We decided that we would stick winter out this year. No flying south for us. Partly because we have an expensive year of travel ahead of us, and partly because deep-down, we should probably do it at least once if we're going to gain any credibility as Prairie folk, something we will care more about the longer we are here, I reckon.
So what does a family do on Family Day weekend in Saskatchewan if they're not sweating it out on a beach in some tropical location? Go some place colder, according to us. Colder, where snowmobiles and sled-dogs are the mode of transport.
Tim does a lot of work in the Saskatchewan River Delta community of Cumberland House, a First Nations community, as part of his research program at the University of Saskatchewan. Through this work our family has become partial to spending time with Renee and Solomon Carriere, who live completely off the grid, about an hour and a half boatride/45 minute skidoo ride north of Cumberland House.
We decided last minute to take advantage of a work trip that Tim was making to Cumberland House last week, to visit our friends at The Big Eddy (Renee and Solomon's house/camp). We'd been there in the Spring a few years ago, but have heard that the Winter is the best time to be there. So, I packed up the kids on Friday afternoon, and we met Tim, Renee and Solomon that evening off the highway to Cumberland House with 2 snowmobiles to take us out to the camp.
We had a great weekend of relaxing in great company mixed with lots of cold, story-telling, some labour, woodfire lethargy and dogs, dogs, dogs. We found a very happy place for our family. Tim and I both got to experience beaver trapping and a tiny, tiny bit of what living off the land feels like.
This video is of us leaving The Big Eddy heading back to Saskatoon. Super fun. Enjoy!
