An old but goodie, that I believe I formerly titled 5% Naked (as opposed to Half Naked).
So where have I been lately...
After almost two weeks in Mexico, I veered the other way and went up to a Y camp outside of Ely, MN, for a knitting retreat. We had about twenty knitters divided between three cabins. There was a separate building with a gathering room large enough to hold all of us. All with a very cozy "Up North" vibe. Fireplaces, wood stoves, wood walls in the cabins.
We ate at the camp's dining hall, which was a little over a mile away. I walked to dinner the first night, almost froze my face off, and asked someone who had driven their car for a ride back. The next couple of days I would walk to and from the dining hall at lunchtime, just to get some exercise in the middle of a sedentary day; then drive there for dinner to keep my car's battery alive.
The first morning I rolled out of bed at 7:30 am (early for me) and found most of my cabin mates already up and knitting.
After breakfast we all gathered in the main building. I noted that everyone had multiple fancy project bags for their various knitting projects. I felt like the country mouse with my dowdy little tote bags. I did get many rave comments on the sweater I was wearing, which was gratifying considering how fabulous everyone else's sweaters were.
There were a couple of show and tell sessions where people talked about projects they were particularly fond of. And, just lots of friendly chatter and of course, knitting. The organizer owns a small yarn shop in Ely and transferred most of her stock to the camp so people could shop. Many people were working on "Melt the Ice" red hats.
On the afternoon of the third day, camp staff fired up the lakeside sauna for us. We trudged down to the lake on a footpath.
The anteroom to the sauna was quite cold, especially the concrete floor, so I hurriedly stripped off my clothes. Initially I was wearing a swimsuit, but once I was in the 190 degree sauna for a few minutes, I stripped off my top. My skin felt like it was on fire! One of my cabin mates had a really bad reaction to the heat - she had red blotches on her face that persisted throughout the evening and when she got up the next morning, she revealed that she had a blister on her nipple! 😳
Most of the ladies did go jump in the hole in the lake, once they got overheated. I did not! I satisfied myself with lounging half naked on the deck and watching them. The organizer had brought a couple of yoga mats to sit on, which shielded me from the icy deck.
The hole!
Luckily we were the only occupants of the camp, so there was no danger of anyone else seeing old naked ladies jumping in the lake! 😅
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5% perhaps, but with just enough cleavage to make the shot! ?
The ladies who jumped in the icy cold lake after a sauna are courageous 😂
I know! I actually shouldn't have said "jumped", there was a ladder to climb in - you can see it sticking out in the photo. A lot of people got halfway down the ladder and paused, but most of them did keep going.
Interesting factoid, the organizer advised everyone to wear wool socks (even into the water), otherwise their wet feet might have gotten stuck on the walk back, just like a tongue on a cold metal pole!
That sounds like a great retreat, I wonder how it would be as a summer destination.
During the summer it’s a family camp. Families rent the cabins and there are organized activities for the kids.
Aww....you didn't take the plunge. I've done it a couple times and found it rather bracing...another treat is rolling in the snow. Feels like a few thousand needles telling you to wake up and get back in the sauna.
You’re brave. I would have considered rolling in the snow maybe. I did pick up handfuls of snow and rub them on my body. That was good enough for me. 😊
You take the best trips. I'm modeling my retirement outings after you...once I'm free of college debt obligations! Looks and sounds beautiful and fun.
The one thing that wasn’t fun was the constant taking boots, hats, coats and mittens on and off. Lunchtime: Put on boots, coat, scarf, mittens. Walk to dining hall. Take off boots hat coat scarf and mittens. Have lunch for half an hour. Put on boots hat coat scarf and mittens. Walk back to the gathering building. Take off boots hat coat scarf and mittens. 😂 To be repeated at other times of day.
Not enough to deter me from going again though!
A knitting retreat is a great idea for the knitters of the world.
The sauna sounds great, less so the hole in the lake.
Happy HNW!
I've sat in a couple of cold plunges during the past few years, but those were something like 50 degrees F. I've got to think that the water under a frozen sheet of ice is a LOT colder.
Your knitting retreat sounds perfect! Cozy. Exercise. A little water. Like minded people.
Hugs!!
Amazing how a shared hobby pulls people together. A lot of the people already knew each other, of course, but nine of us were brand new and it felt like everybody was friends by the third day.
Braving the cold. Well done. Happy HNW
Thanks! I used to be outdoorsy during the winter when I was young, but have become indoorsy these days. So it felt like an adventure (and an excuse to get some use out of my full length down coat).
Hot saunas, cold dips, & knitting. What a combo.
It was quite fun! I'm hoping to get into the fall retreat, which is held at a lodge on Lake Superior.
HNW 😃 looks like great place for your retreat
It was a cool place. During the summer it's a family camp (there wasn't such a thing when I was a kid!). Cabins to house entire families and organized activities for the kids, and lunch and dinner provided in the dining hall. I need for someone with kids to adopt me as a relative so I could go during the summer. 😂
Beautiful pics 😎
Thank you.
I'm impressed that there were no heart attacks going from the sauna into the lake!
Can you believe that I own zero flannel? What kind of Northerner am I?
That was part of the reason I avoided it, it seemed like the kind of thing that might set off one of my occasional arrhythmias.
I have two old LL Bean shirts that are flannel and lined with a light fleece, and I pretty much wear them all winter long around the house.