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The above quotation by the late singer/song writer and humanitarian Harry Chapin are wise words to live by as we go through life. All too often people become disappointed once they've attained a significant goal in their life. Having achieved their goal, they don't know what to do next. Even worse, they've been so busy reaching their goal that they haven't enjoyed the time spent reaching that goal. This Chapin quotation has stuck with me and I try to live by these words.

Prior to buying our cottage property on Lake Wah-Wash-Kesh northeast of Parry Sound, we did a lot of looking over a two month period. For some reason I thought it would be easier to get people to help us find our special place. I was wrong.

On the way home from my parent's cottage one day, my daughter Gleannan and I stopped in at a couple of real estate offices. While my wife Lynn and I hadn't officially started looking for a cottage the idea of getting a nature retreat drew me off the highway and into the real estate offices.

Somewhat to my surprise the people in the two real estate offices were not very helpful, even though I was the only one looking at listings. One listing did catch my eye and Lynn and I went to see the property. While the property was nice, it was a little too expensive. We contacted the listing agent of this property to see if he might be able to help us find our nature retreat, but he too turned out to be a disappointment.

With a lack of interest by the real estate agents that I contacted, we turned our cottage search to the Internet. Cyberspace allows you to check out numerous listings quickly and from the comfort of your home. I'd print out any listings that thought would be of interest to Lynn and I.

Our cottage computer search focused on several areas including the Parry Sound and Burks Falls regions. This is how I learned about the lots for sale on Lake Wah-Wash-Kesh. The real estate broker who I phoned about the lots was pleasant and encouraged Lynn and I to meet her and see the properties. I also saw several listings of interest in the Burks Falls area so I contacted an agent there and arranged for Lynn and I to see several listings.

Early one pleasant morning in August we set out for Lake Wah-Wash-Kesh. Our plan was to meet the real estate broker selling the lots on this lake, view a few of the properties in the morning and then see the cottages in the Burks Falls area in the afternoon. After speaking with the real estate agent in the Burks Falls area, I was more optimistic about some of these listings, but we felt that we should keep our appointment to see a few lots on Lake Wah-Wash-Kesh.

When we met the real estate broker, we went to a small bay on the large lake. The subdivision had 22 lots for sale, although a few were already sold, and the roads into the lots were still being made. When we arrived at the shore of the lake we saw an incredibly beautiful wilderness area. After exploring a few of the lots for a couple of hours we left to see the listings in the Burks Falls area.

The real estate agent showed us several properties. While she was helpful, we were disappointed with all of the properties that we saw. Her definition of "private" was much different than ours. At the beginning of the day we were confident that we would find some interesting prospects in the Burks Falls area. Our expectations for the lots at Lake Wah-Wash-Kesh were not nearly as high. At the end of the day we were talking about acquiring some property on this beautiful lake.

While we liked what we saw at Lake Wah-Wash-Kesh, we didn't purchase any of the lots we looked at so the cottage search continued. We checked out other properties in the Parry Sound area but, after several more weeks, we contacted the real estate broker and we went back to have another look at the subdivision on Lake Wah-Wash-Kesh.

Due to time restrictions on our first visit to Lake Wah-Wash-Kesh and the fact that we really liked a couple of the lots, we only looked at a few of the properties. On our second visit to Lake Wah-Wash-Kesh we spent the better part of the day looking over the lots. Since only the lots on the three points were sold, we had a great selection of properties to choose from on the three bays. We spent several wonderful hours traipsing through the woods and along the shores of the lake. The real estate broker was helpful and very patient as we investigated this spectacular wilderness area.

Just when we were getting ready to leave, we decided to look at a couple of lots the real estate broker hadn't mentioned to us. We had seen virtually all of the other lots. We literally fell in love with Lot 18, the last property that we looked at. While we were very tired, we excitedly looked at the rugged property's picturesque shoreline and woods and checked out the boundaries. All it took was a day or two for us to purchase this scenic location.

Finding that special wild area where we'll put down roots wasn't that easy, but it was exciting and fun. We look forward to building a small cottage, learning about and exploring the lake and its environs and introducing our children to the magical world of nature. Hopefully the journey will be a long one, and we'll enjoy every bit of it.