There is nothing better than Saskatchewan in the summertime. Weekends consist of beer, babes, boats and bikinis (at least that's what I hashtagged it as on Instagram). With having such a quiet July I was ready to hit the lake full force and drink in everything it had to offer. Since we weren't able to head up there until late Sunday night here are the top 10 things that I recommend squishing into a whirlwind trip to the Cochin Ocean.. or any other lake for that matter.1. Sit by a bonfire. If you don't have a bonfire to sit by then burn a bunch of newspapers just to get that real smoky smell embedded in your hair and clothing. It's not the lake unless you leave there smelling like you were rescued from a house fire.
2. Wear your bathing suit your entire stay. You never know when you may need to hit the beach, get in the boat, join a sprinkler party or rescue a canoe of elderly people from a storm.
3. Have a BBQ. Now the trick here is to not get any meat splatters on you since you're, of course, wearing your bathing suit while you cook. Throw an apron on over your suit and you don't even need to change out of your beachwear to cook the morning bacon on the 'cue.
4. Go fishing. Chug that steaming hot coffee right off the bat in the a.m. and get your butt in the boat. Who needs to wake up when there's fish to be caught! No time to grab a cooler, just scoop some beer up into your hands and run down to the dock.
5. Do a water sport of some sort. Whether it's wakeboarding, surfing, skiing, tubing or body surfing, get that booty behind the boat. Haven't kneeboarded in 20 years? That's ok you're at the lake, your deteriorating body can handle anything at the lake.
6. Go to the beach store. Now I've checked out many-a beach store in my day and what I've noticed about the Big Way at Cochin is... it's liquor selection. It may not have much for 5¢ candies but that is a place where you can get your drink on.
7. Go for tour to see the sights. Whether by boat or by car you must slowly and creepily drive passed people you don't know and stare at them with wonderment. If you feel it necessary to wave or give a head nod then do that too. You can do this in the campgrounds, by the cabins and even to people in other vehicles and watercrafts.
8. Get a definitive sunburn. What's the point of going to the lake if you have nothing to show for it? Screw sunscreen, this is your time to shine!
9. Throw those healthy eating habits out the window. You're at the lake dammit, as I have stated in a previous blogpost - you don't make friends with salad.
10. Blast music wherever you may be. In the yard, in the boat, in the cabin, hell if you're walking you should be carrying a portable boombox stocked with enough D batteries to last a week. If your neighbors can't hear your music wherever you are at the lake then you don't have it turned up loud enough.
We can't get enough of the lake and could spend every weekend there. Unfortunately we had to squish all of these fun activities in to a 24 hour stay. I would like to personally thank the Johnson-Bachman family for their hospitality and always offering us a place to lay our weary heads, whether it be the pull-out couch or the air mattress in the furnace room affectionately referred to as the F Shack.
