Grounded in Dunsmuir

With our weekends this winter all but booked, I was surprised and happy to find a free one to make it up to Dunsmuir for a weekend with the family. I took off early on Friday, and with Martin´s German-style driving, we were able to make it up there in time for dinner at Madeleine’s with the parents, Dana, Ray, Cassidy and baby Blake. It had been years since I had eaten there, and yet it still felt like family…although I am sure that feeling was only confirmed when the waitress decided to entertain Cassidy the entire meal and give her a tour of the kitchen (including a complimentary bowl of fruit for dessert). The food was even better than I remembered and it was great to spend time with the family.

With an early day of skiing planned for the following day, we headed back to the house for after dinner drinks and a few games of Looping Louie, Martin´s and Germany´s newest, favorite game. Originally designed for kids 3 and over, the concept involves a man in an airplane circling the game-board on a fixed tower. With a quick bump, you can knock Louie over your square and save yourself from losing one of your three pieces, and in turn, have Louie steal one of your opponents. It sounded simple and innocent enough…until the Germans turned it into a drinking game. For every piece you lost, you had to take a shot. Needless to say, it got ugly, rowdy and fun very fast. Unfortunately it got even uglier and rowdier for Martin... Constantly on the losing end, he ended up losing his lunch and dinner later that night. But not before taking a walk in the cold night air, with the dogs in pursuit, in an attempt to sober up.

Moving a little bit slower than normal the next day, Martin, my mom and I made it to the Nordic ski area around noon. With the sun shining and fresh snow sparkling, we had a lovely time cross country skiing, Martin off doing his normal, yet crazy hills, while my mom and I took the easier route and the opportunity to catch up. We left Martin to continue his marathon and my mom and I went to meet up with the family at the snow park…unfortunately, we arrived just in time to see them pack up the sleds and admit defeat…Cassidy was not a fan of sledding.

With Louie (and Martin) grounded for the rest of the weekend after his Friday night antics we were guaranteed a mellower evening that night. We spent the rest of the afternoon and night relaxing at the house, reading and playing with the kids.

We left after breakfast the following morning, but with plans to come back in the summer; and next time Louie and Martin both owe me.