Standing in our 10 x 10 booth at the Fall Cottage Show, I look over and see my niece’s normally pale face turn bright red. Walking towards me, I can sense something has just happened to her.

“Um, Aunt Julie?” she asks, “Yes Jill,” I reply slowly, “What’s up? Are you ok?” I am looking at her, starting to get worried. The show has just opened. We have barely begun talking to people. ‘What could have possibly happened so soon,’ I think to myself?

“Well,” she starts to explain, “I am telling this man about CottageDaily.com, and how it’s online, and he stops me and says, “I don’t have a computer.” And I tell him he should get one, and then he holds up his hand and he’s missing his fingers.”

I’m not quite sure what to say or do next, but we both seemed to be thinking the same thing, ‘What have I gotten us into?’

Lots. Over the next 72 hours, we meet 100’s of cottagers. For those who stop and talk to us, we are given a brief glimpse of what life is like on their lake. I hear stories that move me to tears. I get to share in the enthusiasm of new cottage owners. And I feel the growing concern and helplessness of those folks who own property on Georgian Bay.

The best part of the show is watching people’s faces light up when I ask them about their lake. Cottagers talk about their properties the same way parents talk about children – with love and pride. We just can’t seem to help ourselves. Oh, and one thing I learn, everyone’s cottage is on the “best lake.”

It’s the goal of CottageDaily.com to capture your enthusiasm and to tell your stories. We want to connect you with other cottagers from across Canada. In the next couple of weeks, we will be adding a forum to the site to facilitate this. You will be able to post questions, offer suggestions, and rant with yahoo cottager and cabin owners alike.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank those people who made this weekend such a success: My husband, who soldiered on despite his raging cold; my mom for standing in for him while he slept in the rental car; my niece and nephews for their great sense of humour and persistence; our nanny, who broke her foot and still managed to look after our children; and Heather, who told me I could do it. I couldn’t have done it without all of you. Thank you.

Cheers,

Julie

This entry was posted on Monday, November 5th, 2007 at 6:20 am and is filed under Road Trips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.