Every summer, my family made the August drive from New Jersey up to my grandparents’ cottage on Little Sebago Lake in Maine. We spent one or two weeks enjoying walking in the woods, swimming and taking boat rides around the lake. My father only had one week of vacation so if my mom, my brother and I were gone for two weeks, there were always postcards and letters home.

Here is a postcard I wrote to Nana, in 1963,  exactly 53 years ago:

Missing Nana

The cottage was very rustic, with no potable running water and no hot water at all unless it was boiled. The potty was outside in a little outhouse – not fun when it was cold and rainy – and the only heat was in the main cottage coming from the fireplace.

In spite of a lack of modern conveniences, the summers spent at the cottage were filled with fun and I have many years of happy memories. Hard to believe it was over half a century ago!