If you’ve ever navigated the winding back roads of cottage country, you’ve probably seen them—those wonderfully homemade signs nailed to trees at dusty junctions. Hand-painted arrows pointing the way to “The Smiths,” “Camp McGregor,” or simply “The Cottage.” They’re charming, a little quirky, and a sure sign you’re getting close to somewhere special. Find Your Way to Fun plays with that beloved tradition, turning it into a playful tribute to the moments that make cottage life unforgettable.
Growing up cottaging in Muskoka, one of my favourite memories is of rounding the corner on Muskoka Road 2 to the turnoff to our place. The corner was marked with a collection of those handmade wayfinding signs—each one a little different, often hand-painted with personality and weathered by the seasons.
For this piece, I wanted to recreate that feeling but with a twist. Instead of family names or cottage addresses, the arrows point to the experiences that define a perfect getaway: morning coffee on the dock, hammock naps in the afternoon, happy hour by the BBQ, late-night campfires, and the joyful chaos of the kids’ bunkie.
It’s a lighthearted way of blending together my memories of the small rituals that turned a simple place at the lake into something much bigger.
Near the front door of a cottage that’s always full of visitors. In the kitchen where coffee is poured early and often. Or anywhere that reminds people they’ve officially arrived at vacation mode.