Today was a departure from what Dave and I have experienced this week, as we spent the entire day in one place, the lovely city of Kenora. Sarah gave us a bunch of ideas for what to check out - she was not able to join us as she had to work. The hospitality we received from her and Derek was something else - all the comforts of a lovely bed and breakfast (with the addition of laughter aplenty as Sarah has such a comedic way about her)! They also graciously lent us a vehicle so that Roberto could take a break as we toured Kenora.
Our first stop, she suggested, should be the Clarion Lakeside Inn, where we could have breakfast at the very top of the hotel that has a bird's eye view of Kenora's waterfront. Our omelet in a skillet was delicious and the view was incredible, even with the clouds and the rain. So many islands! One can imagine how busy the waterfront must be in the summer.
Next, we walked around downtown - which had all sorts of neat little shops that would have been great therapy for me (retail therapy is a real thing, isn't it?) but we ended up just window shopping in the end (not retail therapy, but still lots of fun). Our wanderings led us to the Lake of the Woods Brewery, where we purchased some of their fine beer (including the Forgotten Lake, their blueberry ale that I really enjoyed) and Dave bought a t-shirt that would make any hipster jealous!
We then headed to my cousin Jeff's place, which was another wonderful reunion. Dave and I were really interested in finding out more about his family's four-and-a-half month-long trip of a lifetime which included the Cook Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and more. When his wife, Cheryl, and his children, Arwyn and Owen, came home, they shared even more stories, many of them hilarious. The kids were so excited to relive and reflect upon some of their globe-trotting adventures. It had been years since Dave and I had seen Arwyn and Owen - but we quickly bonded as the stories and laughter continued. What a pair of sweethearts these two are! The six of us enjoyed a wonderful homemade dinner (with pie!) and played the uproarious game Telestrations, which requires lots of drawing - and if there are any participants who lack artistic talent (not mentioning any names) it turns into an hour of explosive laughter. One of the highlights for me occurred when Dave's drawing of a pretzel was interpreted as a pair of minion glasses (sorry, Dave, but I couldn't resist).
Jeff provided me with a couple of really cool facts about Kenora:
1. Lake of the Woods has over 14,000 islands and has over 105,000 km of shoreline - the lake with the longest shoreline in the world is indeed Lake of the Woods!
2. The Kenora Thistles won the 1907 Stanley Cup!
3. People living in Kenora - Kenorans? - could potentially see a lynx in their backyard! How do I know this? Because at supper tonight, Jeff spotted one racing by! Dave witnessed it - I wasn't quick enough to see it, as it didn't stick around for long. Now that's dinner with a show!
My takeaway from these last two days is that while travel - where one sees beautiful landscapes and visits attractions exactly like what we are experiencing - is exhilarating and entertaining, there is nothing like spending time with family.
My heart is full.
"A cousin is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost." ~ Marion C. Garretty
