If you need me, you can find me on the water.

It's dangerous to take yourself too seriously.

This past weekend was the annual Carney, Henkleman, and Kornelsen weekend at the cottage. The Henklemans were under represented this year but our numbers were bolstered by the addition of Christian and Sarah. Heather, Jon, Heidi, and Jenny came as the other younger members of the Carney, Henkleman, and Kornelsen group, but Jon and Jenny were feeling a bit ill so they went home early.

The weekend was pretty much rained out. It was raining when we drove up, it rained on Saturday, Sunday happened to be the second true day of summer, and it rained again on Monday.

On Saturday we stayed inside, read, talked, and listened to music most of the day. Every now and then it would start raining again and I couldn't see the lake from the cottage. Generally it was just a day to relax.

Sunday was different though. It was bright, sunny and almost warm. Heather, Sarah, Christian, Emily and I went out in the boat with Dave Blatz were we tried to wake board and knee board.

Christian has taught wake boarding so after a few tries I was able to get up and stay above the water. It definitely was not easy and I need a lot more practice before I can stay out of the water for more than a minute at a time. I think that if I knew how to snowboard then wake boarding would be easier, but alas, I am a skier.

After trying wake boarding, Emily and I did some knee boarding just so we could do something simple and fun. After trying hard to learn wake boarding I found I really needed to relax and do something I already knew.

Later Christian heard about the cliff diving at Tulabi Lake. Emily and I were hesitant since we had never jumped there or seen anyone else jump, but we drive over to check it out. When we got there Christian really wanted to jump so despite being unprepared we ended up doing some impromptu cliff diving.

That night Emily and I set up the tent in the living room for a semi-authentic camping experience. It was authentic in that we slept in a tent, but less authentic considering the mattress we stole and wedged in the tent.

On Sunday we woke up to more rain. I was immediately happy that we decided to set up the tent inside rather than outside and have more than a fly to protect us from the rain.

It was cold enough that going out in the boat again wouldn't be a wise idea so we went ATVing with Dave and took quads through all types of mud in the woods. Going through muddy trails is much more satisfying than hard packed ones so the bad weather really made the day. The trails had turned into streams so mud and water were everywhere. By the time we returned, my boots were full of water, my jacket covered in mud and my shorts were soggy wet. It was great.

After we got back to the cabin Emily and I rushed to the shower to clean and warm up, leaving Sarah and Christian to continue looking like they just crawled out of a swamp. After a excellent lunch of leftovers it was time to head back to the city again.

At the Irgon mine site on Cat Lake, Heather and I wandered down an overgrown road and found what was left of the mine. The only indication that a mine was there was several foundations, some capped mine shafts and the tailings. Not much else was left except for some rusted steel metal and an old stove.

I was back at the cottage this weekend and had the opportunity to do some exploring with Heather. First we stopped at the remains of an old lithium mine, then we continued on to an old quarry. I'm not sure how long this quarry has been abandoned for, but nature didn't waste any time in reclaiming the land.

Emily and I went to the cottage this weekend to turn the water on and relax a bit. Apparently we had better weather than in Winnipeg although it was still quite cold outside.

Hopefully leaves will be on the trees in a week or two and the forest won't look quite as barren.

This weekend I got to do something I have always wanted to do: to paddle right up to a house. With all the rain we have been getting lately the Bird River has been flowing high and fast. Bird Lake is around ten feet higher than it should be at this time of the year.

We have been relatively lucky, all we have lost in the rising waters is some sand from our beach front and a few boards for our dock.

Its amazing to see how high the water can rise in only a few weeks.

I have heard that some members of the Henkelman family may start an uprising unless I write more about the cottage. To prevent anything of that sort, here is another post.

The cottage is located on Bird Lake in Nopiming provincial park, roughly a two and a half hour drive from Winnipeg. The lot backs right onto the lake and the cottage has a great view out over the water.

The general design of the cottage follows the contour of the hill it is built on. The kitchen is on the top level, the living room is set four feet down, and the covered porch is another four feet lower.

The cottage can sleep a pile of people. There are three bedrooms, two on either side of the living room and one beside the kitchen. Above the kitchen is a loft which is accessible by ladder for those who are slightly more adventurous.

I really like the design of the cottage and it's location. The area is very scenic, with Tulabi falls nearby and some great canoe routes heading off in all directions. I can't wait to spend some time up there after my exams.