In April, Glen's wonderful cousin, Lynn, passed away. We were devastated. She was a woman of cottage country Ontario (Muskoka) and wanted her memorial held there when all her friends and family could gather. The date was set for mid-June. Of course, we would attend.In her obituary Lynn wrote: "Weep for your loss, but do not weep for me. I have lived a richly blessed life." And she had! The evidence was in the group of people who gathered to cry and laugh as her life was told first by her bother, Alan, then by friends, Mark and Kathy. The choir she belonged to (Minettones) gave voice (with the Grandsons of the Pioneers) to her favourite songs and Rev. Jim Hatt led the moving service. Lynn's daughter, Elizabeth, provide us with packets of tissues and I used them all!
We flew to Toronto on the Friday before the memorial, meeting Glen's brother-in-law, Randy at the Calgary airport. We took a cab to the military base where we met, Glen's sister, Norma. Randy drove their SUV expertly through Toronto traffic north to Bracebridge. We stayed at the Quality Inn as most hotels/resorts in the region were booked for the summer season.
Bracebridge was built around waterfalls on the Muskoka River. It was named after a book, Bracebridge Hall by Washington Irving, the post master was reading at the time. Incorporated in 1875, it became a distribution hub for the region and was the first town in Ontario to have its own hydro generating plant (1894).
The street in front of the motel was under construction and the inn itself looked dodgy. However once inside, we realized it had been newly renovated and the rooms were perfect. Glen had insisted on a river view which was lovely (once you looked past the parking lot) and much better than viewing the construction site.
We quickly changed into summery clothes and headed to the family dinner Elizabeth had planned. The restaurant, called the Crossroads, sits where the old Rosseau gas station stood. We all remembered that! In fact, I was amazed at how many landmarks hadn't changed from our last visit to the town 20 years ago. The Crossroads easily accommodated sixteen people and served a delicious meal beginning with an antipasto and charcuterie board followed by salad, chicken or steak and dessert. The local Muskoka Brewery beer was refreshing on such a warm, humid day.
While we ate, we (I include Norma and Randy here) got caught up on the lives of our relatives: Fred (Lynn's husband), Elizabeth, Alan, Kitty, Scott, Doug, Katherine and little Elliot (who did very well being the only kid at the table). Welcoming hugs held much emotion but we were family so tears flowed and laughter followed.
Randy easily navigated us around the Muskoka area as we moved from town to town. The memorial was at the community hall of Minett and Fred's cottage was on the Little Joe River (the link between Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau--see photo).
The motel restaurant had a lovely view of the river so the four of us lingered over breakfast on Saturday then moved onto the patio. It was nice to just chat and not worry about being anywhere until after lunch. A diner across from the hotel served foot-long hot dogs that I swear were longer than a foot and Glen could get a 'real' milkshake made the old-fashioned way.
After the memorial, everyone was invited to Fred's cottage for drinks and a late supper. Glen was thrilled to touch base with another cousin, Peggy, whom he hadn't seen in over forty years. Turns out she shared Glen's love of family history and they spent the evening trading stories. The only issue was it poured rain so any outside activities (like tossing people off the dock) were curtailed. However it was a good 'wake' and in the end, Fred and Elizabeth raised the flag which had been lowered in Lynn's honour.
Randy and Norma had a long drive home to Kingston so we left Bracebridge after breakfast and arrived at the Toronto airport in time for lunch. I had been battling a cold and for the first time in my life, fell asleep at the gate. Fortunately, we didn't miss our flight.
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