MummaBumma: A Month Of Memories

I first came to the cottage when I was nine years old. My friend Karen invited me up one weekend, and her brother Mark, being my big brother David's friend, invited him too. We Pergant kids were quite taken with it all - lake swimming, dock tanning, chips & coke at five o'clock, steak dinners at the long table, playing ping pong and pool in the basement until bedtime. It was a new world for us hotel brats, but one we quickly adapted to.

Our family moved to Europe four years later but we still managed to come back to Canada nearly every summer and relished our time at the Johnson's cottage. I remember whole days spent in the water, telling secrets to Karen under the floating raft (not realising it amplified my words for the whole bay to hear), waking up to the smells of her mother Susan making bacon and eggs, hearing her father Bill working his way through the list of outdoor chores, reading Archie comics on the sofas downstairs. Every year we came back, and every year it was the same wonderful place, with the pine trees swaying high above the cottage and the water glinting invitingly in the sunshine.

When I was nineteen, I came back as Mark's girlfriend.

In July of 2004 we spent two weeks at the cottage with friends and family celebrating and relaxing after our Toronto wedding and my brother proposed to his beautiful Cecile on the dock. I sat with my friends Amber and Annie and we imagined coming here in future years with our children, pictured these fictitious youngsters playing on the beach and splashing in the water and smiled at what would be.

And now, my boys and my girl are here with me for a whole month and we are making memories, superimposing new stories onto those that already exist. We are playing and splashing, waking up to the smells of Gran making bacon and eggs, hearing Grandpa working his way through the list of outdoor chores. The pine trees are swaying in the warm summer breeze and the water glints invitingly as we make our way down to the beach.

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Amber & Jon and Amanda & Mark joined for the Canada Day long weekend, bringing those imaginary kids we once talked about with them.

Owen & Caleb looking down at the lake

Abby happily eating away at her burgerless bun

Happy Caleb, such a flirt

Amber and Owie. Hugs after dinner help with digestion, dontcha know

Early birds get the cereal (aka when will our kids learn how to sleep in?!)

Elly test drives the "motor" boat

Snack, the most important meal of the day

Getting in is the hard part

But once you're in, its lovely! By the way, I bought these noodle hammocks at the dollar store and they are unequivocably the best purchase of the year