The End of Summer

Summer is nearing an end here in the North...

We had beautiful 25 (77F) days with sunny skies, but it is time to say goodbye to summer. The image below of the end of the docks watching the sun set puts exactly how I feel into an image. It is appreciating the warmth and sunny afternoons that were enjoyed...but now it is time to prepare for winter.

 I learned this morning that the Geese have started to fly south which can only mean one thing: winter is coming. I even checked my weather application this morning to see that the emoji for next weekend's forecast had flurries!
Although the cold is inevitably approaching, my friends, dogs and I took advantage of the weather this weekend to be outside as much as possible. We went on a wonderful forest hike leading us to a very calm part of Lake Mistissini where the dogs had a blast swimming and playing.

 I also have the pleasure of taking care of a friend's dog for the next week, his name is Luke and he is the sweetest boy ever. He is a beagle/shepard mix, about 25 lbs and as you can see below, my Lily has taken a liking to him. She has been sleeping in his small bed while he sleeps in her large bed. Since it is getting colder, I don't mind having two warm puppies to cuddle with.

 I took these two on a very long close to 3 hour walk on Sunday to take advantage of the fresh air. The views, although the same as every other time we take this walk, are always breathtaking. I appreciate the nature and beauty of this place more each walk I take.
The week leading up to the weekend was definitely unique in its own way as well. On Monday we had a school-wide and community-wide power outage that lasted from 10:15am until the afternoon. Because of this, the schools were shut down and the students were sent home. We were granted the afternoon off! To add to this weird free afternoon, we also had 2 professional development days Thursday and Friday, turning the short week even shorter. We saw our students for a total of 2.5 days that week.
This week and next are full 5 day weeks leading up to the Quebec Provincial Elections taking place on Monday, October 1st. In the province, it is law that all schools, public or private including universities, shut their doors to allow for election polls to be placed in the school. This means that throughout Quebec, all students have a day off on Monday October 1st. This came as a surprise, because in the US, schools are open nonetheless on Election Day in November.

 This below is a beautiful shot of Lily with a long blade of grass in her mouth, most likely embracing the fact that I have recently begun cooking vegan meals for myself! I will not become vegan, but I like the challenge of creating different dishes that cater to dietary restrictions but still taste yummy, my newest obsession is Buddha Bowls...stay tuned for more!

Thanks for keeping up with me and my oh-so-exciting life up North!

Maybe next week there will be pictures with snow! (Yikes, I sure hope not)

~ Vicki