Dear Cottage

Dear Cottage,

I'll try to keep this short, but I make no promises.

It was a long and miserable winter in 2008 when I took up a pencil and filled many afternoons imagining and sketching what you would look like. We had chosen your spot a year earlier. It wasn't a hard choice.  Even though there were 19 lots to pick from, none matched lot 30 for accessibility and privacy. Unusually level, this acre and a half of forest had a short, gentle slope down to the shore.  Nestled in a bay with nothing but crown land in sight, it seemed perfect, and it was.

They struggled mightily to get you to the lake and onto your foundation in November 2008 as wet snow made the ground a slippery, muddy mess.

It's been said that I needed a project at the time. Looking back, I have to agree. You filled that need nicely for many years and brought us so much more:  a peaceful retreat from chaos, a place to think, to appreciate the wonders of nature, a perfect setting to play music and most importantly, joy with family and friends. Thank you.

So why are we parting now? It's complicated. As often happens, the current has drifted us along a little faster than expected. Different projects are calling. Rest assured that your new owners treasure you at least as much as we did, and if it's possible, perhaps even more. They bring excitement to their new responsibilities and a deep passion for your wild surroundings. So while we carry forward wonderful memories to cherish, I know your walls will continue to echo much laughter and reflect the warmth of family.

I'll close  with an excerpt from a song by Neil Young I heard on one of my last trips to the lake. It was about a car he loved, but the spirit of the song seems apropos as we bid farewell.

"We've been through some things together

With trunks of memories still to come

We found things to do in stormy weather

Long may you run

Long may you run

Long may you run

Although these changes have come..."

  
(This is the last post. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed reading here as much as I enjoyed writing.)

Last Hurrahs

They came. Friends and family traveled as though on pilgrimages, upending other plans, squeezing rushed visits in on a week day after work or catching a flight at the last minute.  Tom and Joy, who were our first friends to visit in 2009, were our last friends to visit in 2019. Kids came from out of town. All worthy tributes.

A couple of years after the cottage went up, we started an annual family reunion for a day of fun, food and laughs.  We enjoyed good food, drinks, the lake and each other.
We kept this tradition alive in 2019 for one last time. It seemed fitting that our youngest niece, the one we would consider the baby of the family, was about to leave to study on the west coast. We had a great turn out and it was a memorable last celebration. Here's a wonderful picture of the 2019 family reunion gang.

Pics of 2019

These pictures were taken during that last couple of weeks before we closed up the cottage for the last time and handed the keys to the new owners.

The Rose doesn't like waiting on shore when barb is out in the kayak

Looks like pretty serous discussion between two of the lads at Man's Spa 2019

Catch the colours in the water

Evening paddle with Greg

There have been hundreds of cottage projects over the years. Many were described in posts to this blog. For the record, this was the last cottage project: fixing a cracked dust pan with duct tape. I was quite happy with the results. Not all cottage projects turned out so well. Contact me if you would like detailed instructions for this one. 

Rose will miss the freedom. We''ll try to make up for it with more visits to the dog park  

Our last time on the dock

Correction: that was our second last time on the dock

Man's Spa X - The Finale

Finally, a roman numeral I can easily remember!  2019 marked the tenth annual Man's Spa. We had to move the date up so we could squeeze it in before the cottage was sold.  There was the usual great feast, drinks and music late into the night, but also lots of reminiscing with stories of past Man's Spas. We've built quite a history of good times together! I was left with a satisfying sense of closure and comforted by Billy's plan to carry on with the Man's Spa tradition at his cottage starting in the fall of 2019.

These guys are great friends. They helped a lot at the cottage over the years and I am most appreciative.  I've known them all since high school and some of them since kindergarten. How many people in their retirement are hanging out with friends they've know since they were five years old?

Tim, Billy, Laddy and me on the dock

Al, me and Billy trying to mask the melancholy

From the time of his first visit, Al had a special fondness for the place. Here he is stretching out on the dock, taking in the surroundings for the last time. 

Signs of the Times at the Cottage

One day in June of 2019, I realized we've acquired quite a collection of signs around the cottage. Here are some of my favourites....

This Welcome sign was a gift from Laura. She knows I have a thing about moose. 

This was a retirement gift from Mark and Brenda. I have followed these instructions many times.

Fortunately, this never happened, but they were hard at work. Thanks Lise.

This fridge magnet was a perfect gift from sis BA. Good one.

 WHAT? Yep. I know this last one is a surprise. It's hard to believe we've reached this point, but it has been over ten years since we built the cottage. There have been many great memories created there, but after long deliberation, we've made the painful decision to move along to make way for other adventures.

We Got a Shed at the Cottage

That's the title of the original song spontaneously produced around the campfire at Man's Spa 2018 edition.

"We came in from the city...for a really big deal...we had a plan...
We got a shed at the cottage....We got a shed at the cottage..."

Just give a group of guys some wood, some tools and screws and watch how all their cares get tucked away. It's cheaper than therapy.

"We built a woodshed at the cottage..."

The project was pretty simple: a mini-woodshed built with re-purposed materials such as deck railings and left over deck boards.  This year's participants not only built the shed, they sang songs about the shed, they decorated the shed, they designed architectural finishes for the shed and then chopped enough wood to fill the shed. And typically, they added a feature so the shed can also serve as a stand for a video screen that enabled us to watch videos of the campfire the night before in the great outdoors.  That's a lot of fun work and creativity for one weekend.

Shed builders Pat, Bill, Alain, Tim, E and me

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The finished product with seasonal decorations 

Relaxing after a day of shed building

IX at Man's Spa VIII

Sunday Mornin'

Man's Spa VIII (not IIX) had the largest turn out since the first Man's Spa in 2010 and the best weather ever!  Newbies Laddy and Don joined John, Tim, Emad, Pat, Al, Billy and me for this super fun weekend. So total attendance in 2017 was IX!

Other than at our high school reunion 15 years ago, we hadn't seen Laddy in 38 years. So obviously there was a little catching up to do.  We also welcomed Don back to Canada after his last overseas posting (Vienna) as a Foreign Service Officer.

The weather was unseasonably warm and sunny for September 23rd. Seizing this rare fall opportunity, some of us went for three or more cooling dips throughout the days.  The highlight was the kazoo orchestra that accompanied Tim and me to our rendition of Wagon Wheel.  Actually. there was an even greater  highlight.  Hands down, the greatest feat, perhaps in all the history of Man Spas, was the late night interpretive dance by the fire with Emad rotating while raising Tim above his shoulders.  That was one scary and hilarious sight!

On Sunday, Tim, Emad and I were the last to leave. We loaded up the car and went down to the dock for one last swim.  Then the car wouldn't start. and everyone else had already left.  Fortunately, I could hear neighbour Neil's generator going and was able to get a boost and all ended well.

It was great to see everyone. Thanks for coming.

Music in the afternoon at Man's
Spa 2017.