MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Fall 2020

56 Adding lakeside french doors and deck, then whitewashing and refinishing the interior, Mike transformed the dark, unused space into a bright, warm beach house, filling the walls and rafters with pieces of family history alongside treasures discovered in the basement. It is again a hub of activity. On hot summer days, kids and parents clamber down the hill, arms filled with towels, toys and snacks, headed for an afternoon at the beach. Mike and his wife Cecilia occasionally host friends for a shoreline sunset BBQ. Winters at the cottage, though, are left to family folklore. Feeling the snowy winds blow across their face as they slept, chipping away at ice in the morning wash bucket, lugging their equipment for an hour- long hike—Jake, Douglas and the other ski pioneers were an entirely different breed. With modern conveniences like ski/in ski out access, a two-storey stone fireplace, a renovated kitchen—and indoor plumbing—the family sticks close to Jake’s beloved Osler chalet all season these days. And the beach house stays shut up tight ‘til spring. ABOVE & BELOW Beach house interior and original bric-à-brac.