This first appeared in print in the Canadian Friends of Finland Spring
2020 Newsletter
As is often the case with duck stories, it begins on a cool, misty summer morning by a lake in Finland. My partner Christina and I had been staying at her cousin Tapani's kesämöki, exploring the lake and surrounding countryside. Perched at the end of a small peninsula, the cottage is situated in the ideal location to enjoy the unavoidable peace and tranquility of rural eastern Finland. But alas, our time here had come to an end. It was time to head back to Canada.
I grabbed our bags, threw on my jacket and stepped outside. The faded wooden deck was slowly being painted a polka-dot motif as light rain began to fall. I filled my lungs with cool pine-scented air that crept up from the lake and across the moss-covered forest floor.
