New York Part I: Canada Lake

Our trip to New York last month was nothing short of spectacular. It was the best family vacation we’ve taken. EVER. We had so much down time and spent a good deal of time visiting with friends and family. A highlight or our trip was visiting friends that split their time between Park City in the winter and upstate New York in the summer. Canada Lake, in the Adirondack Mountains, is something special. It was our third time visiting and each time we go, we fall in love with it just a little bit more. My dear friend, Heather, runs a small coffee shop and bakery adjacent to the general store that her family owns and runs. I’ll save the details of that for a post next week. Believe me when I tell you her baked goods deserve a post all of their own! Until then, enjoy some pictures of our time at the lake!

Heather grew up on the lake and her family has run the general store and Marine for over 40 years. The general store covers all the basics but it also carries some great local food products as well as a full deli, hard packed ice cream, local fudge, and the cutest little woodsy gift shop in the back complete with pine sachets and a wall of sweatshirts with the Canada Lake logo.

This was my view from the cabin we stayed in. Not too shabby, eh? I swear the water was that still until noon each day. It taunted us out of bed each morning to wakeboard and waterski behind the boat until our arms felt like they were going to fall off. Seven sessions in two days meant not only a good time but also a sore lower back for a week.

The kids spent their entire waking hours, wondering the paths around the cabins and lake, playing with rocks, and throwing sticks into the water. The boys didn’t ask to watch tv or play with anything electronic once. They were just as taken with the outdoor splendor as the Mr and I were. I can’t tell you how nice it was to disconnect for a few days.

The Mr traveled his blow up SUP (stand up paddle) board all the way from Utah so he could paddle around each morning. After taking a few turns myself, I quickly decided it was worth the hassle. The kids took turns going for a cruise on the back and were pretty content with the cruisey conditions on the back of the board.

This is the back view of Heather’s sisters house who also lives on the lake. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more picturesque back yard or dock. We spent a good part of our afternoons here, letting the boys play while we sipped cold beer and did a whole lot of nothing.

The little man claimed this part of the beach as his own and played here for hours.
and I mean HOURS! The water wasn’t particularly warm but it was just shallow enough and had plenty of sand and water toys to choose from so he was happy as a clam. We nicknamed it the Ja-Ju beach.

It cracks me up that he wore his sweat pants all afternoon. They must have weighed 10 pounds and were so heavy and sagging but it didn’t stop him from building, sorting and doing his thing. He was in his own little world for hours. For a little man that doesn’t stop moving, it was awesome to watch him slow down and play quietly and contently by himself. Something he doesn’t do at home.

This kid must have fished 6 hours a day, no joke. We couldn’t keep the fishing pole out of his hands. From the boat, the dock and any piece of land he could find, he was cast away determined to catch a fish. In fact he woke me up one morning at 5:20 am to see if we could go fish. Apparently someone told him an early wakeup call is when the real fisherman go out. He told me it was the fisherman’s hour. It very well might be, little man, but go back to sleep. We both slept until almost 8.

His persistence and determination payed off because as my husband and I were sitting enjoying a cup of coffee and scone one morning, we heard him yelling from the dock. He’d caught a fish. His very first fish. To say he was excited would have been an understatement. He was beyond thrilled!

He wasn’t all that into actually touching the fish so good thing for him our friend, Steve, helped him take the fish off his real and release it back into the lake. Not before we got some snapshots for prosperity, of course.

I had to include this last photo because for me, the face says it all. All four of us smiled like this the entire time we were at the lake. From fishing, playing in the sand, paddle boarding, wake boarding, napping, reading our books, visiting with friends, it was downright the best family vacation. In fact, I’m smiling this big just thinking about it!

Have a great Saturday everyone!