It's been a long hard winter, and the past few days of cold, rainy, gloomy weather were a killer! I am so grateful for today's sunshine and 60 degree temp that I could sing on the rooftop. The best news of all, is that lake season is finally upon us!
For the past 60 years almost, the tradition has been that any time on or before April 16th is a "safe" time to open up the cottage at Lake Dutch (our term of endearment for Lake George - named after my Grandpa Dutch who started the whole thing with Granma all those years ago).
When Gramps, as we affectionately called him, passed away my Aunt Shishy (Susie) and my mom inherited the cottage. Aunt Shishy has five adult children, and there are three adult children in our family. Together we also have ten young children. Of this motley crew, 29 of us spend most weekends in the summer at Lake Dutch. On any given weekend, we can expect some unexpected guests as well (friends of the kids, kids of my other two aunts that chose not to take ownership of the cottage, friends of the adults, neighbors and/or their kids, etc...) It's a "cozy" place to say the least. Luckily it is a big old place and can bed the entire gang pretty comfortably. We're a little unusual, unless you grew up in a Mormon sect in Nevada. Families share bedrooms as privately as we can, and there is only one tiny bathroom for all. As you can imagine, there is always a line when duty calls. Somehow, not only do we all manage each weekend with a smile on our face, but I think each of the 29 frequent inhabitants would say it's their favorite place on earth! I know I can say that without a doubt!
This is the weekend we go and undo what Old Man Winter has done to the place. The water is turned back on, the gas heat is fired up for cold evenings, spiders are displaced from their comfy corner webs, mice get the message that they no longer rule the roost, dust and dirt get vacuumed, scrubbed, sprayed, disinfected and destroyed... until once again we can claim our summer prize! It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun too!
My mother, "Young Dode" as my nephew (more like little brother) teasingly calls her, is like a well oiled machine. She cleans until her skin bleeds, her fingernails fall off (OK, that happens pretty frequently even when she's not cleaning - inside joke), her pony tail swishes in a cloud of dust and there is no mildew or speck of dirt that can elude her! And, it never fails that we get to laughing so hard that a change of pants (or 2, or 3...) is required (OK, that happens to her all the time too. I'm not making fun, my day is coming!)
I can smell that lake smell as I sit here and type. It's a place where nature is more than just a word, it's an experience. The squirrels are more friendly, the birds chirp happier songs, the flowers bloom with the same anticipation that we have on our first visit. It is a spiritual place where I can feel God's presence in the laughter of my children, the closeness of extended family, the one-of-a-kind sunsets over the lake, even in the old squeaky wood stairs that have been witness to so many wonderful memories over the past 6 decades. Each time I drive around the bend just before the cottage, each time I pull into the gravel driveway and navigate my way around countless cars and kids, each time I step foot on the cement steps poured by Gramps leading past his favorite swing, each time I enter that sacred place - I know I'm HOME! Tomorrow I go HOME once again!
It's been a long hard winter, and the past few days of cold, rainy, gloomy weather were a killer! I am so grateful for today's sunshine and 60 degree temp that I could sing on the rooftop. The best news of all, is that lake season is finally upon us!
For the past 60 years almost, the tradition has been that any time on or before April 16th is a "safe" time to open up the cottage at Lake Dutch (our term of endearment for Lake George - named after my Grandpa Dutch who started the whole thing with Granma all those years ago).
When Gramps, as we affectionately called him, passed away my Aunt Shishy (Susie) and my mom inherited the cottage. Aunt Shishy has five adult children, and there are three adult children in our family. Together we also have ten young children. Of this motley crew, 29 of us spend most weekends in the summer at Lake Dutch. On any given weekend, we can expect some unexpected guests as well (friends of the kids, kids of my other two aunts that chose not to take ownership of the cottage, friends of the adults, neighbors and/or their kids, etc...) It's a "cozy" place to say the least. Luckily it is a big old place and can bed the entire gang pretty comfortably. We're a little unusual, unless you grew up in a Mormon sect in Nevada. Families share bedrooms as privately as we can, and there is only one tiny bathroom for all. As you can imagine, there is always a line when duty calls. Somehow, not only do we all manage each weekend with a smile on our face, but I think each of the 29 frequent inhabitants would say it's their favorite place on earth! I know I can say that without a doubt!
This is the weekend we go and undo what Old Man Winter has done to the place. The water is turned back on, the gas heat is fired up for cold evenings, spiders are displaced from their comfy corner webs, mice get the message that they no longer rule the roost, dust and dirt get vacuumed, scrubbed, sprayed, disinfected and destroyed... until once again we can claim our summer prize! It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun too!
My mother, "Young Dode" as my nephew (more like little brother) teasingly calls her, is like a well oiled machine. She cleans until her skin bleeds, her fingernails fall off (OK, that happens pretty frequently even when she's not cleaning - inside joke), her pony tail swishes in a cloud of dust and there is no mildew or speck of dirt that can elude her! And, it never fails that we get to laughing so hard that a change of pants (or 2, or 3...) is required (OK, that happens to her all the time too. I'm not making fun, my day is coming!)
I can smell that lake smell as I sit here and type. It's a place where nature is more than just a word, it's an experience. The squirrels are more friendly, the birds chirp happier songs, the flowers bloom with the same anticipation that we have on our first visit. It is a spiritual place where I can feel God's presence in the laughter of my children, the closeness of extended family, the one-of-a-kind sunsets over the lake, even in the old squeaky wood stairs that have been witness to so many wonderful memories over the past 6 decades. Each time I drive around the bend just before the cottage, each time I pull into the gravel driveway and navigate my way around countless cars and kids, each time I step foot on the cement steps poured by Gramps leading past his favorite swing, each time I enter that sacred place - I know I'm HOME! Tomorrow I go HOME once again!
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