Day twenty: Life moves slower up north

Just so you all know, I am having a blast camping! Yesterday, we sat around the campsite, played ladder golf (more details on THAT game later), had an early dinner and then took a ride.

There are six of us up here, so we loaded up into the suburban and went moose hunting about an hour before sunset. We don't hunt, per se; we just like to see if we can find any and take pictures! After about 45 minutes of driving on the dirt roads, we came across a black bear!! It was the first I've ever seen up close (outside of a zoo). Unfortunately, I didnt get any pictures because he ran away too fast :( But I did get some good pics on my Nikon of two moose that we saw! This cell phone cannot take pictures fast enough, so I can't post any today, but I do have some nice shots of the local scenery!!

This sign is just a small testament to the way people live up here. Everyone is friendly; everyone goes out of their way to help anyone else out.

This was out campfire last night. The boys went for a ride yesterday morning and came back with hollow logs. When you put one over the fire, it burns straight up through and it's gorgeous!

This is one of my friends, walking through a small bog. He said it was really cold!!

These next few are of the freshwater spring we go to to get our water. We don't drink it, but it works great for cleaning, cooking, and putting out a fire!

Driftwood is my favorite wood!!

This tree is at Lily Bay State Park. The shore has washed away and all that remains are the roots. I thought it looked cool and I hope you do too. I will be returning Sunday morning, so I will make my Sunday post loaded with pictures!! :)

<3 Dawn

Day Eleven: Only 21 more sunsets

So today I am starting my countdown to my mini-vacation! The summer always comes to quite a bitter end for me, so the excitement I feel when winter is coming to an end and summer is coming back around is almost tangible. Almost as soon as spring has sprung I start dreaming of the lake. My family owns a tiny little cottage on a lake in Maine and I try and go up as many weekends as I can during the summer. There is no other place that I can go where I feel like I could do nothing but sit and just be still and it is perfectly acceptable. I can shut my brain down and it doesn't feel strange. There is no cable, no internet, and spotty cellphone reception. The carpet is straight out of the 1970's, none of the furniture matches, and the windows practically scream at you when you pry them open. There is one bedroom with a bed that you have to stay perfectly still on through the night or you will find yourself unexpectedly on the floor. The living/dining room has three couches and a love seat, none of which are particularly comfortable, and a large floor space. It also only has 1 bathroom, yet somehow last year we fit 10 girls in this place, and I can tell you I have never felt more at peace or had more fun. The night there is quiet and the sky is bright. I forget how many stars you can see when you are away from the city lights. We fill the nights with board games, bonfires, and quiet talks by the lake. My summers as a child were spent here and there is a lot of my love for this tiny little cottage that comes from nostalgia. Just take a few moments and check out the sunset on the lake and you will see why this place, for me, is perfection. 

I love sunsets because they are constantly changing. So many different colors light up the sky and you never know from one minute to the next what is going to happen!

Fires by the lake are awesome! We roast hot dogs and marshmallows. Everyone smells of wood smoke and bug spray, but we laugh, tell stories, and make plans for the next day. 

 Mornings are quiet on the lake.  

Sometimes they are super foggy like this morning. Most foggy mornings clear up into beautifully sunny days. 

Only 21 more days to go before I am lake bound with my friends! Hopefully now you can see why I am so excited for the start of Summer!


Dreaming of being lakeside,


Traci