On long weekends during the summer, all of Toronto heads north to "cottage country", a large swathe of lake-swarmed land centered around Lake Muskoka and the Muskoka region, as I understand it. Every long weekend, the radio traffic reports would tell of congestion on the roads leading to and from cottage country, and its accompanying police crackdown on drivers driving badly. It seems as if every adult or family with a job in this city who has been here more than five years has their own cottage up north - usually a "cottage" far more spacious than the apartment or smaller house they could afford in the city.

Thanks to C.'s parents desire to see the region while visiting, we spent three days at a resort up in the lakes, a place called Cedar Grove Resort on Peninsula Lake. Although the lakeshore was dense with wood-shrouded homes, it was a lovely location. The water stretched out from the shoreline in a wide expanse, and low hills surrounded it. Log cabins are exotic when you come from a country which does not have them, as C.'s parents do. We stayed in one, rather more modern than traditional: two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large fireplace in the living room. All meals were included.

I still have a lingering fondness in my mind for canoeing from when I went to summer camp when I was young. I still liked it - canoes are so peaceful and maneuverable. We went hiking in Algonquin Park one day, three kilometers of hills and another two of old railway bed, once the busiest railway line in Canada. I tried out the hot tub, which reminded me of my one experience with hot springs. I even had a bit of time to work on my syllabus and do some painting. It was a good trip, a last burst of vacation before the school year begins.