We are back from our 10 days in Northern Ontario on Lake Temagami. It was a glorious cocoon of existence for that period of time. We had little email contact, texting was pretty much non-existent and no cell service at all. We woke up to the sunrise and went to bed at sunset which is actually very late up there, somewhere around 9:30 or so. I have become addicted to something called “Killer Suduko” which I knew absolutely nothing about until two weeks ago when I accidentally picked up a book of the puzzles. I spent the whole time learning how to do it so that I was able to do one without any assistance on the last day. Then I realized that the puzzles were at the expert level. No wonder it took me so long to figure it out.

A Car, A Boat and A Trailer

Our trip started with a bit of panic when we couldn’t get the trailer hooked on to the hitch on the back of my car despite the expert assistance of my sister. I called our wonderful marina manager at 7:15 in the morning and just as he was driving down the driveway the hitch and the boat became one. Magic! Needless to say we did not undue the trailer once it was secured. Driving the car with the trailer behind it is way easier than driving the truck that we used to rent. I did most of the driving and found it quite easy. I was even able to back the thing up a couple of times. We launched after an 11 hour drive and were sitting with a glass of wine by 7:30 that same evening. The return trip was even easier and took us a little over 10 hours. We had fewer and shorter stops along the way plus we didn’t have the two traffic tie ups that we had on the way up there.

Puzzles

Along with Suduko puzzles we challenged ourselves with a 1000 piece puzzle of Canadian sights. John and I worked it together in the evening after dinner and were pretty proud of our effort. Things really got going when Katie got there and brought a fresh pair of eyes to the puzzle. Then Libby arrived after camp and she was amazing. What I loved is the different way we approached the puzzle pieces. I am all about color and sorting the pieces by color then looking for the pieces that go with each item that has that color as a part of it. Katie randomly would scan the pieces and jump on a piece and knew exactly where it went. Libby was totally different, she looked at the shape of the puzzle piece and where it would fit. We ultimately finished the puzzle the day before we left – minus the one piece that Bean ate and one piece that we think was left behind. It certainly was a lot of fun and kept us very busy.

And the Girl is Back!

Now back to reality. Our grandson is leaving tomorrow to drive to Tennessee to go to college. Our grand daughter is off to visit her family in Long Island and when she returns she will start at her new school as a high school freshman. Two big adventures. We are all a little teary at the thought. The summer just went too fast. Libby had a marvelous time canoeing all over the Lake Temagami region and came back strong and healthy and really happy. We couldn’t be more pleased. Jack missed his time up there but with luck he will be able to go back next summer. One of Jack’s friends noted that his family and ours should have at least four more summers together up there depending on who does what trip. I like to think we can keep going until we can no longer deal with the boat.

A Few Hikes, Happy People, Happy Dogs

John and I managed to get in three hikes while we were there. It is a small trail with lots of climbing and rock beds left over from the spring thaw. The dogs absolutely loved it as they could run free and we just kept moving through the bush following them. We had my walking poles which were essential because it can be quite slippery on the trails. In fact, John broke one trying to keep himself upright at one point. So now I have to order a new set. It wasn’t repairable. We are hoping to get some hiking in later this summer in Newfoundland and Labrador. Since the dogs are on leash some of the time when we walk around home it is too difficult to have walking poles too.

Splatter the Dip

I tried a new recipe when we were up on the big lake. It is a variation of something called 7 Layer Dip. I thought it looked prettier than it tasted. We had friends stop by for dinner so I made it before hand and put it in the fridge to chill. However, I wasn’t very careful in how I put it in the fridge and the next time I opened up the fridge door the 7 Layer Dip slid right out and onto the floor, splat!

Here is my annotated version of Seven Layer Dip.

The layers in 7 Layer Dip are:

1. Refried beans. (1 can)
2. Sour cream (mixed with cream cheese and taco seasoning) 6oz/4oz
3. Guacamole. (8 oz)
4. Salsa (drained) (8 oz)
5. Cheese. (to taste)
6. Green onions. (to taste)
7. Olives or tomatoes. (as much for looks as anything)

The recipe I used mixed the taco seasoning into the refried beans. Not a good idea as the seasoning just gets lost. Much better to put it in with the sour cream and cream cheese. I used Pico de Gallo which was way too watery so salsa is a much better decision. Forgot the green onions but I did have the olives. Some recipes call for adding milk to the beans to make it less dense and easier to scoop. Start with the refried beans on the bottom then add the sour cream mixture, the guacamole, salsa, cheese, green onions and olives. I didn’t have sliced olives so I decorated around the dip instead of adding into the dip. Add in jalapenos if you like it spicey. Enjoy!