We got to our cottage at the Doran Bay Resort in Iroquois, Ontario just after 1:00 on Saturday. There were 10 cottages (one for supplies) all in a line with space between them to park a car. Each cottage had a deck, table and chairs and a barbecue. Lawn chairs were scattered around the grass. There were also a pool that was open from 9 until people stopped swimming, a couple of canoes in which we could paddle around the bay, a gazebo with some toys, a couch and chairs and a long table, and lots of open space to run and play on. There was a line of firepits set at a distance from the cottages, which meant the kids didn’t go near them during the day and at night people could have bonfires without disturbing people trying to sleep in the cottages. There wasn’t, unfortunately for us, a climbing structure, swings or a sand box or a beach. We had to re-evaluate our plans a bit for entertaining Reid. It would have been ideal if Reid were nine or ten and willing to make friends with the other kids and play on the grounds or if we’d been part of a group. In fact, Ken assessed it a perfect place for my family to gather. There were 2 cabins of people – grandparents, adult kids and small kids – that seemed to have discovered this for themselves.
We lugged our things in from our car (which I stil lovey) and all lay down for a nap. The cottage was delightfully cool, holding onto the chill of the night before and I was reminded of why I love late August in this part of Ontario: warm days for playing and cool nights for sleeping. While I got groceries, Reid and Ken took turns pitching and hitting with Reid’s new plastic bat and ball. I heard that Reid also rode her bike in the lane behind the cottage. Ken pushed her along the stones and practiced braking. Coincidentally, she was also breaking her dad’s back bit by bit.
We all played outside for a while and then Reid and I went for a swim. Reid brought her Dora the Explorer swim ring along and took it for its first test float in a real pool. She’s had it for more than a year but we’ve never taken it anywhere but Reid’s wading pool. The pool was kind of chilly for me – *only* 78 degrees – but Reid had no such concerns. After our swim, we sunned on plastic chaise lounges, watching Reid wrap herself more or less gracefully in a variety of arrangements. It was entertainment in itself.
Reid and I walked over to look at the river and the bay. We took a canoe for a “ride” – staying safely on the grass and letting the wind blow us along so that we could leave our imaginary paddles on the bottom of the boat. I joked that we should have brought Uncle Roge along to paddle us around, like our last canoe trip. We also went out onto the little dock, that Reid insisted on calling a bridge, and looked into the water. We didn’t see any fish – though the fellow in the next cottage reported having caught a few – and Reid was convinced that the dock, rather than the water, was moving.
Ken barbecued hamburgers for supper on the barbecue that was in front of the deck. It was a smoky affair and the results were lip-smackingly good. Paired with the salads I so carefully shopped for, it was a wonderful meal and we ate at the table on our deck. After supper, we went inside the cottage to get away from the flies and played the Winnie the Pooh Goes Together game that I got at the Dollar Store before we went to Chicago. We’d never played it before but Reid seemed to know the rules. She paired the soap and tub, wind and kite, and so on confidently and then turned them over to find the picture on the back. In theory, the picture on the back confirms the match. In reality, it does that and also provides a clue to what the other item might be. Reid was quite willing to sneak a peek at the back when stumped and eventually as a matter of course. I tried to stamp out this devious behaviour with a few, “Reid, you’re not playing fair” comments but since she was playing alone, no one was about to quit the game to make a point.
The temperature dropped as the evening came – not like those crazy days of 27 degrees at 8:00pm – and it would have been a perfect night for a campfire. The woman who runs the resort offered to set us up with wood for only $4 but we declined. Reid needed to go to bed and I knew I wouldn’t be far behind her in falling asleep. There were even extra-long handled hot dog or marshmallow roasting forks in the supply cabin. Mmmm, yummy, thinking back I wish we’d kept Reid up. Sunday went better for us having put her to bed on time, though, I’m sure.