A weekend at the cottage is never complete without certain required traditions, and the creation of some new ones. Here are some of my memories from our most recent cottage expedition, to celebrate “Old Man Wallace’s” 30th birthday.

Getting “While you’re upped,” which means getting sent for a beer when you’re not actually up.

Colin and Aiden getting inducted to the “I’ve tipped in a canoe” club, of which I have been a proud member for years.

Ollie trying to eat a caterpillar, a chipmunk and that ugly bug with wings we found in the cabin.

Learning that Aiden does not require sleep. We think he’s a cylon.

Adam taking record 2 Gigabytes worth of pictures in 4 days.

An 8-foot bonfire for no reason on a perfectly warm night.

Sleeping 15 people in a cottage that is supposed to sleep 10.

Adam endlessly poking the fire because he can’t let it alone, and me endlessly bugging Adam about poking the fire because I can’t let it alone.

Watering the flowers in the rain because “it was a directive.” The weather was great, except for the fantastic thunderstorm as we were leaving, and it was a perfect mix of hilarity and clarity, of laughing so hard our cheeks hurt and sitting still for almost a full hour to stare at the perfect sunset. With Colin & Emily’s move to Oregon just around the corner, our cottage days together are numbered. But even when they are over, we’ll still have all these stupid memories to keep us laughing.

For some reason it has this library of really dorky photo frames you can use on pictures taken on the phone, such as this fantastic one I used to turn the feline Hoover, Ollie, into a wild west gunslinger.

Before you get mad at Colin for being mean to Ollie, I have to tell you that Ollie actually likes this, and comes back for more. Well, Ollie likes anything when he gets a treat at the end.

Chuki’s brother/cousin/nemesis/bestfriend/scapegoat, Ollie lives with Colin and Emily but came to the family while we were all still living together and Ollie the kitten could still terrorize his older, grumpy brother Chuki.

Adam: “So, I was reading about this new kind of dinosaur they found that would eat it’s food by sucking it up like a vacuum.”

Emily: “Was its name Ollie?”

Ollie is staying at our house for a bit while we cat-sit for Colin and Em, and he’s learning a few things from our cat, Chuki:

1. Climbing up towels to sit on the towel rod is harder than it looks.
2. I don’t fit on Chuki’s window ledges.
3. Chuki is allowed in the backyard but I’m not because apparently I’m a “flight risk.”
4. My food is okay, but when I try Chuki’s food they say “No” and “Bad.” I don’t know what it means when your food is “No” and “Bad” but Chuki still keeps eating it. I hope he doesn’t get sick.
5. Dust bunnies don’t taste as good as you’d think.
6. Chuki likes to spoon, but only if no one is looking.
7. Chuki told me that if I lick the spilled beads from the dungeon studio floor, little colourful dots will appear in my poop.
8. I don’t fit under Chuki’s couch.
9. Apparently, no one meows while Uncle Adam is watching “24.”
10. If my head is under the bed but the rest of me is not, I’m still invisible.