Those of us in Ontario now have two Family Day weekends under our belts but I sense that the traditions are developing slowly. Maybe most of us are just happy to have a winter long weekend and perhaps even spend a little time with our, well, with our families. That's what we did. The four of us - Siobhan and I and our two dogs, Sally (11 years old - mosty Sheppard with some Collie) and Poppy (a 12 year old Westie) - headed north. Our tradition, as with virtually all holidays and most other regular weekends at any time of year, is to go to our family cottage near Bracebridge, Ontario.

Left the office shortly before noon Friday and, after a couple of stops and a drive straight up through the city, we were headed north on 400 by 1.15pm in surprisingly light traffic and, after shopping in Orillia, we arrived around 4.15pm under clear skies and a temperature of minus 3 or so. The February thaw earlier in the week had reduced the snow pack significantly (thankfully it was pretty big to begin with) and had created excellent skating conditions on the lake. So, after stoking the fire for an hour, we laced them up and skated east along the north shore with Sally in tow. Poppy had, we guessed, stayed behind to putter around as she often does. We stopped to soak up the sun about 1km from our dock when we saw her coming. A sight to behold - the Westie was running full-out through the snow on a bee-line towards us - as if she suddenly had an epiphany about her energy level and her ability to join in the fun. That was just the beginning of Poppy's energy output this weekend.

Saturday morning brought more sun and a morning low of minus 15. After some tea and an orange, we took another skate along the lake - not quite all the way around as we encountered some crusty conditions near the south shore. The dogs came along and I carried Poppy a little as we skate faster than she can run. The ice had frozen slightly unevenly in places with ridges and waves which were undectable under the thin layer of snow - but conditions were quite good overall. After lunch, we got the skis out and headed across Clear Lake to Saw Lake with just Sally as we thought that the distance and pace would be too much for the little Westie. We skied the entire length of Saw Lake and started on the trail along Clear Creek to Keyhole Lake. The snow pack was very hard but our ski tracks were well established from before the thaw which made it fast and sometimes trecherous in places. Sally could roam freely with no fear of falling through the snow. When we arrived at Keyhole Lake, we could see bare ice on the north part of the lake so we set out to investigate. A vast section - about a third the size of lake itself - had frozen after the snow had fallen, leaving pristine, bare, smooth ice with only a few waves and imperfections. Perfect skating conditions but we were on skis. Hmmm.....

On Sunday, which was a carbon copy of Saturday - minus 15 and clear, we packed our skates, cameras and water and set off for the great skating on Keyhole Lake, with both dogs in tow. Poppy fared very well as we skied the entire length of Saw Lake and Clear Creek. We skated, flimed and relaxed beside a massive white pine tree which had fallen into the lake this past fall. The warm mid-February sunshine of the early afternoon reminded us that Spring is getting closer. The video looks spectacular. We enjoyed it so much that we went back on Monday and did it all again.

There were also the rituals of sauna, wine and fine meals that we always have at the cottage. I said to Siobhan at one point as we skated on Keyhole Lake (and here's where I begin the transition to football, in case you were wondering if we were ever going to get there, with the following quote from Marv Levy, which he used to say right before kick-off), "Where else would you rather be than right here right now?".

So, since this is a Bills blog, here's a litte bit on that. This is really the doldrums for football fans. The Pro Bowl was last weekend. The Souting Combines start this week. The Bills have the 11th pick in the April college entry draft (as they did last year) and the mock drafts I have seen show them picking a tight end (Brandon Pettigrew from Oklahoma State). We'll see. I just got my season ticket renewal notice in the mail - 9 home games, including 2 pre-season. At least we will not have a $255 per seat pre-season game in Toronto this year. We will have to wait until next year for that. So, I will renew. I wonder how many will not. I am sensing a seat upgrade opportunity.