Many years ago, my great grandpa built a nice little cottage on a lake in Northern Ontario called 4 Mile Lake. The cottage itself was called Beatonia, as his last name was Beaton. I'm lucky enough to have some old photos of the cottage being built and they reside in a photo album that's falling apart. However, I just discovered that the photos scan in rather well.
My great grandpa Blake (left) on the foundation of Beatonia
Beatonia Taking Shape
Blake (great grandpa), Margaret (Grandma), Robert (Grandpa)
When I was 8 years old, my grandma and grandpa put an addition on to the cottage that included 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a laundry room. They took me up to the cottage in the middle of winter and surprised me (and Greg - a very close family friend) with a decorated Christmas tree in the corner of the new living room. I think that may have been the only time I was at the cottage in winter. Starting the following year, I spent 13 summers at the cottage, for 2 or 3 weeks each summer. It's such a huge, wonderful part of my life. From those years, I got to know and love people that were a big part of my grandparents' life who are now like family to me. It's a whole other aspect of my world. My grandparents and great grandparents are no longer with us, but the memories of this wonderful place are still so vivid in my mind.
The cottage is now owned by very close family friends, Roy & Lynda. I feel so lucky that I still have access to it and even more fortunate that I'm able to bring my kids to the cottage. I can't imagine not being able to share this amazing place with them and create our own family memories. M & P are five years old and I realized they have already been there 3 times. Happiness!
We recently came back from a family vacation and added more experiences to the memory bank.
We even squeezed in an impromptu photo shoot!
I had a great time off on my own, having fun with my camera, trying out a bunch of settings and seeing what happened. These images are snippets of what cottage life means to me. And, no matter where I am at the cottage, I still feel my grandparents all around.
Until next time....
