I decided to get working on a couple of craft projects this week. I've only gotten one completed, but it has been two years in the making. When we were tearing the old cottage down, we discovered some of the outside wall boards had writing on them. We cut those pieces out and saved them. I'm sure there were others that we didn't notice and were consequently incinerated in what I now refer to as The Great Cottage Destruction of 2010.
After talking with a man that has a home across the lake and has lived here his whole life, we learned that our cottage was part of a fishing camp in the 40's and 50's. It was the kids who attended the camp left their mark on the walls. Most just wrote their names, where they were from and the date. A couple left little notes. One boy, Jack Malloy, detailed all of the fish that he had caught, complete with weights and lengths, finishing the list off with the cutest comment-"Honest, no foolin'!"
I am now working on finding THE Jack Malloy. I googled him and found one man who is a realtor in Pennsylvania. I've emailed him, but have not received a response yet. I found another man who passed away in 2008. The search will continue! I will be sure to keep you all updated on my findings.
The messages were written in either pen or pencil. I knew that if I were to display the boards without somehow preserving them, the words would fade. So, I went to Michaels, got a wood burner (Thanks Kathleen for reminding me about the 40% off coupon), and traced over what was written. My brother cut a couple pieces of wood for me and I put the boards together, attaching them to the wood. I wanted to make it look as much like a chunk of wall as possible. It now holds a place of honour on the cottage wall.
