My Week with Mom at Lasting Memories Cottage

Back in January way before covid lockdowns, my Mom booked Lasting Memories Cottage for a week in June. She planned to spend the week by the lake with her friend Zibby relaxing and reading books. They expected to enjoy lovely lake views and drive into into Bayfield for all the fun touristy things. 

Due to current covid concerns making normal human interactions seem risky and downright scary, Zibby backed out. My Mom understood her concerns but still planned to go. 

As luck would have it, my trip to Boulder in May was cancelled due to covid Canada-US border closures. With no way to visit our grandchildren in the foreseeable future, Mom asked if I'd like to go with her to the cottage instead. Of course I jumped at the opportunity. I was excited and looking forward to our get away.

My Week with Mom at Lasting Memories Cottage was all I had hoped for and more. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. A perfect mother-daughter vacation with many lasting memories made. I did my best to capture the highlights in photos.

The weather was perfect the whole week ...warm and sunny. The sunsets were spectacular every.single.night! I took lots and lots of photos of sunsets and lake views. Sunsets ... just glorious!

Early morning lake views ... pretty pinks and purples.

Continuously changing ...never boring 😊

We enjoyed breakfast on the deck overlooking the lake every single morning. It was heavenly. We never got tired of continuously changing lake views.

I prepared plant-based meals for us both all week except Friday night when my husband joined us and barbecued steaks. I appreciated Mom enjoying my plant-based meals. Mom appreciated not having to cook ... win-win 😊 

We made a few trips into Bayfield to enjoy touristy stuff ... shopping and lattes at the Shop Bike Cafe. Covid rules required hand sanitizer for entry to each and every store and physical distancing was enforced. Despite all of that, the shop owners and workers were inviting and friendly. It was fun to wander around the shops after so many months of covid closures.

Mom read books, but not as many as usual. I crocheted, but not that much.

We walked Sadie to the beach, up and down the stairs and around the neighbourhood. We looked for beach glass and stones ...lots and lots of stones. I swam. Mom waded. We relaxed and watched the lake. We chatted. We drank tea. We connected. We sipped wine. We did not NOT watch TV. We watched sunsets. 

And I took photos ...lots and lots of photos. If you'd like to see more photos from our week, check out this album shared on google photos. Lasting Memories Cottage is a fabulous place to stay. We even checked off almost all the rules on their list ...12 out of 15! I'm so grateful Mom invited me to join her.

I absolutely loved My Week with Mom at Lasting Memories Cottage and hope we do it all again next year.

 

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Ceramic Yarn Bowl LoVe

Last summer I made a spur-of-the-moment purchase in Bayfield, ON at Patina Studios on Main Street. I bought a beautiful hand-made ceramic yarn bowl and I LoVe it. I had been an avid crocheter for over two years by then but had never heard of yarn bowls. When we walked into the shop, these lovely ceramic bowls caught my eye. I just wasn't sure why there was a hole and a curved slot in all of them. The artist/owner Joan Bailey explained they were yarn bowls used by knitters and crocheters and made by her partner Tony Eyamie. For some reason I was hooked and had to have one. 

Tony's ceramic yarn bowls are beautifully crafted works of art and I LoVe that they have a practical purpose. I use my yarn bowl all the time now when I crochet. It keeps my yarn in one place instead of rolling around and falling to the floor. The bowl is heavy enough to handle tugging on the yarn without tipping or falling. It has both a hole and a smooth curved slot carved into the side. The hole locks the yarn in place for the duration of a project while the curved slot holds the yarn steady yet allows it to be removed at any time. I prefer the flexibility offered by the slot because I tend to work on multiple projects at a time.

I usually crochet with the yarn bowl at my feet on the floor. This works best for me as I like to leave space on the table in front of me for my cappuccino and the table beside for my laptop. If I travel with my crochet to another corner of the house or even outside of the house, I put the yarn bowl in a Xerox paper box along with extra yarn and all the bits and bobs I might require for my project. Paper boxes are sturdy and come with a lid to keep everything together and safely contained. Any bin with a lid would work but the boxes are free and readily available at my office.

Last fall my yarn bowl traveled to our friend's cottage near Tobermory with me. It's in the paper box by my side. I LoVe that the bowl is protected and everything I need is close at hand.

I do think these bowls are lovely as a decorative piece on their own. Of course my bowl gets lots of use so is rarely ever on display empty.

This past Sunday, our son stayed at a friend's cottage in Ipperwash with a bunch of his classmates. It was their 'after prom' party weekend. Being responsible parents, we refused to let our son have the car with a bunch of 17 and 18 year old boys for the weekend. Instead, his Granddad drove him and five other friends to the cottage on Friday. My husband and I drove two vehicles to the cottage on Sunday and left one for our son to drive home with a few friends. He didn't get the car for the weekend but was happy to be trusted for the trip home, a perfect compromise in my opinion.  

Since we were in the vicinity, we carried on and drove to Bayfield for the afternoon. It was a gorgeous sunny day so we enjoyed a delicious lunch on the patio at the Black Dog Village Pub and Bistro. Afterwards we toured all the quaint little shops on Main Street. It's such a fun summery thing to do. We also stopped by Patina Studios to admire their artwork and let them know how much I LoVe my ceramic yarn bowl. 

I am so glad I made this spur-of-the-moment purchase last year. If you LoVe to crochet or knit, you won't be disappointed if you buy a ceramic yarn bowl.