My relationship with Muskrat Lake started before I was born. Back in 1965, my father was a bit of an outdoorsman. He had immigrated to Canada 10 years earlier and fell in love with the lakes, fishing and stargazing that the Ottawa Valley offered. He had a great group of friends, a brand new wife and his first baby on the way. When his best friend approached him about a lot he was buying on Muskrat Lake, Dad went to check it out and fell in love. He and a gang of friends scraped up the money and bought and built their dreams from the ground up together…side by side. I learned to swim there before I could remember, built campfires, and enjoyed hours of watersports over the years. As I grew up, I spent less time there but always cherished the time I did have at the Lake with family and friends. When my husband and I finally settled back in the area after 23 years of moving around with the Forces, we returned to the lake as guests at my parent’s cottage. My own children could now spend hours swimming and boating with their cousins, just as I did. As our families grew, the cottage got smaller. Eventually, my sister bought the cottage next door to my parents, and recently we bought the cottage next to my sister. My Father is now 88 and has realized his lifelong dream…three generations have a place to come together, watch the sunrise, listen to the loons call, and see the sunsets on our beautiful lake. My 15-year-old daughter took the photos attached at sunrise….
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