http://norman.walsh.name/2004/08/08/cottage 7 145 2004-08-08T10:11:22-04:00 $Date$ Norman Walsh 2004 Norman Walsh On Saturday, Paul invited me out to his brother’s cottage on Bob’s Lake. A more relaxed, pleasant day with a nicer bunch of folks, you could hardly hope to spend. The Dhammapada Those who in their youth did not live in self-harmony, and who did not gain the true treasures of life, are later like long-legged old herons standing sadly by a lake without fish. Paul Cotton is hosting the TAG face-to-face meeting next week in Ottawa. When I found myself at loose ends over the weekend between Extreme and the meeting, he was quick to suggest we get together and spend a day out at his brother’s cottage on Bob’s lake. So I spent yesterday with Paul and Cathy Cotton and Murray Cotton and Dorothy Cotton and Doris and neighbors and friends and cousins and a little pug named Yoda at one of the most tranquil spots on earth. On the way up to the cottage, I got my first fishing license in probably twenty years. We took Paul and Murray’s boat out onto Bob’s Lake twice. Apparently I’ve lost the knack, but Paul and Murray each pulled in a couple of pike. Not edible, but fun to catch and release. We spent the rest of the afternoon settled comfortably on the deck in the sun or wandering around watching Murray’s neighbors work. Apparently there’s some debate about whether it’s more fun to watch David power wash his house or go to the dump. Those are the sorts of tough decisions you face when you’re at the cottage. Standing hip deep in a meadow not far from David’s house (I’ve never been to the dump, so I can’t tell you if it was more or less fun to watch David power wash his house), I was startled and thrilled to find a small gray treefrog. I’ve never seen one in the green phase before. I was tempted to try to take him home, but instead returned him to his. As night fell, it was time to pack up and head back to town. The cottage is definitely a treasure. Thanks, again, for all the hospitality! Oh, yes, some enterprising folks really have run fiber optic cable and repeaters and such down the dirt road. You could get DSL out there. But is it still a cottage if you can really work there? And is it worth it, if it means you can spend more time at the cottage? Maybe some of the decisions really are hard.