My GrandPal, Phyllis, and her husband John built a little cabin just north of Montreal on what Phyllis remembered as the last available Crown land in Quebec. They were very lucky as they got to choose the lot that they liked. The area was covered in trees. There were a lot of wildflowers nearby and there was a small lake named Lac Chevrieux.
The little cabin was where they stayed while they were building the bigger cottage. They decided to build the new cottage out of logs. There were other people in the area building cottages as well, and everyone would help each other out like one big neighborhood. They all got to know each other very well.
The family would go to their property on summer holidays and weekends to work on the cottage. The couple loved going to the cabin and spending time with their family. It took two years to complete the cottage because they were not there every day to work on it. Once it was complete, they owned the cottage for eight or nine years.
The family would visit as often as they could. The cottage had two bedrooms and a kitchen with a gas fridge and stove because there was no electricity and no running water. There was a small wood stove and they would use oil lamps to light the cottage. They also built a dock for their boat which they would use for fishing.
When they had nothing to do they would go swimming in the lake and had a great time together. When John’s work with Union Carbide took the family to Orangeville, they stopped visiting the Quebec cottage and eventually sold it. Phyllis continued to live in Orangeville after her children grew up. I am really happy to meet Phyllis and learn about her life.
I learned that Phyllis and her family were able to build their own cottage and they enjoyed being there. I wish I could have a cottage one day just like Phyllis did. They had to hand-make everything. I think that is neat.