The following is the conclusion to the story that appeared yesterday. In honour of our one year anniversary, I wanted to share it with you.

Here’s to sharing many more cottage moments together.

Cottage Season - Squatters Welcome Con’t

The hardest part of this lifestyle was actually getting invited to a cottage. It was tricky, if not downright difficult to be subtle while trying to extract an invitation from a cottage owner. Often there were the parents and other siblings to consider, and maintaining that fine balance between guest and nuisance. It was especially difficult watching other people leaving the city early on the eve of long weekends when faced with the prospect of having to spend three interminable days cooped up in a small stifling studio apartment.

Despite all these obstacles, nothing diminished my passion for cottaging. It only strengthened my resolve. Someday I too would have a place of my own and a boathouse full of toys to go with it. It just wasn’t right now. So I consoled myself by pouring over cottage listings and reading Cottage Life magazine in search of that perfect piece of affordable waterfront property.

On June 28, 2004, my 20 year search ended. I found my cabin. A three bedroom cedar structure that looked more like an ATCO trailer than a home, but it had 55 feet of glorious waterfront and a floating dock. It was mine. I could relax. I no longer had to worry about being “invited back”. There was food in the fridge, and for the first time in years- my very own bed. Toys to play with– too many in fact: a boat for water skiing, a wakeboard, a kayak and even a windsurfer. There was a dock to dive off and a place to sit and watch the sunsets. My neighbours have become my really good friends, and together we enjoy campfires and happy hours.

Cottages like their owners are a work in progress. The first year it was a new deck. Last year, a new coat of paint – first inside, then out- and some much needed landscaping. This year it’s a new generator and solar panels, maybe even a lazy boy rocker. Regardless of what changes I make to the cottage itself, as I stand on my dock and stare out at the lake, it is the water that I am drawn to -this rippling blue playground, with its sandy-rutted bottom and endless possibilities. It is in these moments that I connect with my past.

As a new cottage season begins, I am filled with gratitude. I am grateful to my parents for providing me with my early cottage experiences. I am grateful to all those people who welcomed me into their weekend sanctuaries and I am especially grateful to the universe for providing me with a place to call my own and squatters to share it with.

Cheers,

Julie

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 31st, 2008 at 10:00 am and is filed under Current News. 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.