The Inn

The Matabanick Inn, back when we vacationed there, consisted of cottages and the main lodge and dinning room. There were a number of out buildings which I will describe later.

Normally, we would stay in one of the cottages. I can’t remember if we ever stayed in the lodge itself. In the beginning we would eat most of our meals in the main dining room. At first, the whole family would be at the Inn for the whole summer, with the exception of my dad, who would come up on the weekends. Gradually, my brother and sisters, who were much older than me, drifted away to enjoy their own summer experiences. Fortunately, the owners (the Archers) of the Inn had a son, Donny, my age. We began “fast” friends and someone to “hang” with. As a result, I had someone to play with during those “long summer days”. I’ll talk more about Donny and me in another segment.

The memories of these wonder summers are filled, mostly, with happiness and fun! The Inn’s cottages we stayed in and the meals we ate in the lodge, for me, we great. My parents, however, had other thoughts. They approached the Archers to see if they would allow my parents to build a “prefab” cottage on their land. An agreement was made, and the cottage was built. The dynamics of my life at the Inn changed a little. I don’t think that I was close with Donny as I was when we stay in their cottages. My mother cooked our meals in the cottage, no more “lodge” meals.

I think that the change from “staying at the Inn” to “having our own cottage”, prompted my parents to think about the advantages of “cottage life” rather then being “guests at the Inn”. After such a long duration of enjoying “the Mat”, my parents started looking for their own cottage on their own piece of land. And so, the search for ‘cottage life” began, but that’s for another section!