I am sitting in a small cabin and I hear birds, the occasional fill of a bucket from the well, good morning and are you going fishing today? as feet stroll lazily down the old gravel path. People say good morning until 2pm. It’s my kind of vacation: nothing to do except be with those you love; to just feel, exist.
evenings: popcorn and marshmallows over the campfire accompanied by piano music and bubbles
It’s wonderful. Cousins running up and down the gravel path, parents within earshot or not. It doesn’t really matter because someone’s parents are within earshot. And most everyone has known each other or of each other for decades. The camp is what I imagine neighborhoods to be like before computers and cellphones, before school shootings and TSA. Everything ambles and makes eye contact. There is frequent talk of a bike ride or hike. Sometimes it happens, sometimes we jump in the lake or make a gin and tonic instead.
the next generation
quickie hail storm during dinner
I saw a bald eagle or golden eagle about every 20 minutes. I wondered if I would always see them this frequently if I were so present and focused on my surroundings or if it is just one more piece of the magic here.
In the mornings, one guest, who has visited for years, peppers the property with gold nuggets and sea shells. Before breakfast, with a chill still in the air, kids pour out to the gravel road to find the treasures left by the lake leprechauns the night before. These leprechauns left a fist-sized piece of gold on our porch one morning. And the next, a conch shell. Magic.
The night we arrived I was giddy to see my family, including Margot who had left with my parents more than 24 hours before. My ‘plans’ didn’t unfold as I had hoped and then I realized it was all perfect. Read about it this week’s mama digs: exquisite opportunity.
the general store
ps Mama digs is a few days late, nuggets too. xo.
17 Comments
it’s lovely… just lovely… nothing like familia.
I am so stinking jealous…this is how my family spent our summers when we were young. We were the “regulars” at a small campground tucked away in the Seven mountains in Pa..it was called Poe Valley. It is where Edgar Allan Poe spent plenty of drunken days and supposedly he wrote the Raven at one of the highest parts of the mountain..romantic eh!?! Don’t know if it is true but we loved the idea of it.
Your pictures remind me so much of the place that we stayed..cabins, docks even the general store. Some of my fondest moments are from that time..your kids are truly blessed and you are giving them moments that are priceless!!
Perfection. This is what I imagine heaven to be; such peace here.
You are blessed,
Kelly
Oh my. This all looks so wonderful. Wish I was there. Have fun. xo
The golden nuggets and seashells sound magical! Stuff they will remember forever. Have fun, keep on taking those amazing pictures. This is probably a stupid question but do you worry about bears in places so beautiful? I love nature but my insane fear keeps me away from anything too far north…
Would love to know where you are. We just got back from Kintla Lake and that was so dreamy. I mean, I live in the mountains and a half hour from a small town and I am still amazed by some special places in our beautiful state. Hope you get to stay a while.
P.S. I will understand if you want to keep this special place all your own.:)
Oh goodness! I was all set to write how green with envy I was and thought maybe I shouldn’t because envy isn’t nice but I can see I’m not the only one! This trip really does sound magical. I especially love the picture of all the kids on the blanket. I live far away from family but imagine this type of reunion often. Just lovely.
It sounds perfect! Thank you for sharing
Nothing like summer holiday traditions. Sitting here in the middle of winter I crave them even more. We have a pirate that comes to visit and leaves a treasure hunt each year…great fun.
Can’t wait to hear more about it. What I wouldn’t do for a trip, far far away, like this…soon.
Love that blanket with cousins.
xo
Wow, this particular blog entry just made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I just love how you make these wonderful memories with your girls. You have inspired me to re-visit an old childhood camp with my little ones. Enjoy your getaway. It is just beautiful.
That is how I feel a vacation should be. Having just returned from a similar experience I am content.
looks wonderful – love your post on mamalode this week!
Ahhhh. I’m preparing to leave tomorrow for a long weekend getaway at cabins with my family too. A never-done-before reunion for that side of the family and I’m hoping it feels just like this.
Well, I have missed you. I thought and wondered about you yesterday while picking zucchinis, which struck me as somehow ridiculously appropriate.
I am in love with the gold nuggets and with that hailstorm photo and with this: I wondered if I would always see them this frequently if I were so present and focused on my surroundings or if it is just one more piece of the magic here.
Easy as she goes,
S.
Sounds better than Martha’s Vineyard, which is where both my husband and I spent slivers of our summers as children and teens – at a camp or with family. Still holds a special place in my heart, especially when you get up there and your cell phone is rendered useless! Really, I can’t wait to read your nuggets.
Love that you have a table bursting with sunflowers – such a happy summer bloom. It’s great to see the next generation gathered at the camp too, sharing your space, building memories on top of your experiences.
I will admit that I would be a wimp and probably not enjoy the freezing cold lake unless I was pushed in/pushing someone else in.
-Jennifer from Annapolis
looks awesome! what a way to vacation!
and I love the picture of the dropped sandwich…