher.
I have honestly never seen someone so excited for bread and water.
Needless to say, someone was not super impressed that we rented a place covered in hardwood floors.
A gorgeous sunny morning spent walking through the grounds at Snowline.
Hello friends! Did you have a fun weekend? We had every intention of staying in B.C. to go camping, but with all of the sites remaining being listed as first-come-first-serve, we knew it'd be chancy to drive a great distance with a toddler, only to find the sites full. Plus the weather forecast was iffy, so we moved our plans indoors. We quickly scanned the world wide web (handy!) for some deals and found a great price on a one bedroom condo at Mt. Baker. ($85 a night). I grew up with a cabin at Mt. Baker, that my family sold approx. a dozen years ago, so I was really excited to show Stella the area.
What do you do when you first get settled into a vacation place? For whatever reason, I always go set up my toiletries. I neatly arrange them around the sink, laying out my toothbrush and toothpaste, neatly lining up my contact solution and moisturizing cream. I have no such display at home, so it always baffles me that this is my go to first move to create that homey feeling. I pulled back the shower curtain to check out the tub, and there to meet my gaze was a giant spider. I showed Stella how brave I am, by grabbing a glass and putting a coaster underneath, and ushered it outside to save this tarantula's life. All I kept thinking was, if this coaster folds in any way, there will be some serious screaming coming from me, considerably breaking this tough facade. I also raised my eyebrow and quickly scanned the condo, knowing full well giant spiders like to travel with friends.
Sure enough, Craig was greeted by a much bigger version of the spider I just rescued. Or perhaps it was the same spider, pumped on 'roids, coming back to re-claim the place. Craig did the same glass trick, and asked me if I wanted to take a looksy. "Oh no love, I'm good. I'm just busy setting things up." Which loosely translates into, what part of you honestly thinks that I want to get within one inch of that maniacal looking unpredictable eight legged leaper.
Now before you start thinking the condo we rented was located in the heart of Charlotte's Web, it was actually at the base of Mt. Baker, in an area called Snowwater. I grew up in the neighbouring cabin community of Snowline. One thing I really love about the area is that there is no cable and no cell phone service, so it really is a great escape. Before you surmise that it sounds a lot like camping with a roof, it had a flat screen TV with a DVD player. (retro!) (side note, when I saw the rental unit's DVD collection which started at Deuce Bigalow and went downhill from there, I was incredibly grateful we packed our own). (Movie snob!)
In the subdivision we were in, there were gorgeous hiking trails, a giant indoor pool (which we had most times to ourselves), squash courts, tennis, a playground and a nice bar/grill within walking distance. It poured rain the first two days we were there, so that indoor pool was the best. We did so much swimming, I'm sure you won't even recognize our new ripped physiques. And by ripped, I mean waterlogged.
At the end of the weekend, the clouds finally parted and the most gorgeous sunshine woke us up, so we took Stella for a walk past my old cabin and let her play in the area. I'm not sure if you'd ever consider buying a recreational property. Some people definitely don't like the idea of vacationing repeatedly in the same location, which I completely understand. But on the flip side, there definitely is something to be said for having a place filled with your own belongings, that you can just go to on a whim. As I walked with my daughter around our old area, I pointed out the creek we used to jump over, the giant boulder we used to climb, the pond we used to fish in, the pool we swam in, the court we played pickleball in, the apple tree my mom used to sit under and watch us play. I left out all of the raging parties we used to have. She could learn about that much, much later, like in her early 30s. But it made me so happy to see it all again. Although it was recreational property, we owned it for over 20 years, and spent at least one weekend a month there. I'm more nostalgic about that area than any home I've lived in because of all the fun-filled memories we have there. We truly grew up there. I'm just so thankful that I got to re-visit it with my daughter. xoxo
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