Visiting the Past

I promised an update on our short vacation last week. We went to a resort in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario for three days. The resort was on a pretty lake called Balsam Lake and was lovely. I felt a little sorry for the owners of the resort because there were only abut 7 couples/families there and only about a quarter of the units were filled. 

The food was excellent. Because the owners were Chinese, they cooked an authentic Chinese dinner for us one night and it was delicious. I gained 2 pounds in 3 days and my husband gained 4 and no wonder. Our unit had a jacuzzi which I loved and used all 3 nights. It really helps the inflamed tendons in my right heel and my arthritis. Our suite also had a sauna but it was too warm to use this.

The weather was perfect for the time we were there and this was unusual for this summer when rain every day or so has been the norm.

We went on day trips in the area while we were there. We tried to find a cousin of mine in one town but were unsuccessful. On the second day we went to another small town to look for a cottage that I last saw about 55 years ago. My memories of this cottage were very strong and I felt I could find it if it was still there. 

The first person I described the location to owned a business in town. You would think she would know the area pretty well. She did give us directions which  we followed successfully to a degree. I knew this cottage was on the north side of a long stone pier that went out into the lake. The frustration came when I could see the pier but couldn't find a way to it.

After dipsy doodling around, we came upon a restaurant and stopped there. The first person we met walking his dog, didn't live in the area so we went into the building. We talked to a rather rough looking couple. The fellow looked and talked like a tough motorcycle guy - the kind you wouldn't take home to mother and someone I probably would have avoided under different circumstances.

After some discussion between the two of them, the fellow drew us a very crude map which involved us driving back the way we had come. If we had had anything better to do, we probably would have given up at this point but "in for a penny, in for a pound".

We went back and turned north on the highway and although, we didn't find the church we were told to look for and  followed a sign which told us we were going the right way but were not, we actually found the right road.

The cottage was right where I thought it was. The reason the first directions did not work out and would not have taken us there, was that the swing bridge that was on the way to the cottage was not in service. It was being repaired and if we had followed the first set of directions we would never have gotten to the cottage at all. (You would think the business owner would have known that, wouldn't you?)

The picture above shows the cottage. It was a bit of a disappointment, actually. It was much smaller than I remembered. The original cottage was red and white and was in better condition. I was surprised that some of the wood on the front was rotting and the grey paint really needed to be redone. However, although you can't relive the past, I was glad to have found the place I remembered and had many pleasant memories of.