Moorside

 Two more looks at Kingsmere Lake today.

I stared back up the slope to the cottages.

And looked back at the water.

Here I approached the guest cottage.

Most people proceed from here to Moorside along the main path. But for those who know it, there's a secondary path, and the better route.

Finding a quote by King from his journals reassures the visitor that they are on the right path.

The path leads to a wide meadow, and here we have two displays. As King became prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party, he understood that his country retreat needed to reflect that- a proper home to entertain guests, including world leaders. Moorside would be that home.

The meadow is wide, and surrounded on three sides by trees. This is what makes it my favourite approach to Moorside. 

And there's the house, at the far side of the meadow.

Lakeside

 The path along the lake is a quiet but lovely one.

Glancing up the slope, the sun shining through the trees has an illuminating effect.

There is a boathouse down here, painted in the same cream yellow colour we find elsewhere on the estate.

Stepping inside, we find the interior. This was used by King and his visitors for canoeing, and for changing for swimming or fishing.

Just a few minutes here has a calming effect on the mind and heart. I completely understand how he felt about being here.

A short walk beyond the boathouse are stone steps leading into the water. I always look for the ferns adjacent to them; when I came this way with Tom and his wife one May years ago, the ferns here were just starting to unspool for the spring.

A Legacy

 When one looks around the homes he made here on the estate, I get the distinct impression that if King walked into the room, I'd immediately like him a whole lot.

King was mindful of his family legacy. His grandfather, William Lyon Mackenzie, had been a political figure and radical in the 19th century. In becoming a lawyer and politician and leader of a country, King would entrench that legacy.

Down the slope is Kingsmere Lake, where he enjoyed time with his family and friends.

A look back at the main cottage before descending.

There is a pump house near the lake shore.

And here is the lake itself. King was instrumental in the creation of Gatineau Park. There are still cottages here, grandfathered in from that time. Several are on the far shore of Kingsmere Lake.

Divine Unrest

 This is the bedroom that was used by Isabel Mackenzie King, mother of William Lyon Mackenzie King, when she would come for visits to Kingswood. It was kept much as it was after she passed away. It was the hardest loss of his life.

King sustained a number of losses early on in life that would stay with him for the remainder of his life. One sister, their brother, their father, and their mother would die, and the combination would result in a deep melancholy that he would never shake. Some wounds do not heal.

In a cabinet, some of the tableware of Kingswood.

King's own bedroom is austere, but when you consider he preferred spending his time outdoors enjoying nature, that's to be expected.

The living room doubles as a study, and would have been a centerpiece of conversation.