Having already put my nose in a few summer reads, I felt drawn to get the family up to the cottage this year. I yearned for it. I needed this. The stillness of the lake. The call of the loon in the distance. The paddle hitting the water without a splash. The taste of watermelon on your tongue as your towel is wrapped over your shoulders. The feel of the uneven wooden dock under your toes.

I crave it as much as I long to write about it, a mix of anticipation and fear that I won’t be able to capture the true essence of it. Like trying to take a mental picture of something you know is as fleeting as a firefly.

What is the one thing that you absolutely need to do this summer before it disappears?

MJ.