A Small Cabin In The Woods

This is a very late posting; technology is not always reliable out in the woods. We are at the cabin for the weekend. When I say "cabin", what I really mean is a 5,000 square foot luxury log home nestled in the foothills of the Alberta Rockies. The cabin comes with a 9 person steam shower, a 10 person hot tub, a theatre room, a pool table, a terrific kitchen, and sleeping accommodations for at least a dozen people. The building itself is constructed of hewn logs, wooden floors, and sits on three levels. There is plenty of room for all of us.

This is our third year at Wavehill. Ironically, when I booked the first year it was intended as a distraction from what would be my 33 and last  wedding anniversary. As it happened, my diagnosis with ALS occurred just two days before my anniversary. Our first night here, on our first year here, has come to be known as the "night of crying". Nonetheless we are back for our third time, to spend a weekend together away from the city, with each other, enjoying food and drink, relaxing.

I am not sure which I enjoy more, the drive here or the view from the deck. To get here we head west from Calgary on Highway 1A, a secondary of the TransCanada Highway. About 40 minutes our of Calgary, we make a right and head up into the benchlands of the Bow River, and ultimately up into the forested foothills. Along the way, the granite edge of the Rockies stares us in the face, like a barrier at the edge of the world, snow covered where the snow can grip to the near vertical face of so many upthrusting peaks. The sun sets behind those mountains, adding an ever-reddening crisp edge to the end of the day.

The Great Room of the cabin itself looks east, down a small valley covered in a light dusting of snow. Deer wander about, safe from hunters on this private piece of land. Evergreen trees edge the hillsides, widely spaced, offering an open forest floor for the denizens of these woods. The sky to the east is a deepening blue trimmed with dark grey clouds, portending the soon to arrive nightfall. There is no wind; the branches sit idle, awaiting the next snow.

It's time to relax. Tomorrow is a big day. This is the last day of Year Two with ALS; tomorrow is the first day of Year Three. Wavehill is a good place to spend that time.