Home Right Down The Road

Everybody usually finds going to the lake to be peaceful. Being around the water, spending time in the sunshine, a day at the lake always makes a person feel better. Going out to my family's cabin has always been one of my uttermost favourite things. One of the very first memories that I have is sitting on the floor of the cabin before it was renovated. I couldn't have been more than three or four at the time. It was my grandparent's original house that they then renovated into a cabin. It isn't winterized out there, but it sure feels like home during the summertime. That place is a beautiful healing environment. During hard periods of my life, I tended to retreat out there as it is just a few minutes away from the city that I grew up in. As soon as I learned how to drive, I tried to spend as much time as I could out there, even if not everyone in my life had felt the same way about my family's weathered cabin, I always felt at home there.

My Grandfather spent so much of his life working on masonry. It was an inherited skill trait that he learned at a young age from his father. It is really something he is proud of. He has pointed out buildings he has worked on in the past in larger cities. It was astonishing to see all his hard work standing in one place for so many years. The work was rewarding enough to warrant his creative stonework on the outside of the cabin. He laid tile down in mismatching patterns on the cabin floor which I always loved. There also is completed beautiful masonry work on the fireplace. I find the nicknacks my grandparents have collected over the years to be remarkable. The mantle on the fireplace screams the life that my grandparents have shared together. Even an old telephone decorates the wall. I actually used that old antique phone for a school history project on Alexander Graham Bell back in the fourth grade.

There were so many times that we pitched tents or camped out on the pull-out couches while staying out there overnight or for weeks at a time because the cabin was so close to our small community. Nothing could beat coffee on the deck in the morning according to my mother. As I grew older, I came to agree with that choice. I relished those peaceful moments on the dock in the morning with my cup of coffee.

One of the funnier days of my life is a moment that happened while on the school bus as children. Our bus route used to take us down past our cabin in order to pick up a few families that lived out there all year round. When children were little, we used to say that there were "sharks" in the lake to have kids avoid the waterline. I find it funny that both my siblings had happened to discover that there were indeed no sharks in the lake that day.

Bringing my own children out there allows me to reminisce on my own childhood a lot. There was a moment this past summer while out at the lake with my extended family that I cherish. I tried to recuse a baby bird that fell out of its nest. I thought it would be a good learning experience for my son. So my mother and I decided to scoop that little creature up and water him back to health. He was half alive due to the heat. Using a towel, we attempted very carefully to put that baby bird back in its nest. Unfortunately, my rescue attempt did not go over as planned. My son did get to see a baby bird out of the incident, however. We were very careful about washing our hands after handling the small little creature. My daughter had her own experience with a baby bird this past summer, but that remains a tale for another time. It was ironic both children had their own experiences with baby birds this past summer.

It always felt like home for me, going out there, even if the cabin wasn't other people's favourite place, it is special to my heart for so many reasons. I have so many fond memories of food, and laughter with water gunfights. I remember being able to catch my first fish out there. My Grandpa was so proud of me back then. We didn't even bring a pail because he thought I wouldn't catch anything. Spending time out on the water was a very special time for us as kids, it was more of a rare occasion than something that was given. Very few times did we go tubing or water skiing. I am very fond of that fishing memory as it was special for me and my grandfather.

I can remember one day as a child, while spending time out there with my whole extended family, I was bit by a dragonfly. I was very surprised as I did not know the creatures would bite when they were feeling threatened or harmed. I remember overreacting to their bite as I had caught one in my hand. The reason I overreacted, was because my mother did not believe me. She actually got quite mad about it. Nobody chose to believe me until later that day when a dragonfly bit her while she was cupping one in her hands. I know I couldn't have been more than eleven or twelve at the time back then. I like I think about that day often, as I think it has a really important message. Nobody believes you until it happens to you. That lesson should have stayed with me as I grew older. It really should have.

My family has kind of abandoned things out there at the cabin for the last couple of years, but that place means a lot more to me than I can give myself credit for. There is so much history in such a small two-story house turned into a family cabin. It isn't luxurious by any means, but my grandparents shared their life raising their children in that home and then built a loving cabin to go and retreat to. There really is so much love in one small building. Or at least that is how I perceive the family cabin.

Chloe Rose Violet