My cousin, Dale, might muse over family times at her 8 acre heritage farm near Kitchener, as I reflect on the Ontario Northland cottage, near Georgian Bay, that has been the place of many of our family gatherings.
This day brings to mind that we, both of us, have raised 2 children, who now have children of their own.
and this family time for me is(in part) about getting to know a place so well that it becomes part of you. The boundary between self and place dissolves. Some kind of life force or shared blood supply flows evenly through you both, without the slightest hesitation.
Our children have had the privilege of experiencing this phenomena, and they, with their young families will possibly recreate this important venue.
When Dale and I were children, we met for many successive summers at La Pas, Clearwater Lake, Manitoba in a log cabin with no running water, an outhouse, ice room, a burning wood stove ….and a vast azure blue shallow lake to frolic&play in. Her mother worked as a pharmacist in Gateway Apothecary and my music teacher mom travelled the train route necessary to establish the most NB relationships, and an ideology: love of the land that is forever.
Dale’s mom, Tootsie, was passionate about family history & Canada, and well my mom was passionate about music and was attracted to anyone who demonstrated passions.
This blog will unfortunately not be revealing pictures of children and grandchildren, due to vigilance re: privacy issues. However the memories etched into the stone framework of our minds will reveal the stuff that adds grace to our living space.
I will leave you with a Northrop Frye comment: “One of the derivations proposed for the word Canada is a portuguese phrase meaning “nobody here.” The etymology of the word Utopia is very similar, and perhaps the real Canada is an ideal with nobody in it!”
Oh, and there is Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick. “IT” is not down on any map, true places never are.”
Be well my friends: Newfoundland is going to happen..just a little late.
Best,
Susan