‎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?

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

WISHING YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS


AND A GREAT 2009 AS WELL!

The year went so fast. This post will be the "official" Christmas letter from Bill and I with highlights of the year. There are more details in the archives of the blog by month.

The year started out quiet and there wasn't a whole lot of terrible winter weather. Bill did his annual trek to Sin City (Las Vegas, NV) in January. It's a guy thing! His brother Noel, nephew Bill, and some friends from California all get together there every year. Don't bother looking for photos from his trip. There are none! You know what they say - what happens in LV stays in LV.

Then March finally came! And a wonderful trip to the US Virgin Islands. Wow! What a gorgeous part of the world. We had a great time with Noel and Laurrie (Bill's brother and sister-in-law from Arroyo Grande, CA). Ahh, those warm, turquoise waters!

Then we were off to San Diego for a convention at the end of March. What a great place to work OR play! I visited Britta's new farm in Zephryhills, FL in April - what a great facility and a wonderful place to grow the business. In May, we spent quite a bit of time at the cabin getting it ready for the rental season.

In late June, my cousin, Edit, and her daughter, Lize, came from Sweden for a wonderful visit. We celebrated celebrated Lize's graduation from high school AND another family milestone - 60th birthdays! Edit, our cousin, Sandra, and myself were all born in 1948 in Chicago. We all got together at Sandra's lovely home on Wonder Lake, IL, to celebrate. We had a great time visiting other relatives (the LeBlanc family) and sightseeing in Chicago. Thanks for coming to visit, Edit and Lize! We wish our other Norwegian and Swedish relatives would come, too!

August was another gorgeous month - beautiful weather. I had another convention to attend - in San Diego again! Then as we slipped into September, Bill and I spent the traditional family reunion at the lake - but this time there was no family! Tania, Todd and the twins, and Rachel, Bert and Soren all have moved to Florida now. It's a little far for them all to come for the weekend! Brandon, Stacey and kids couldn't make it this year either.They live in Utah now - and that's quite the trek, too. But we have hopes that next Labor Day EVERYBODY will be there!

In October, Bill and I were delighted to take Grandma A to Florida to visit her grand- and great-grandchildren. Bert was leaving for Iraq right after our visit so it was a special visit for many reasons. Grandma A turned 95 in November and is as spry as ever.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving with our friends, Judy and Gordon Scholes, our neighbors at the cabin. It's such a beautiful place to be no matter what time of the year.

Now, here it is December and today we leave for a driving trip to Tampa, FL. We'll stay at Britta and Ben's place - Hawksbill Farm. We'll all celebrate Christmas together on Sunday.

So that's the run down on the year chronologically, but as I checked my calendar to write this, I noticed so many days with "babysit" written on them. I had so much fun with Cassidy and Ryder in their early months. Now they're two and live far away. But at least I'm glad my kids are all together so when we visit, we'll see them all! And the little ones will grow up playing with their cousins. Those life long bonds are so important. I don't have to miss them too much tho. Now with Skype we see each other often and I can sing silly songs to them in Swedish if I want. We'll have to see about getting a piano down there.

So as another year comes to a close, we look forward to good times with family and friends and hope you will all stay happy and healthy. We'll forget about the wealthy thing for a while, I guess. But you know things will, indeed, get better! Let's just hope it's soon!

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Bill & Karen
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