Maple Lake Ontario

My Parents: Maple Lake 1957 – Remember when I said I’d be using this as my personal blog for a while?

Ξ May 25th, 2011 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Canada, cottage country, events, family, Haliburton Highlands, Maple Lake Ontario, Ontario, personal, Photography, summertime |

My parents at Maple Lake in 1957 in front of the third cottage, photo probably taken by my grandmother, Alice:

Mom and Dad - Maple Lake 1957

(Notice that my mother has a camera in her hand?)

Remember when I said I’d be using this for a personal blog for a while? And I hadn’t, yet, really?

That time is now.

My mom died on January 12 of this year. We will celebrate Margaret Victoria Adeline Dereham — ‘Peggy’ McCrackan at Maple Lake on Sunday, August 28, 2011. It is the weekend before, not of Labour Day (9.5) so hopefully, it will be sort of quiet on the Lake. The more recent times that I’ve been up that week it is usually quiet–then all hell breaks loose on the official ‘last day of summer.’ It like the U.S. in miniature at that time of the year. Consequently, most Labour Days of the future I plan to be on the U.S. side of the border at home. Who needs the traffic on an ‘iffy’ weather weekend, anyway?*

*Good Lake weather for me is determined by one question: ‘Is it nice enough to swim in the Lake?’

This event should be quite simple and quite lovely. I know there were a ton of people who loved my Mom however when you live to age 83, sadly, the still-living ones constitute a considerably smaller number. Those folks will most likely hear from my Dad however, if you wish to find out more about August 28 at the McCrackan place on Maple Lake please feel free to email me maplelakeontario@gmail.com. If it involves attending, I’ll check with my Dad and get back to you.

My mother, Margaret Victoria Adeline Dereham was quite close to her maternal aunt, Sara Stinson, a Canadian chiropractor–along with  my grandmother, Inez  Dereham (both neé Sheardown) who was also a chiro, both educated in Michigan–graduating in the same class. Isn’t that neat?

Here they are with my mom, who is age 11 in this photo.

(l to r) Inez Dereham, Mom, Sara Stinson

Mom was just 12 years-old when her mother died. Eight year’s previous her father died, too

Her beloved Aunt Sara only lived until ‘Peggy’ was 14–then my Mom was on her own, though for a time she stayed with her best friend, also name Peggy (Many years later, she became my godmother).

Finally, I have no idea how a typical Ontarian family functions nor do I know how a typical American family does. However, since age six I’ve been a resident alien here in the U.S. consequently it’s been impossible for American culture to not rub off on me despite been raised by a couple of Canucks. Long story short, even without the American upbringing I’m probably a little different than from some folks might expect or wish and I’m afraid at this point it is too late to apologize for that–even if I were so inclined.

If I offend anyone it is almost never on purpose, however somehow I’ve managed to do so with I don’t know how many of my relatives. But this event is not about me or them. It is about my mother and it is for those who cared for her–that simple.

Cheers,

Cyn

(Cynthia McCrackan)

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