My family has had a cottage on Healey Lake since I was 8 years old. The number of meaningful memories I've made up there are too many to count. As a kid the most exciting part of the weekend was when my parents or the neighbours would take my brother and I and the kids from neighbouring cottages tubing. I learned how to waterski on the lake and it is magical when the lake is so flat that I can hear the hiss of the water under my ski. Over a decade later I had the pleasure of passing on the fun of waterskiing as I spent hours in the water teaching the 3 kids next door how to ski. The connections made with our neighbours on the water is part of what makes the cottage so special. Everyone is always welcome and visiting between the cottages. No matter who passes by in their boats you wave and call out to them. Lately I've taken to kayaking the lake going further with each excursion enjoying untouched scenery of the shoreline as I paddle the perimeter of each small bay.

The lake isn't just for enjoying in the summer. Every few years the lake will freeze with its surface perfectly glassy and you can skate for miles. Snowmobiles run across the lake all winter long and my family and I trek out on cross country skies for exercise and to take in the snowy landscape. Deer tracks can be seen crisscrossing the ice and they can be followed into the trees.

The beauty of the landscape, the feel of swimming through the warm clear water and the community on the lake is something that will always be special.