Not having a family cottage to go to when I was a child, the prospect of living and working in cottage country wasn’t even a distant dream for me. Now as my husband and I enter our 12th year as the marina operators on Eels Lake, I find myself reflecting on the ups & downs of our life paths and wondering what the future has in store. During the late 90’s the increase in winter activities like sledding and the trend of lake residents spending more time at their cottages during the winter, made the prospect of a year round marina operation seem viable and achievable. Yet the unpredictable weather of past few years and the rising costs of living, traveling and recreational activities has meant that the marina has become even more of a seasonal business.
As my family and I adjust to these changes, the time between Thanksgiving and May 2-4 seems to go faster with each passing year. It feels like we just finished shrink-wrapping boats, winterizing cottage water systems and doing the normal winter preparation chores. Now the brighter and warmer days of late winter are here to remind us that spring and the return of cottagers is just around the corner. Soon our days will be consumed with moving docks and fighting the black flies underneath cottages while hooking up water systems. The race will be on to get the boats unwrapped, cleaned and serviced by the first long weekend. All the while, praying that ‘Mr. Johnson’s’ motor will start, because you don’t want to be the one to tell him that his 35 year old outboard has finally given up the ghost!
By the time July 1st arrives the store is fully stocked in anticipation of those forgotten necessities like milk, worms, and bug repellent. During the summer we have the regulars that come first thing in the morning for the paper and a coffee on the deck. We wonder which kids will have passed the boat course and be proudly waving their new operator cards as they try not to ram the docks when pulling up with their boats. From scooping ice cream to pumping gas, selling fishing licenses to counting out penny candy, our summer days are filled with the hustle and bustle of providing a variety of products and services to our cottagers, while they in turn provide us with a much valued income.
Even with the changing weather and business patterns, life at the marina has its rewards. So many times I’ve had my customers tell me “you don’t know how lucky you and Jeff are to do what you do”. And I always stop them and say ‘but that’s not true… I do know’. The realization hits me every summer Sunday night as our cottagers fight the traffic to get back home for another week while my family and I sit on the dock watching the sun set, listening to the loons and going for an evening swim. It is then that I count my blessings and give thanks that I am already home.