the last swim

I have my own little tradition (which I stole from my Dad) of going for "one last swim" in Lake Huron whenever my vacation in Oliphant is coming to an end. This is no simple feat since arriving to water deep enough to swim in requires about a ten minute walk out into the bay from our own little tiki hut beach spot.

A week ago today I was splashing through the clear, blue water of Lake Huron for this very tradition.

Justin and I were able to spend a week in Oliphant together for what we fondly called "jk vacay." I was so very grateful to be able to spend the extended time there with him to be able to show him around the place that has found such a special place in my heart.

Oliphant is ever changing yet somehow always the same. There is the same pine tree smell driving down the windy roads to the cottage that to this day always makes a smile spread across my lips. There are the same gorgeous sunsets that make the sky glow with orange, purple and red and that seem to be shockingly beautiful time and time again. There are the same sounds of the gravel road under the car tires as you drive slowly down Queen Street to your family cottage. There are the same family traditions that are practiced and remembered from generation to generation.

Over the years there have been relocations to different cottages, new faces as families grow, missing faces as loved ones pass away, and new places to check out as new restaurants, shops, and roads are built. Each change melts into the rest of the memories and feels like it was just always that way.

I love this place. It is my "heaven on earth." It is full of family memories, comfortable routines, Bruce Peninsula adventures, late night bonfires, tiki hut dance parties, lazy mornings, brilliant sunsets, silly happy hours, lots of laughter, carefree summers, yummy Cosmic french fries, tumbling Sauble waves, sandy bottom lakes, refreshing swims, sunny days, starlit nights, delicious whitefish meals, booming thunderstorms, and refreshing vacation memories.

Today I am forever grateful for Oliphant.