Summer.

Summer is by far my least favorite season. I know this is an unfavorable opinion - most people I know can't wait to get their shorts out and bake in the heat. They're almost always appalled when I say I could do without summer. I definitely prefer a fresh spring morning, or a crisp autumn afternoon. I don't mind a warm summer evening... but when temperatures start going over 75, I start to get worried.

That said, there is one particular week of the summer I don't mind; when I actually hope for hot temperatures and hope for the opportunity to use my bathing suit. And it doesn't come around every year. In fact... I haven't had the pleasure of looking forward to it in more years than I care to count. But this year... well this year a family tradition is finally brought back from the dead: cottage life on the shores of Lake Huron.

Goderich, Ontario is one of those sleepy little towns tucked away into Canadian countryside and has always felt like a little slice of heaven for me. It is after all "Canada's Prettiest Town." I can't say that's completely true - I'm almost positive the Goderich Tourism Board came up with that themselves, rather than it being based on a nationwide vote. But nevertheless, after all my worldly travels, it is still one of my most favorite places to visit. This year is sure to be one of the most memorable, as it will be Tim's first time, which means I'll get to introduce him to all of Goderich's unique attractions... the museum (which houses a stuffed two headed calf), the old jail (or gaol, according to their sign), the town square, the harbor, the lighthouse, point farms mini golf, but most importantly the beach with its beautiful sunsets!

Can't wait!

UPDATE: So Wikipedia informed me that it was Queen Elizabeth II who once commented that Goderich was the "Prettiest Town in Canada." If the Queen said it, it must be true.