Hello, Everybody!
All the posts lately have been terrific. Great photos, Bert and Tania. Good politics, The Dad. (Yes, I read it! Actually, Bill and I heard him speak and he told a few of the same jokes - still funny the second time!) You'll have to give us an update on the smoking oven, Rachel. I'm sure it turned out terrific but we'd love to hear all about it!
Bill and I went up to the cabin for a gorgeous Easter weekend. Daisy Bay was 7/8 covered with ice with a bit of open water and puddles on the ice on Friday evening. Saturday it went down to big chunks with a lot of water in between. On Sunday it was just slush on about 1/3 and by the time we left at 4:30 pm, there was no ice at all! (Don't get me started about a tipping point for warming!) Anyway, if you listened carefully you could hear the 'slushy' ice sound as if you had an Icee at the theater and swirled the cup around. It's not a tinkling sound like when the lake is freezing and little pieces float around when it's windy. This was definitely a spring lake sound.
The new nextdoor neighbor to the East cut down a tree - a BIRCH no less! - on our property down by the old cement tv dish pad. Then they cut it up all nice for their firepit and stacked it up across the path we used to use to go to Sally's by the water's edge. So! I have a phone call to make! Argh! If there's anything I hate it's someone who messes with my birch trees! ARGH!
ANNOUNCING! The 2nd Annual Engstrom/Anderson family gathering is on for Labor Day week/weekend at the cabin. Any Anderson/Engstrom/Lunde/Allan is welome! Bert will be there in spirit and hopefully everyone else will be there corporeally! :)
Bert, keep them cards and letters coming - tell us more about what you're doing, who's messing with you and who you're messing with, and all what you see and hear!
Hugs and love,
Mom
63 Years of Memories....
63 Years of Memories....
that's what I have now. The photo below shows the chair on the point which for so many years was my father's favorite after-supper place to contemplate and cast for walleye. As much as I feel guilty about what's happened, I know he would understand and even say there's nothing to forgive. He lived life fully and moved on many times. I'm the one with the unique experience of being attached to a beautiful place for my whole life. And despite all my best efforts, yesterday the 'cabin' was sold. I signed the papers and, truth be told, a weight was lifted. A new life lies ahead without the obligations, but with all of the wonderful memories. My unrelentingly positive attitude says this is truly how it is, but my heart is still sad.
There are some things in life for which the balance between the obligation and the joy of ownership often cannot be sustained forever. It became clear that I was no longer up to the task of taking care of the place quite a while back. However, knowing what needs to be done and doing it are often far apart. Finally, no choice was left. It had to be sold.
Now it's gone. No more worrying about how long the grass or how deep the snow is up there. No more sublimely pleasurable early morning cups of coffee sitting on the dock when the color of the lake is like pale blue glass and the air is completely still. No more endless repairs, high taxes, and utility bills. No more late nights around the fire pit with friends and family - warm from both fire and friendship. No more frozen pipes or emergency calls to the furnace guys. No more saunas and midnight skinny dipping that make you feel like you'll live forever while your connection with nature is confirmed by the gazillion stars of the milky way and the loons calling out in the dark. No more concerns with low well water levels or water so hard and full of iron the clothes turn yellow and your newly washed hair feels like brillo. No more finding the way home by boat in the dark after a long day on the lake feeling like this is the only place you really, really belong. No more praying that the boathouse will make it another year without collapsing. And ultimately, no more making new memories with friends, family and loved ones. No new memories, that is, at Half Bay, Lake Vermilion, Tower, MN. New life... here we come!
How do you thank a place for memories?
1 comment:
You're not fooling anybody by putting your postings up twice.
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