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How we got here
Owning a place on the water in Northern Michigan has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember.
Some of my happiest childhood memories happened Up North. I still remember the smell of pine trees, the familiar scent of a cottage the moment you opened the door, and the feeling that life somehow slowed down the minute we arrived. Those memories have stayed with me ever since and shaped what I wanted The Breakaway to feel like.
Being on the water has always felt like coming home.
Over the years, we kept finding our way back to Northern Michigan. We were always chasing the same things: fishing at sunrise, long afternoons on the lake, and the slower rhythm of a week spent on the water.
Then we discovered Hillman.
We returned year after year and fell in love with this little corner of Northern Michigan. The two-lane highways. The wildlife. The stars. The kind of silence that's almost impossible to find anymore.
When we found this cottage on Long Lake, it simply felt right.
People often ask about the name.
The Breakaway is a nod to our Canadian and American roots. Hockey has always been part of our story, and a breakaway is one of the most exciting moments in the game.
But the name means something else to us, too.
It's a break away from busy schedules, endless notifications, traffic, deadlines, and all the noise that follows us through everyday life. It's a place to slow down, breathe deeply, reconnect with family, and remember that sometimes the best days are the ones with nowhere you need to be.
What I love most? It isn't just the lake.
It's the darkness at night.
It's the quiet.
It's the feeling that the rest of the world has been turned down for a little while.
My hope is that when you pull into the driveway, unpack the car, and finally make your way down to the water, you'll take one deep breath...
…and feel at home.
Welcome to The Breakaway.
Sunrises included.
Amanda & Grant
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Live in the sunshine,
swim the sea,
drink the wild air.