Essay's of a Miserable Student

My Special Place: The Cottage

Written: March 30, 2015

Grade: Eighth

My grandparents on my dad's side own a cottage. During the summer my family, including my cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers, and parents, go visit often. The cottage is a really nice place, the sun is usually beating down, the lounge chairs and hammock provide comfort, the water is fun, the giant overgrown tree out front provides shade, and the food my family makes is always good. 

    The cottage is brown-gray with a huge gray deck. The wind chimes make it bright. The dock is straight out front and is metal, painted white. There are two sliding doors out front, and on the side there is a main door with an actual bell for a doorbell. There is an often used awning that is faded white with green stripes. Indoors the cottage is huge. It definitely has been moved around and renovated to fit more people. There are many couches where you are bound to find an older cousin or an uncle sleeping with a cat, two tables where we do puzzles and play dominoes , and a breakfast bar where the girls like to eat because it makes us feel tall, not to mention the three tables outside that we paint and put cool and colorful tablecloths. Even with all of the tables and beds people still end up sleeping and eating on the floor.

    I have been going to this cottage ever since I can remember, this place holds many of my favorite memories. My grandparents have a speed boat, a fishing boat, and a jet ski; the fishing boat is nice for some peace and for bigger fish on fishing contest days, the speed boat is perfect for tubing and skiing which we do so much of that our arms get sore, and the jet ski is great for some fun, adrenaline, and speed ,and it's hilarious when someone so happens to fall off. There is lots to do at the cottage and in Sand Lake which is a decently small town near Big Whitefish Lake, which is the lake my grandparents live on.

    My fondest memories of the cottage are always the nights lots of us in my extended family spend over the Fourth of July holiday. The Fourth of July at the cottage is always fun. Of course we have fireworks of our own, but is also a fireworks show where they shoot fireworks off from a platform in the middle of the lake. My grandma likes to call certain fireworks "diamonds in the sky." I remember one time she saw a "firework" and said "That firework sure has been in the sky a long time." Three people including myself, and my two cousins Megan and Jessica, said in unison, "Grandma that's the moon!" The three of us fell over laughing and I can imagine my grandma was pretty embarrassed. We love her anyways.

    When it's time to go to bed, a choice few of us sleep in tents. We're usually told to go straight to bed, but we end up staying awake until like three o'clock in the morning. More recently Megan and I have been waking up and immediately changing into our bathing suits then jumping straight into the lake. While drying off we talk about life and people who irritate us and it's really just amazing to talk to someone my age, that's usually one of my favorite parts just venting with Megan.

    For the rest of the day we spend time tubing, skiing, riding the jet ski, fishing, boating, and swimming, but what we do at our cottage isn't just what we do it's who we do it with. We all appreciate our time spent at the cottage. I miss it so much, and I can't wait to return this summer and all of the summer's after that.

this whole book is just one giant cringe fest