Is it just me, or do you experience memories triggered by senses?
Our senses are so strong. My nose works overtime smelling, and sending my brain dreamy memories. As summer finally arrives, so do many of my happy memory triggers. The whispers of summers past at my grandparents cottage come to mind easily. Wet cedar is one of my strongest triggers.
I remember fondly, summer family road trips to Bala Bay in Ontario’s Muskoka Lakes. For one week, every summer my parents would pack up the station wagon to visit Gramma & Grampa. It was the only time we would see them all year.
My grandparents lived across the country and would travel east to their cottage each summer. All their family and friends could visit and stay-over with them. The cottage was a wedding gift to my grandfather and his first wife, from her parents. Sadly she passed early in life.
Grand summer memories from the cottage
The cottage was beautiful and the point of land, big. First, the two-story home had a huge veranda. Second, the boathouse was very posh. It had room for two boats and changing rooms! Third, in the front of the home were rough gardens, lost within a small forest, perfect for adventures. In the back was a lean-to shed, stocked with firewood. Their cottage was a magical place that provided for my many great memories of it.
From the vantage point of the lake, you can first see a massive rock. It had been painted with the word “OAHU”. I am certain there must be a story of behind that… however, no one is left to ask. We saw a gigantor moose swim by one day. My little sister and I were so scared and cowered safely on the rock.
Summer memories—smell-a-vision?
My smell-a-vision, triggered by the smell of sweet grass was flooding my brain with memories. As a result, I wrote a few remembrances from the family vacations.
- the wet cedar smell from the boathouse
- canoe gunnelling games with my brother
- sitting in the rowboat one night, listening to a band play in the next bay (I thought it was the Stampeders!)
- indigenous people who traveled by canoe, selling small baskets and toys made from the sweet grass
- saving all our cherry pits to feed to the ‘chippies’
- the prism on the veranda
My list began to grow with other memories… all drawn from smells, sights, sounds, feels and tastes—mostly from summertime adventures. If I take the time to write out these little stories, the result could be a family book. Perfect for the grandchildren ❤️
I am now dreaming of a notebook design—for capturing these quick memories of our lives. These more personal memories, that we do not want to lose, also deserve space. The Whispers of Summer Memories … take a moment and write them!
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