Home I'll Be

[vaneramos]

A new friend, mylastsigh, is contemplating rocks this morning. This called to mind two photos I took on the end of the dock at my cottage last Labour Day weekend.











missprune, I hope you're reading this. The bottom picture depicts the daily Birth of a lake, like in my poem. Morning mist rises in late summer when the lake is warm but the dawn air is chilly. The rising sun evaporates surface water, but it immediately condenses into mist. Those are the "angelic beings."

(I shouldn't dissect the magic, should I? Oh well, it's done.)

The water is smooth and fragrant as nectar. The bottom is mostly sandy, but cluttered with these rough granite stones. My daughters like to dive and collect them, gathering the pretty ones into piles, throwing the plainer ones into the middle of the bay.

Writing about it I am suddenly sick with longing for my piece of paradise, my home.

I see the blue lakes, feel the passion,
I have reasons to believe,
There are places that will bring you to your knees.

~Rita MacNeil

("Home I'll Be" is one of the songs from my choir's recent concert. You can read the rest of the lyrics and hear a sound clip here. Don't go if you're allergic to sentiment.)

Now I have to add this to my list of songs that make me cry.

Comments

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Your pictures are very moving. The light in them is completely evocative of many hours by many lakes in Ontario, both happy and lonely.

I noticed you've added me to your friends list. I look forward to getting to know you.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Thanks buddy. I decided to follow your journal for a while, but didn't have time to comment this morning. I'm new to LJ, and pleased to be meeting some local creative types, not to mention some attractive men.

"Both happy and lonely" pretty well expresses my cottage experiences, but I'm more peaceful there than anywhere elese.

Cheers.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

local creative types, not to mention some attractive men

Gee, hope I'm both. Cute pic, guy! My family had a cottage until my parents sold it so they could get a place down in Florida. It left a lasting impression on everyone. My brother-in-law just told me that, in order to calm himself during his recent MRI, he visualized the boat ride from the cottage to the marina. Although it's been more than 10 years since we've had the place, he still remembers every part of the twisting route as well as the specific sensual features of the journey.

I often go back there in my reveries. It was about an hour north of Lakefield on Jack Lake. Where's your place?

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Yes both. ;-)

Your comment about visualizing the boat ride startled me, it's so similar to something that I do. When I'm meditating, I like to imagine I'm sitting on the dock. That image, along with "specific sensual features" helps me relax and put aside anxiety. I wrote about this practice recently in my monthly nature column:

Nature's heart of lovingkindness

Is Lakefield near Bobcaygeon? My daughters live in Lindsay, and their other grandparents have a cottage on Sturgeon Lake.

Our cottage is on Fletcher Lake, 20 minutes northeast of Dorset. It's within a few kilometres of Algonquin Park.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

I'd like to try meditating on the cottage experience. In my case, it certainly wouldn't involve proximity to a motor boat; more like a dawn canoe ride on the glass surface, moving slowly in an arc around the loons so as not to startle them. Or the hike from Jack Lake to the falls at Little Jack Lake.

Lakefield and Bobcaygeon aren't so far apart. The closest town to Jack Lake is Apsley, up highway 28.

The area near Algonquin is lovely; how lucky for you. I have to book an interior site on Canisbay Lake in Algonquin for August. We had a magical five days there last year. It's a motor-boat free lake.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I camped with my 11-year-old daughter (10 at the time) on Canisbay Lake for two nights last August!

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Might have been at the same time! We had a gorgeous, spacious paddle-in site looking straight back towards the public beach, but about a 25 minute paddle away. I'd love to get the same place but you can't reserve a specific paddle-in.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

We were there August 19 to 21. I published four photos from Canisbay Lake, here. We took a site on the left side of the lake with a large rock on the shoreline, almost down at the far end from the public beach.