7.02.2012

The Great Escape

Living in the city, despite all its conveniences and excitement, can become tiresome. This time of year, there is nothing nicer for me than escaping into the country - into the wilderness, one might say - to regain a sense of peace, calm and perspective. I firmly believe that we are at our best when we are surrounded by nature: the sights, scents and textures of the natural world are the greatest balms for an aching, overactive mind. I've just returned  from a week at my family's lakeside cottage in the Lanark Highlands of Ontario with family and friends and below are some photos of all the splendor!

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Most of the images are calendar quality, er who is the person staring at the camera ha

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

The person is my partner, Tomas. He hates being photographed. Can you tell? Ha!

Anonymous said...

Love these pictures - esp the very first one. My uncle had a cabin on a lake & we'd go up every summer for weeks on end. This reminds me so much of that lake but none of the pictures we took capture the beauty & the details half as well as yours did. I can almost feel a gentle breeze, hear the bees buzzing & smell the distinctive smell of the woods.
Glad you had some time off and glad you're back.
Cheers
Vicki

Anonymous said...

Really beautiful. Love the sunlight in the second image (with the canoe). Hope you had a relaxing time. xo

Anonymous said...

Hey, I am Lebanese, and I notice that all the food is Lebanese food! Are you?

Rowaida said...

Welcome back Andrew! Wow these are breathing photos, looks like an amazing place, i would love to visit. I'm reading your post while in the Lounge at the airport, starting our summer vacation. I will be be checking your post.
Wish you a great summer .

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

Yes, I am, Anonymous! Well, my dad is. Kibbe, tabouleh, cousa, zatar, pita, fetayeh, injudra...

Rowaida said...

No way Andrew! You are Lebanese! Wow! I am in Beirut arrived a while ago now at our beirut apt in downtown Saifi village, tomorrow off to the summer home in the mountains. Will send you pics soon.
Best wishes

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

Yes, my paternal grandfather's side of the family is Lebanese. I don't speak Arabic, though. :-)

Anonymous said...

That is awesome Mr. Ritchie, I've been to this blog many, many times and never knew! Food looks great. I just love our cultures food. Just also curious if you have ever traveled to Lebanon? I try to go every year, but don't believe I will be able to this year.

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

No, I've never been. My dad's family comes from Baalbek, which I've heard is a really beautiful place.

Unknown said...

beautiful! i love the first picture, especially. just looking at it relaxes me. i can only imagine the wonderful time you had on your holiday. next time, can i tag along? ;)

Kevin said...

Andrew, these are stunning photos! So glad you found some time to get away for a bit.

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

Thanks, everyone, for the really nice comments. @Stephen: the more the merrier! :-)