L'Ascension, Laurentians: Dancing Skies
Bonjour et bienvenue mes amis! This adventure takes place in the Laurentians, a beautiful, secluded region in Quebec. Tourists often visit this area for the famous Mount Tremblant and St. Saveur in the winter. My honourary/adopted family, the Findlays, have had a cottage in L'Ascension for over 40 years. They have hosted countless retreats, various friends, and many families for weekend getaways. About a 3-hour drive from Montreal, L'Ascension is a small municipality covered with calm lakes, dense forests, and winding roads. I have had the pleasure of visiting in May, late August, and early October. My favourite time to visit is early fall- the changing trees transform the hills into a colourful palette of autumn shades.
Early summer in the Laurentians brings blackflies, mosquitoes, and too many other buzzing insects. Even armed with bug spray and plenty of layers, we barely survived. I'm being distracted by 14 itchy bug bites as I'm typing this... but it was worth it!
Because of the large number of photos in this post, some are in gallery format to save space. Click on smaller photos to enlarge them and read the captions! My talented photographer/artist friend Benjamin Di Nunzio took a few on his Nikon and was kind enough to let me share them with you- you can check out his more of his amazing work here.
The cottage was built with logs shipped over from British Columbia.
Our shoe pile doubled as more and more friends arrived.
The First Morning
These two have really improved their cooking skills- on our previous trip they spent 20 minutes just discussing the correct way to layer nachos.
Relaxing After Breakfast
How Far Would You Drive for a Frozen Yogurt?
"Est-ce que je peut avoir ____ s'il vous plait?" = "Can I have ____ please?"
The Laurentian dwellers are predominantly Francophone- a good opportunity to practice speaking French! I had a yummy blackberry frozen yogurt in a waffle cone (yogourt glacé aux mûres).
Late Night Shenanigans
Nothing says summer like a crackling campfire. (Photo by Benjamin Di Nunzio)
Drying off by the fire after wading out into the middle of the lake
(Photo by Benjamin Di Nunzio)
Surprising Paul for his birthday with his all-time favourite super creamy oreo cheesecake pie from Rockaberry Cafe. We indulged ourselves and played an intense round of Mafia/Werewolf (Loup Garou).
(Photos by Benjamin Di Nunzio)
The Northern Lights
We ran outside to look at the Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis. This natural phenomenon occurs due to electrons carried by solar wind colliding with our planet's atmosphere and bending from Earth's magnetic field. Because we weren't in a very northern location, the moving lights looked mostly white to our naked eyes. However, long exposures on our cameras gave us a little peek at what we were missing.
(Photo by Benjamin Di Nunzio)
We stayed at the edge of the lake for over an hour, following the lights as they waltzed above our heads. Shooting stars cut across the sky, gone with a blink, leaving you wondering whether you had really seen them. As we stargazed, a pair of loons called to each other across the lake, breaking the crisp silence.
(Photo by Benjamin Di Nunzio)
The astonishment and adrenaline from witnessing the Northern Lights kept us warm, even in the lake. (Photo by Benjamin Di Nunzio)
The Second Day
Dinner Time: Moose Meat Chilli
The Last Breakfast
The Findlays chalet by the lake is perfect for unwinding and unplugging. We talked about our love-hate relationships with social media and definitely benefitted from the down time. We went canoeing, dirtbiking, and swimming. Our time was filled with the wonderful sounds of guitars, djembes, strong voices, laughter, and shy wildlife.
'She thought to herself, "This is now." She was glad that the cozy house... and the firelight and the music, were now. "They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now." It can never be a long time ago.' ― Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House in the Big Woods
References
Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis Explained. Northernlightscentre.ca. Retrieved 31 May 2017, from https://www.northernlightscentre.ca/northernlights.html
Wilder, L. (1932). Little House in the Big Woods (1st ed.). United States: Harper Collins.
