Cottage life

When I was a little kid my family always took a summer vacation. Always. Before my mom got the roughing-it-in-the-backwoods- of-Ontario-in-a-canvas-tent bug we went to the cottage. The cottage, for us, was a century-old, red brick, three-storey house in Honey Harbour, Ontario. The cottage didn’t have running water or electricity. I can’t imagine it was much of a vacation for my mom, but that’s where we spent our summertime. We swam, fished, built forts in the nearby orchard, unearthed worms, jelly-jarred butterflies, went for groceries and adventures in Midland or in Penetanguishene, sometimes we played board games by the light of a Coleman lamp on the kitchen table on rainy days. By the 1960s there were dozens of provincial parks in Ontario and our days at the cottage were numbered.

When I was about twelve I realized a three-storey, red brick building wasn’t what the average person thinks of when they hear the words “going to the cottage”. Mostly, a cottage was a smallish building with a couple of bedrooms, no ceilings, an old sheet hung from nails where the interior doors should have been and without too much fuss or style going on in the kitchen or the front room. A cottage was a somewhat basic, frame building. It was the resting place for the old bunk beds, the tatty sofa pullout and the ancient chrome kitchen set with the mismatched chairs. Wet feet were welcome on the linoleum and bathing-suited bums weren’t frowned upon on the upholstered furniture. Cutlery didn’t match and sets of dinnerware weren’t sets. Pots and pans were a mishmash of thrift store finds. The cottage was the single-storey resting place for furniture and fittings that were no longer pretty but still functional. And then? Well, then lifestyle happened. It wasn’t a bad thing. It was just different. People stopped calling their cottages cottage and started referring to them as summer homes. Magazines saw potential and devoted spring issues to the summer home. We drooled over decor, dreamed about DIY, learned to love shabby chic, wanted solid oak cabinets with real doors and granite—what can I say about granite. Subway tiles on the backsplash replaced the masonite. Outdoor living space wasn’t a firepit with a rake, a galvanized bucket and tree stump chairs. Stylish furnishings, curtains and interior doors—you name it, we deserved it. Folks stopped looking for a bunkie-building and renewed an interest in the big, red brick century home as their home away from home. They wanted something more than a wienie roast and a pile of s’mores. Goodbye Muskoka, Collingwood and Haliburton. Hello Prince Edward County.

And so, Cottage Life Television has hopped onto, what can only be, the County Train and has been filming this phenomenon in real time with real people. Two young friends of mine, Kate Vader and Rob Plomer, are the hosts for a couple of episodes of Cottage Life here in the County. The episodes are being filmed by a local production house, Whistle Stop Productions. The County episodes will air on the brand new Cottage Life Network early in 2014 when the cold wind blows the snow around the porch and we all start thinking warm thoughts. The show promises to be a bit like Property Virgins meets House Hunters where potential buyers hand Kate and Rob their wish list of cottage-type property must-haves and we sit back to see where it goes from there. Vader and Plomer have been working together at Chestnut Park for just over two years and seem to really be the Yin and Yang of real estate teams. Rob stated, “Kate and I are having a good time working together and are really enjoying this particular project. Our focus has always been to hear what the buyer wants and we work hard to find a great fit for them. We really care about what our customers want, need and can handle. This show isn’t going to be any different. We’ll find three options and let the buyers make their decision.”

According to Vader and Plomer, many summer home buyers are looking for a lot more than a quiet moment on the lake. “Buyers want to stay connected with their family, friends and work. They want and need the technological infrastructure. They want the great food, beverages and a fabulous place to entertain guests. They also want experiences that might include investment in a local business or building a new business or revitalizing an existing business. They’ve got money to spend on an investment property and they want to be here.”

Ah, the cottage. Not the basic shack down by the water, but a real home, albeit vacation home, away from home and most likely with running water and electricity. See you on the flat screen.

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca