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Mar 08
2010
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Our Milford House weekendPosted in winter, travel, summer, reviews, outside HRM |
A relaxing weekend away from home with friends in a cozy cabin = bliss.
Last week was one of those crazy weeks - you know, where it's all go-go-go but nothing seems to get done? Knowing that we'd be enjoying our weekend at a cabin at Milford House kept me going all week, but not any more organized. Friday morning was a frantic packing fest, combined with finishing off the March enewsletter and sending it off about ten minutes before we left for the weekend. But after the 2.5 hour drive, we arrived to this:
and this:
and this:
This was our third visit to Milford House, and definitely not our last. Already we are plotting our return. It was, however, our first winter visit. For those of you not in the know, Milford House has three winterized cabins - the rest of the charming cabins are closed from mid-October to mid-June. And they really are charming - the insides are rustic, but not *too* rustic, and are all situated on a lake, each with a fireplace, a porch and a small dock (perfect at other times of the year for searching for frogs and launching a canoe). The main lodge (not opened in the off-season) has a dining room serving breakfast and dinner, a library, and a small children's play area with games. The winterized cabins are self-catering, but the rest are not. Each one does have a fridge and various dishes though. Most people seem to bring a camping stove for meals, eat at the lodge, or go to a nearby town to find a restaurant. We've done a combination of these and it works quite well. I definitely recommend the cabins farthest away from the lodge as possible, if you are looking for a cabin-in-the-middle-of-nowhere experience without *actually* being in the middle of nowhere.
For our friends it was their first visit to Milford House, but judging by the email I received this morning, I don't think it'll be their last:
We had a wonderful time also, the place was perfect. I just LOVED the fire...it made me realise how long it's been since we sat around a fire and lazed and chatted! The cabin overall was perfect and the surrounds was amazing. It felt like a goodbye to winter and hello to spring!
We really couldn't have asked for better weather. Saturday was sunny but cold enough to still feel like winter - perfect for walks in the woods and fun in the snow:
And Sunday teased us with spring and masked crusaders:
Definitely a wonderful, wonderful weekend.
For more information on Milford House, check out their website. Have you been to Milford House? Or where is your favourite relaxing family getaway? Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments below.
Many of you will probably already know this one--The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren. The opening words and pictures show a hushed, snow-covered homestead. In the dead of night, the Tomten roams the farm, tending and speaking to the farm animals, and promising them that summer will return again. The story is very reassuring, especially to those of us in a Northern climate!
The Mitten by Jan Brett is a beautifully illustrated rendition of a Ukranian folktale. A lost mitten becomes a cosy den for first a mole, then a rabbit, hedgehog, owl, badger, fox and bear. The mitten is already overfilled by the time a mouse arrives, but still it climbs in upon the bear's nose. The bear, tickled by the mouse, sneezes and all the animals go flying. The mitten is found, though is rather stretched. This book is eye-candy, and I cannot take in enough details. Like many folktales, it inspires creativity. Last year, my children created beeswax animals and a mitten to enact the story.
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson is more fun than anything. The rhyme is dead-on and onomatopoeic. A bear snoozes in his lair, and while he sleeps he is visited by a number of woodland creatures: a mouse, hare, mole and badger, a wren and a raven. They feast on tea, popcorn and honey-nuts. As mouse seasons the stew bubbling over the fire, a fleck of pepper lands on bear's nose, causing him to sneeze (this sounds vaguely familiar!), and BEAR WAKES UP! After he is done growling, he begins to cry. He missed the party! The illustrations (by Jane Chapman) of the lair are warm and inviting, a distinct contrast to the pictures showing the cold, dark forest in the opening image before the title page.
Days of the Blackbird is Tomie dePaola's story of how Le Giornate della Merla (The Days of the Blackbird) came to be celebrated in northern Italy, and also about the loyalty of a dove (la colomba) and of a daughter. The text is sprinkled with Italian phrases and culture, similar to dePaola's Strega Nona books. It is especially nice to read this book in late January during the Days of the Blackbird--the coldest days of the year.
Martin Waddell's Let's Go Home, Little Bear is probably my favourite of all these books. Big Bear and Little Bear have been walking through the snowy forest. When it is time to go home, Little Bear keeps hearing things, such as plodders (their feet in the snow), ploppers (snow falling from tree branches) and the like, which make him pause to listen. A warm den is waiting for them once they finally make their way home, but not before Big Bear has to pick Little Bear up and carry him the rest of the way. I like this book because, as anyone with small children will agree, it can sometimes be difficult to coax children (and bears) to come along home.
