Early Days at the Point (January 3)

A local couple had first started to build what later became the Point. It would have been their year-round dwelling. But a logging accident cancelled that dream when only the walls and roof were complete. The widow set up house with relatives in Midland and opted for summer rentals instead. Granny and Grandpa were her first tenants. In their second season, they became the owners. A dozen years prior, they had reached Canada nearly penniless and with an infant daughter in tow. Now the three of them were blessed with a place in Toronto and a vacation home on the Bay. They were well and truly settled.

My matter-of-fact grandfather regarded taking possession of the Point in strictly practical terms. It allowed him to provide his wife and child with relief from muggy summers in the city. But for Granny, that purchase was laden with symbolism. Her early years had been spent in Reigate, a Surrey hamlet where the family enjoyed ready access to the countryside and the nearby capital. She hoped Providence Point might offer similar virtues. Achieving and living that dream became her lifelong passion. Fortunately, her Victorian upbringing had cultivated a taste for the sweet fruits of patience. Her mantra never changed: more haste, less speed. And this was to be a lengthy project. (p. 3)

(Illustration generated by AI)