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| Photo by Frank Micklethwaite |
Welcome to
the most important space at the cottage. When we’re not in or on the water,
we’re relaxing on the expansive veranda, reading, writing letters, playing
games, dining, and entertaining. Like
many others, our outdoor “room” encircles the main building, separating the
kitchen and servants’ wing so that the rest of the cottage isn’t affected by
the heat of the wood stove that has to be kept burning to boil water and cook
meals. So there’s always a dry and breezy place to sit, even on wet days. We
don’t spend much time indoors, except for evenings, especially when part of the
veranda is screened against bothersome mosquitoes. The uniformed maid
will be serving tea shortly. Won’t you join us?
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| Photo by Frank Micklethwaite |
This is a quintessential picture of Edwardian Muskoka summer
life, typical of the ethos of the era.
The following passage from The Summer Before the Storm
takes place just weeks before this idyllic world is shattered by the outbreak
of war:
“They lounged with practiced ease on white wicker chairs and
rockers and chaise lounges on the broad, pine-boarded veranda that wrapped
around the cottage. The youngest children, sitting side by side, swung lazily
in the hammock that hung in the band-shell on the southwest corner. A silver
tea service and plates of small sandwiches, thick scones, and rich cakes were
set before them. To nourish the soul there was the stunning panorama of the
lake - rocky islands adrift along miles of shimmering blue water. A few
sailboats and the distant smoke from a steamship wafted across the horizon.”
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