How We Began

1. Our cottage was built in 1959. We celebrated our 50th year on the French this summer. My grandfather built it as a fishing get-a-way for him and people from his company.

2. It's been in our family the whole time. I think my grandfather used to come up and stay at Loch Haven & fish and eventually bough land to build on. And great land it is!

3. How far do we travel? Whew! Well, my grandpa was from Ohio and my parents used to be from Ohio so we all traveled from there. Since then my parents have moved all over the states so we've traveled from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Michigan, Texas (over many days) and Montana (also many days). I'm now grown up and married so my little family come from Utah.

4. The name of our cottage? Well, it gets to be a heated debate. It's gone 50 years without a true name. Grandpa never named it, my parents never really named it and now all of the kids are grown up so to pick a name now is almost impossible, I don't think we'll ever agree. My dad may protest this but I'm just going to say that we've always just called it "the cabin." Original. I know.

5. What does the cabin mean to me? Freedom as a kid. As an adult watching my kids come here? Pride. I love the French River. How can I possibly pick a favorite memory? I'm sure my favorite memory took place somewhere inside the cabin late at night while eating junk and laughing away at something with a room full of family.

6. Traditions? We write on the ceiling every year and we write memories of the year on our bunk beds. Cliff jumping with evening gowns on. A trip to 5 Fingers, the osprey nest. A tradition I loved that is no more.....bear watching at the dump.