CABIN FEVER: ADVENTURES IN CAMPING

By Sharon Page

A campfire.   

Toasting marshmallows.  

Trying not to spray the mosquito repellent on your face as you create a cloud around you to keep the bugs away.   “To  get away from it all”, I love getting away to a cabin by a lake.   Of course, for me, the cabin has to have a bathroom and running water.  Then it’s a perfect.

My husband and I love to share the cabin experience with our kids.  My hubby toasts the most excellent marshmallows—making them golden brown on the outside, and soft and gooey within.   He patiently waits for the coals to be just right, picks the best spot, and then turns the marshmallow slowly, browning it evenly.  He’s taught the skill to the kids.  We even use extendable metal forks with wooden handles instead of sticks—I suggested we make a box so our daughter could take the fork to camp and look like a ‘professional marshmallow toaster’.  I, however, tend to set my marshmallows on fire, and usually end up with “marshmallows au carbon”.

A vacation at the lake is one of the most relaxing and restful things I can imagine.  When I was a kid, I loved to spend early evenings fishing on the lake.  I loved the stillness, and the beauty of the sun reflecting on the water as it slowly sank behind trees.  I wasn’t serious about the fishing, though.  I actually tried to avoid catching fish. 

What about you?  Do you have a favourite place you visit for a vacation?  Or a family cottage? 

(Note:  the picture of Rainy Lake is front OntarioFishingOnline.)