By Leigh Mitchell
One of my earliest memories of my father is an early morning canoe ride at his cottage just outside of Peterborough on rice lake.
It was at this cottage that I learned how to fish (complete with putting my own worm on the hook) and where I starting hiking with my family. It was because of these experiences that I feel most at peace when I am in a forest with the distant echo of a creek at my back.
This summer, for the second year in a row we took our newly expanded family to the cottage for our summer holidays. The cottage (or cabin as we like to call it) is a place that my husband has gone to since he was a child. This beach community is where long beach walks and sand castle building are the common thread that binds us all together, year after year.
My four year old son loves it here. It is a place where he gets special time with his grandparents, develops great friendships that get stronger every year and most importantly his parent’s undivided attention.
Here’s our top five list of fun cottage activities:
1. Swim and play in the sand
2. Walk along the beach where we stop every few minutes to look at the natural beauty surrounding us – rocks, tiny sea shells, lady bugs, daddy long legs and more! We have running races which always end with a touch of the big rock at either end of the beach.
3. Bike rides along the road where we look at cottages and master the art of bike riding with few cars around.
4. Camp fires with yummy marshmallow / s’mores roasts – we hunt for the perfect roasting sticks and keep eyes for daddy long legs then sit by the fire, hypnotized by the flames.
5. Wonderful sleeps in rustic cabin lofts where you can rest your feet on the ceiling and the sand gently scratches your back after a long day of play (you can never quite be rid of all that sand – no matter how hard you try!).
Our memories continue to grow on the beach as each year, our children’s milestones make new impressions on cottage life. It used to be that I had to go away somewhere exotic to feel like I had a good vacation but now I feel inspired and at peace with the simplicity that the cottage vacation holds for me. Rain or shine, hot or cold, we are together enjoying simple pleasures that cottage life offers.
Leigh Mitchell is a mother of two, Marketing Specialist and recent transplant to the Etobicoke community. EtobicokeOnline.net is a community blog network aimed at promoting connections around Etobicoke. Leigh’s particular area of focus is in maximizing exposure for community activity through social media marketing avenues. Leigh also writes a global blog that is intended to inspire communities world wide – www.funneighbourhoods.com
Leigh Mitchell is also the Founder of Women in Biz Network and Her Community Inc. As the head “Marketing Maven” she specializes in a niche near and dear to her heart – marketing to women. Leigh has successfully worked with major brands such as GM Canada, Johnson & Johnson, Maple Leaf Foods, HP Canada, Kobo and Random House, just to name a few. Her Community Inc. develops blogger outreach programs and customized marketing activations. Leigh also connects, trains and empowers women entrepreneurs through the WIBN online and in-person community in Toronto and Vancouver. Women in Biz Network provides business memberships, events, conferences and online webinar training.
