Rancho Relaxo

Sorry I've been offline for a while, but I have a good excuse. Two Saturdays ago, August 26, the hubby and I boarded the Jeep Cherokee at 5:02am (should have been 5:00 on the dot, but someone forgot his sunglasses and we had to loop back) bound for a foreign land. A place where they don't take US dollars, a letter takes two weeks by regular Post, and the air is fresh and clean: Bayfield, Ontario. This is a very special place for me, and now for Paul, as it is where my dad lived. We can't go there to visit my dad anymore, but Toni, my stepmom, still lives there, and it's an amazing place. We call it "Baypatch," but the home's official name is La Sirena (the mermaid).

A mere 10 hours, five pee breaks, six CDs, and one book-on-tape later, we pulled into La Sirena. It was just how we remembered it: the garden in full bloom, the waves calmly pulling into shore, her chocolate lab resting in a shady spot on the lawn. We had arrived at Rancho Relaxo for the coming week. Paul was finished with his six-year career at Cerulli, where we met, fell in love, and worked together for so long, and had a 10-day haitus before starting at McKinsey. We brought books upon books, suntan lotion, golf clubs, and a yearning to relax. And so we did.

For the first five days, we plowed through books, lounged in the adirondack chairs. Paul's parents payed a visit from Ohio. Then Thursday my sister and brother-in-law, and kids Jack and Lucy arrived. We took them raspberry picking, chased them around the yard, and made multiple trips to Rosie's, the ice cream shop.

And on Sunday morning we left, rejuvenated and ready to head back to life in Boston. So long, La Sirena. Until next time.