Hello, everyone!

First of all, let us apologize for yesterday's posting – we didn't realize until this morning just how messed up it got.  The glitches have now been fixed (we hope!), and you can now see all the photos, plus read to the end of Wednesday.

And here we are on Thursday morning – which means our vacation is over half-way done.  Which makes us sad, until we realize that in 3 days we'll be picking up our new Sweet Puppy Girl, and somehow it doesn't seem so bad.

But let's not wish the week away, as there is still much enjoyment to be had!

As could be predicted, we thoroughly enjoyed our Couples Massage with Cindy and Cheryl.  They'd just gotten a new shipment of essential oils, so whipped up some Lavender & Orange for Don, and some Lavender, Orange & Rosemary for Alyssa.  We felt like jelly and smelled like fruit salad when we were done.  ?

Afterward, we went back to our room for water and reading – didn't manage an actual nap this time.  But then we got a bit chilled, so decided to sit in the sun with our books for a while.  Haliburton Honey Browns might have accompanied us to the porch...  We met and chatted with another couple who was here for the first time, and enjoying some tasty-looking Caesars that Max had whipped up for them.

We didn't want to get too much sun, so after the first beers were done we headed back inside.  Unfortunately, it may have been a little too late...
 
We still had quite a bit of time before dinner, so enjoyed our second Honey Browns while engaging in several rounds of pool (and eating the tasty bar snacks that nasty Max kept replenishing).  We actually had some good matches – Alyssa came darned close to winning a lot of the time, but Don's expertise always pulled through at the end.  Except one game, where Alyssa wiped him off the score board (OK, she beat him by two balls, but that's as close as it'll ever get to her wiping someone off the scoreboard, so let her gloat a bit!).

Despite our athletic prowess, we were still feeling a bit chilly, so went up to the room to put on some warmer clothes for dinner.  Our waiter was Alisha again – our last night with her, as she has the next few days off to move into her new place for school in the fall.
 
We got a seat by the (closed) window, and managed yet another beautiful sunset.
 
It was Don's turn to choose the wine, and he went for a "Campo Santa Leno" Valpolicella, which was very nice, although overshadowed by some of our other choices this week.
 
For appetizers, we both went for the Warm Mushroom & Sweet Pepper Studel with Arugula salad, as Alyssa had enjoyed it so much a couple of days ago.  Just as good as she remembered it, and Don enjoyed "going veg" as well.  (And once again, we lacked the self-discipline to take a photo BEFORE chowing down, sorry!)
 
For mains, Don had the Crackling Skin Breast of Chicken with Prosciutto-wrapped Buffalo Mozzarella and Chipotle Aioli (the chef John had recommended it when we'd seen him in the bar earlier).  It was served with roast potatoes and broccoli and cauliflower and heirloom carrots.  It was filled with crackling goodness, and very tasty – he loved every last morsel of it!
 

Alyssa went for the Pan-seared Rainbow Trout with Tiger Shrimp and Mint Butter – also served with roast potatoes and broccoli and cauliflower, and absolutely delish!  One of the roasted potatoes and a couple stems of cauliflower and broccoli may have died in vain, but the rest was thoroughly enjoyed.
 
We just didn't have enough room left for a full dessert, so asked to just have a bit of the Vanilla Bean Ice Cream – Don with a caramel sauce.  It was the perfect size and perfect ending, as we watched the beautiful bonfire one of the staff members had set up at the beach.
 

After scaring ourselves the night before, we did manage to finish the wine at dinner, lest ye be concerned.  ?  And Don brought us up a Lagavullin (for himself) and a Glenlivet (for Alyssa) to enjoy in our room before bed.

This morning, Don was up first, but then fell asleep again, so Alyssa was actually out of bed first and is probably the winner of such things, should we be in competition...

Amy was our waiter for breakfast again.  We each opted for the omelette this morning – broccoli, onion and cheese, with brown toast, and peameal for Don.  Plus lots of coffee!  It was delicious, as always.

And now we're enjoying our take-away coffees on the porch, while watching more energetic people canoe and sail and swim.  We'd been hoping to set up a surprise lunch with our favourite former manager Chris (he'd left Sir Sams in the past year to follow his girlfriend – Cindy's daughter! – to the Bahamas for a bit, but is back working at a different resort for the summer).  But we just got a text from Gordo that he couldn't set up the surprise, as Chris is working days all week.  So we sent along our love, and he sent back hugs, and hopefully we'll have a chance to see each other again soon.

Which means we have to think of a Plan B for our afternoon.  Hmm... maybe today is the day Alyssa will convince Don to join her in the WaterSpa?!?!?  (Oh please, oh please, oh please...)

Hope everyone has a Happy Thursday.  Ah, Throwback Thursday, correct?  Maybe we'll have to throw back some Honey Brown later thisaft...

Enjoy, friends!
Alyssa & Don