My maternal grandparents bought property in Haliburton, Ontario many years ago, more than my lifetime ago. It was an income property where they lived and rented cabins during the summer months and then came back to Toronto in the winters. My grandmother died in 1953, but my grandfather continued to maintain the property.I spent a few summers of my childhood at these cabins, playing in the lake, being afraid of the outhouse (who knew what might be lurking in that big hole and what might jump out?!?!) and waiting until the very last possible moment to use it...
I only managed a few summers because my grandfather sold the property when I was 8 and then he died shortly after he returned to Toronto.
Last week I posted a photograph of my grandparents, taken at Hazel Brae, on a family website to which I belong. I discovered a comment there last night from a second cousin of my mother's (one I have never met) who, upon seeing the photograph, had been flooded with happy memories of her childhood summers spent at Hazel Brae with my grandparents...how it was their summer holiday but not much of a holiday since there was always a great deal of work involved. It warmed my heart to hear of someone else's happy memory that echoed my own. I wonder how she felt about that outhouse???
11 comments:
How lovely that you were able to connect with your cousin and share these memories, xv.
It was a lovely picture, looks idyllic. Glad you managed to re-visit happy times
What a beautiful piece of land. Reminds me of the cottage/island my grandfather sold in Georgian Bay. Wish he’d been able to keep it.
And odds are your second cousin was just as afraid of that outhouse as you were – most females are!
What a lovely memory of a wonderful place...so cool that your cousin re-found it through you !
I have a cottage (a wooden tent really !) on a small lake near Mt. Tremblant, Quebec. There is no road around the lake and we have no electricity and no running water other than from our hand-pump in the kitchen. An outhouse is our only toilet facility, other than the bushes and the trees. And every year, "progress" gets closer and closer, threatening a summer way of life that has been on that lake for over 60 years. I think my nieces and nephews will be the last generation to know the wild place, the paradise on Earth that we call "Lac Bibitte", where imaginations run wild ...like wondering who or what could be lurking below that hole...;)
Ahhh, summer...
In tracing my family lineage I met cousins I never knew existed. Many of them were able to give me detailed information on our Great Great Grandfather who came to America from France.
Summer cottages - of course, my memories of them are from the sixties, but there were still outhouses and I didn't like them either.
But isn't the internet an amazing thing - to connect with a unknown cousin through memories! How lovely!
Thanks for your very sweet words on my blog, so much love from everyone... touches my heart more than you know.
Looks such a beautiful tranquil place !! And how just a photograph can bring back so many good memories !
I`m glad you found another relative to add to your tree maybe ?
What great memories you have! The summer vacation spot is beautiful.
Now, with regard to the outhouse, have you seen Slumdog Millionaire, yet? There is quite the outhouse scene in that movie.
This picture was so lovely. A lovely place with lovely memories!
When I was in Girl Scouts and we used to go camping, I would hold it until the last minute because I was always afraid there were snakes down in the outhouse/latrine thinggie! I didn't want one biting my fanny!
Love,
LuLu~*xoxo
Oh, I share your fear (nay, terror!) of the outhouse! I was always afraid something would come up from underneath or in the door when my pants were down. Hard to enjoy a good evacuation with all that stress going on. I love the country but give me indoor plumbing, even just the basic running/flushing water and I'm happy.
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