Cozy is where your heart feels at home.
Sometimes you just need to escape the city, or escape your everyday routine. Get away from the noise, the chaos, the continued dopamine rush from our tiny screens. Sometimes you need a cozy cabin stay in the woods.
Burning Embers
We decided to get away from it all and head to the cabin for the weekend in Sandilands Provincial Forest, south east of Steinbach. There's something refreshing about walking into a cold space and firing up a wood stove. The smell of burning embers and the absolute intense heat that emits from the flame. There's nothing like it! We pack fairly quickly as we've gotten faster over the years. Throwing leftovers from the fridge into the cooler and making sure to pack all things cute and cozy. My favourite pair of socks, a book and pyjamas. We always look forward to 'kicking it old school' if you will. We scour shortage bins full of VHS tapes to find our 'pick of the evening'. With the wood stove going, VHS tapes lined up to pop in the VCR, dinner in the oven and cozy candles and lamps in the corner, the mood is relaxing.
Morning Mood
The morning is always calm. The sun shining through the window as the peer over tall spruce trees in the distance and the light faintly sifting through the curtains. A hot cup of coffee has been poured from the Keurig and it brings warmth and comfort to a day that is only beginning.
With enough sunshine to go around, we are anything but the star of the show at any given point in time. We often say that 'our sunshine is in the sunshine' with Hazel. Anytime there's a sunshine spot, she's not far away. She's so photogenic, so precious and my favourite little peanut to photograph.
Perspective
Every time we stay at the cabin, I look forward to driving in a different direction each time, to see what's nearby. Different features, different places, different spaces. This time we drove through La Broquerie, a quaint, very small town just beside Sandilands Provincial Forest. As we drove across a set of train tracks, we paused so I could grab some photos. The setting was just right and the perspective was impeccable.
Treks & Trails
If you're not familiar with the Sandilands and Marchand area, it is well known for its infinite trails and abundance of pathways through the trees. Snowmobilers, snowshoers and cross country skiers occupy the winter months where hikers, nature lovers and quad derbies run the trails during the summer. With hundreds of kilometers connecting nearby rural communities, we take it upon ourselves to find new spots to trek. The sun was out and so
were we. We found a few great unmarked trails to snowshoe and even enjoyed a trailside hot lunch. As always, Hazel is the first to be up the trail and often looks back to make sure we are still there. We always dress her in brightly coloured clothing for her safety and often keep her on leash. Sometimes, we make exceptions.
After a late afternoon lunch, we packed up and headed back to the cabin for an easy going evening of dinner and a movie. After all, cozy is where your heart feels at home.
