My mom’s friend owns a cottage in Muskoka, right on Wood Lake. She’s very generous about renting it out to us and I’ve probably been there seven or eight times. I remember baking brownies in the kitchen, my clothes covered in chocolate. More recently, I sat on the screened porch watching a thunderstorm.

When I’m there, I swim every single day or sometimes even more. Wood Lake has a soft, smooth bottom, as soft as the sand around it. A few islands rest in the middle. The water is never too cold and never too deep in any area. All the way through I can touch the ground, but it is still great for swimming. Once I swam across the lake, all by myself.

This place holds many memories. I guess you could say it’s my happy place. I remember once when I was five, my family all got in the canoe and paddled down the lake to this candy store. My sister and I were each allowed to pick out one treat. Another time we invited my best friend’s family, and I remember us playing in the sand together as little girls. The last time I was there, two summers ago, I found a perfect mussel shell with not a single chip. I arrive at Wood Lake with the whole wonderful week stretched out ahead, and when it’s almost over I don’t want to leave.