Exotic Erieau

OK, so we didn't really jump a plane. Instead, we went to Erieau. I took Liam swimming this morning, seeing as we have plans to be out of town tomorrow and I didn't want him to miss out on a second swim in a row. So we went to the pool in Blenheim, did our paddling around, and then, with no further plans for the day (other than a mountain of housework) I just got the itch to go out to Erieau, which isn't much further than Blenheim. I had overheard a few people talking about Erieau last week and have been thinking about it ever since. We hardly ever go there, but I really love it. As you drive out, the road is an incredibly gradual downhill all the way to the lake. When you pull into town, the road curves around right beside the lake and breakwall, and if it's a windy day the whitecaps are almost above you, which is pretty cool. The main road splits once you're in the village so that it's one-way traffic only, with a median of huge old trees in the middle. A massive storm about ten years ago knocked down the majority of the trees, but there are still quite a few standing. The secondary roads are all tiny little lanes that are cobbled together in the worst example of city planning ever. I used to go out to Erieau in high school with a friend who was obsessed with the place (or should I say, obsessed with a guy who lived there??) I have long since lost touch with said friend, but maybe I like going out there because it reminds me of her and the fun we used to have.

Regardless - I have never been there in the off season, and it was a really blustery but beautiful day today, and for some reason I felt like going to the beach. Beaches are great places to be in cold weather when they are deserted (or nearly so - in this photo, Liam is closely watching a couple walking their dog along the waterfront) and the water is a little rough. Truthfully, we did not spend much time there - the wind was really whipping the sand around, and Liam was overdue for a nap. But it was a wonderful little mini-vacation, the kind of spur-of-the-moment thing that I will miss when I am back behind my desk at work. Driving out of Erieau, there is a big farewell sign that reads May you have fair winds and following seas. I really like that.