Aug 2000
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Home is Where the Cottage IsBy David Brison
"Home is where the cottage is." That is what two long term summer
residents independently told me recently. They both have been coming to
lakes in the area for more than 50 years, but between those summers
have lived in a number of different locations. They come home in the
summers.
Charlie Stewart, President of The Greater Bobs and Crow Lakes Association, and his wife Debbie, own a cottage on Loon Island in Bobs Lake. Debbie's parents built their island home in the mid-40's and she has spent the summers there ever since. Charlie and Debbie now live in Maryland but they have moved frequently, to places all over the world. The one constant place in their lives has been Bobs Lake. Charlie says that Bobs Lake is the closest that anyplace comes to being home.
I met Judy Sandell when I was at Big Clear Lake in Arden doing a story on the Central Frontenac swimming classes. Judy was there with five of her young nieces and nephews.
Judy, a retired schoolteacher who now lives in Peterborough, has been coming to Big Clear Lake for over 50 years. Her parents visited friends at the lake in the mid 40's, liked it and decided to build a cottage. "Every summer we would come up to Arden from Toronto as soon as school was out and stay at the lake the whole summer. My mother would bring other kids from the city because she thought they should have that experience."
Two of Judy's sisters, Lorraine, and potter Joanne Pickett, are now year-round residents in Arden. Judy has moved around in Canada and doesn't really consider any of the places she's lived as "home". She says, "Arden is really home to me."
Stories of summer residents' strong emotional ties to the area are common on our lakes. In many instances, these ties span several generations. Some cottagers came up, married local residents and stayed for a lifetime. Others spent their childhood in the area, moved away, and have come back when they retired. Their stories contribute to the richness of life around our lakes. I plan to tell a few of them in future issues.
