Christmas Holidays Redux

Before it gets to far into January I wanted to post some pictures from Christmas.  

This year I drove up north to spend some time in the Flin Flon/Creighton  area with friends.  We had such a great time visiting this summer, that I thought a winter trip might be just as fun.  This time we rented a very cute 2 bedroom cabin at Bakers Narrows.  

We ended up arriving at Creighton late Christmas Eve.  The bright stars shone in the dark sky, and the crisp air was filled with that wonderful smell of burning wood.  We stopped by Aarons relatives house, which was packed full of family.  I don't remember the names of everyone I met, but I do remember that Davin and I felt very welcomed, despite our lack of familial connections.  

Christmas Day was spent opening presents and having a much needed nap.  Santa managed to find Davin and I, even way up north.  I loved getting the new Kings of Leon CD, Come Around Sundown and have been listening to it ever since.  

Boxing Day was absolutely beautiful.  We spent some of the day outside, exploring an island and checking out the lookout tower.  We found Aaron's uncles ice fishing shack and stopped in to visit.  He had a camera down one hole that was hooked up to a monitor inside.  He caught a fish while we where there and we sat and watch the whole thing on the monitor.  While fishing shows are pretty boring to watch on tv, watching that fish being caught, in real time was pretty cool.  I'm proud to say that the only thing I bought on Boxing Day was a Manitoba fishing license! 

Family picture after exploring the island.  

In the afternoon, Aarons family drove out to visit us and we all squeezed into the very small, but quaint cabin.  Staying at the log cabin was one of the highlights to my trip.   The lighting looked antique, the room was decorated with pictures on the walls and on bedside tables that were of fisherman and their catches.  Even the bedrooms had cute quilts with a very cabin-y feel:

I felt like I was living in a museum and I loved every minute we spent in the log cabin, it definitely made the Christmas holidays feel special.

Afternoon visit at the fabulous log cabin

In the evening we checked out the hot tub and watched the bright stars and the crazy guys who ran out and rolled around in the snow before jumping back in.  The stars up north were magnificent.  They are so bright and clear to look at.  I would have loved to see northern lights, but the weather wasn't cold enough, and I would much rather enjoy the warm days.  

The next day we headed out to the ice fishing shack.  Despite my trepidation of ice fishing, as I originally thought I would be miserable, bitterly cold, and just standing around a small hole in the ground, I was wrong.  The whole experience was very enjoyable.  The ice fishing shack had everything we needed to be comfortable and a small wood stove at the front made it toasty warm inside.

Ice Fishing on Lake Athapap

I didn't have a fishing rod with me so I used a baited hook and fishing line tied to a small piece of firewood that was meant for kindling.  We spent a good part of the day sitting in the dark shack listening to the ice crack as vehicles drove past.  (I have to admit, I was freaking out at the sound of the cracking ice, it was not fun to hear).  My favorite part was when I caught a jack, by pulling it out of that hole with my hands, after I put on my mitts, of course!

I took this last picture as were where heading back to Saskatoon on the last day.  With the shorter days it was nice to be able to sleep in and still catch the sunrise:

It was so nice to leave all the Christmas plans, preparations and hype behind and spend time with friends just hanging out: playing games, being outside, and watching dvd's.  I definitely felt welcomed and included when spending time with their family.  And I'm glad I took a much needed holiday this Christmas.     

~b~