North Country Goodness

The cold and raw of Fall has been showing itself lately, after the glorious summery Columbus Day weekend we had last week. It's been windy and wet, the kind of weather that just makes you want to curl up on a couch with a cup of something warm and forget about the outdoors until spring. This year's autumn trip to Parishville was that way. We could only squeeze in one extra day to our weekend, and so it felt like the long drive up on Friday was barely finished before we were hopping in the car again on Sunday afternoon. We managed to get outside for a few brief excursions in the back fields and woods between the rainstorms, but spent most of our time just enjoying the company of family in the eclectic but cozy farmhouse. Pheebs and Haley are a delight to watch together - each time they see each other they interact a little more, little tastes of what they might be like as tight little scheming cousins in a few years. We coaxed them into hugging a few times over the weekend, really just so we could say "awwwww...." I think Aiden probably rolled his eyes for the first time ever over that.

The guys (who can blame them?) were half-hearted on the hunting prospects in the pouring wind and rain, but they went out most mornings and evenings nevertheless. Micah got a deer the evening that Aunt Memorie, Uncle Newt, Mindy, Ben and Mindy's boyfriend John were coming over for dinner, so between the little kids, 4 dogs, and numerous adults running around in the house while dutch oven dinner preparations were underway, it was mad chaos. And then Dad popped his head in the door to say the guys would be "indisposed" awhile while they were dressing and bring the deer to the butcher in the pitch dark. A crazy evening, but it all worked out perfectly in the end with a fittingly incongruous (but delicious) menu of lobster crostinis to start, mexican lasagna and boiled-cider pie for dessert.

And there was the trip to Birchbark Books. As always. And steam baths in the cedar sauna. And dutch oven dinners and breakfasts, and mountain pies cooked over open coals for lunch. Really, even though the weather was less than ideal, we did everything we love do in Parishville, and it was lovely. As expected, Kimball enjoyed every minute of running through the back meadows and playing with the other dogs on her very first visit to the farm. She was in doggie heaven. I think she'll be the first one in the car for next year's trip!