HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018

With Christmas joys wrapped up into warm memories it was time to ring in the New Year. Time to escape the busy city, to drive that all familiar hour and a half, and enter the silence of winter at Gardom Lake Bible Camp. 

Gardom Lake, where the snow covered landscape of winter quietly sings its song of 

Peace on Earth

Gardom Lake lies frozen in time far below the lodge, all cozy with a blazing wood fire.

The lodge roof drips silently with long shards of ice.

Inside the lodge our family with some of the extended Peters clan warmed up with hot chocolate, coffee, and then mountains of delicious food consumed over five meals and non-stop snacking in between. Shepherds pie, lasagna, a soup buffet and yummy breakfasts served with love.

Good conversations in the kitchen while preparing meals,

Coffee cups made novel soup bowls when there were 5 temping soups to savour.

And of course after each meal the dish pit became a good learning experience for the youngest generation.

There were so many people in the hustle and bustle of our retreat that I could only capture some of them in my photos. What I have is just a snapshot into our 48 hours.

Loads of fun on the infamous sledding hill 

And more fun shaking trees with raining snow.

 

Three sister in laws returning from this magical walk took a moment to become like their children creating snow angels. And then as all modern mothers do, 
they had to take 'selfies'

Between snowsuits drying out for another round of snow fun there was time for puzzles, games, visiting, reading, snacking, napping, ping pong, and a lot of noisy children chasing up and down stairs and running down a long hallway. So much laughter till the wee hours of the morning and then before the sandman had completed his night rounds it was time to open those sleepy eyes for another day of more food and snow fun.

The ice cream party. 

And all to soon it was time to round up scattered toques and mittens, tidy up the lodge, cram everything back into our vehicles and say our goodbyes with lots of hugs.

Some very happy moments for me as we were leaving the camp was to stop and capture these breathtaking winter wonderland photos.

The New Year opens most beautifully to me with all my dear ones in good health, & each busy & happy in their own peculiar way.

 ~Anna Alcott Pratt, January 1861, quoted from louisamayalcott.org