Cottage Trip 2015

Every summer, I always try to plan one trip to the cottage with my friends. It doesn't always work out with everyone, but it is looked forward to by all of us every year. This summer, we lucked out and pretty much everyone was able to make it. Now that the cottage is pretty much done and ready for visitors, it was especially exciting because I couldn't wait to see everyone's reactions when they saw the interior. I made sure to make a video of it for mom!

After most of us arrived on Friday night, and we were all settled into our rooms, Josh and Michelle started a fire and we all immediatly went into cottage mode. Booze and marshmellows were passed around and we all discovered Josh is a bit of a pyro and we needed to keep the poker stick away from him.

The next morning after a delightful breakfast we settled in for a nice game of golf (card style) and then took the boat out up the river. For many of my friends this was their first trip on a boat on the burnt river so it was really fun sharing the sights. I had also advised that some people bring CD's as the boat has a cd player, so Michelle packed several Woot Woot Soundtracks.

For lunch we had Samosas and other finger foods. Marni and I made daquris which were delicious. Lunch was followed by a swim and and another fire. Several rounds of badmonton were played and we all found out that Elizabeth is secretly terrifying. Dinner was the classic hamburgers and hotdogs with fresh corn on the cob. Delicious!

After dinner we ladies left the guys to the dishes and took the boat out on an evening ride. It was very relaxing, so long as you didn't sit in the front seat.

Other than the gnat swarms, it was a really nice ride, we saw a dear having a drink and we made it all the way to the new bridge. When we got back the guys had the fire still going and we sat out to watch the stars. I had my telescope and I was determined to stay up until 2am to see the Pleiades star cluster. I had seen it years ago (you can see it with your eyes) but I have always wanted to see it with my telescope. Fortunetly luck was with me that night and the sky stayed clear and bright so when 2 am rolled around I could see it rising over the tree line. It. Was. Beautiful! Totally worth the wait!

The next morning we had breakfast outside and then went into town to do a little exploring (and ICECREAM!). Elizabeth and Michael left afterwards and the rest of us went back to the cottage for a quick swim and another game of badminton. We had a late lunch or early dinner of fajitas, and eventually after tidying up we headed home. It was the perfect weekend, we had great weather, starry sky's, awesome food... it was a perfect inaugural trip to the Maidstone Cottage!