Hello Summer
As someone who has spent many summer days in the Kawarthas and Haliburton, I can’t help but feel a sense of excitement as I make my way down the winding road that leads to our little piece of paradise. The air is crisp, with just the right amount of pine needle scent in the air. The dense forest allows just the right amount of sunlight to trickle through the trees and disperse thin beams here and there between dancing leaves and lazy boughs. I hear the sounds of trickling water from the nearby creek, wrapping around the smooth river stones until it meets the dark water from the lake.
As I step out of the car and stretch my legs, I like to take a moment to look around and soak in my surroundings and appreciate all the little things I don’t get to experience at home. The buzz of the cicadas, the rustling of dried leaves as chipmunks and squirrels dart from tree to tree. The soft quacks of a mother duck and her family of fuzzy ducklings that are congregated at the shoreline, happy that humans have arrived, hopeful that seeds will be tossed on the lake shore.
It’s hard to describe the feeling of coming back to the lake after a long winter. There’s something so special about cleaning off the dust and dirt that has accumulated over months of non-use. There is a contagious anticipation as the dock sections are hauled down to the water and decks are being swept off, knowing that soon little feet will run down the dock and hastily jump from its edge.
Just like one prepares for a party or event, the opening of the cottage or trailer is the big hurrah to kick summer off. As we clear out the cobwebs and haul the barbecue out, the layers of winter are brushed away and the bright hues and sounds of summer reveal themselves so that our little slice of paradise can be enjoyed.
And as the tool boxes are put away, and the cleaning rags are wrung out and tossed into the bucket and the Adirondack chairs are perfectly positioned; we gather around a crackling campfire and stare across the lake at the sunset painted with swashes of pink and orange. We breathe in and then exhale and say, “Hello summer, it’s nice to have you back.”
By Danielle McNelly,
Nortech Windows, Doors & Sunrooms
