Five Years a Writer

As my big fat long teacher-holidays move into their final few weeks -- moving from the Saturday feeling of July to the Sunday feeling of August, I’ve been contemplating vacations generally and mine in particular. My mind has turned to the various types of vacations a person can have. Today, I’m contemplating noisy city time vs natural lake time.   I fantasize about holidaying in New York City and Chicago, visiting theatres and galleries and museums, eating out, strolling down streets packed with people and vibrating with energy. But I always end up at the cottage for my vacations.   The  big city would be about going places, seeing things and experiencing the noisy metropolitan hubbub, while the cottage is about being in wide open spaces, thinking, contemplating and creating.  As soon as we pull into the driveway and see Lake Winnipeg ahead of us, I can feel my shoulders relax, my mind settle and my energy expand. After the immediate bustle of unloading the car, putting t