Thursday, August 11, 2011

Cold and Rainy






It's chilly and wet today. And as surprising as it might sound, that's the weather we were hoping for when we left home. It's been so hot this summer in Michigan -- many, many days in the upper 80s and quite a few in the 90s -- that we desperately wanted a break.

The cabin is at its coziest in cool, damp weather. Unfortunately the woodstove is gone (a victim of insurance regulations) but the cabin is still cozy and snug. With a blanket in my lap and my knitting in my hand, I'm as happy as can be.

With this weather running for the past few days, we won't have many blueberries to bring home. You just can't pick them in wet weather and expect them to last very long. But it's the kind of weather that forces you to relax. My kind of vacation.

I think it's time for a cup of tea.

Posted by Heather at the cabin, 8-11-11

Saturday, August 6, 2011

A New Deck






With a tiny cabin build almost 100 years ago, there's always something that needs to be repaired. Especially since it sits empty much of the year. Interestingly, it's often the things that were built much more recently that break down.

Two years ago it was the deck that over looks the river. Certainly an integral part of the cabin experience! The most relaxing thing on earth is to sit on the deck, watch the river go by, and smell the wonderful northern air.

Well, the timbers in the old deck had finally rotted to the point where it was unsafe. So 2009 was the year of the New Deck. It took a good bit of money and quite a lot of our vacation time, but the builders were very pleased with themselves once it was done. And now in 2011, it's such a treat to sit back there with your book, knitting, or to eat a meal.

Heather, 8.6.11, posted at the Elk Lake Public Library

A Sense of History


For as long as I worked in a historical museum, you'd think I'd be better at recording family history. I tend to be one of those people who means to do it but doesn't seem to get around to it nearly as often as I should.

My grandma, Eunice, was a terrific recorder of history. I think of her often when I'm here (she spent several summers here -- what a lovely treat). She would've loved the Internet -- all the genealogical research she conducted that took months and years, now takes seconds. And I bet she'd have a blog. I know she'd approve of this!

The purpose of this blog is to record our summer holidays at the log cabin in Elk Lake, Ontario. To reminisce. There's little history of the decades that the family has owned this little cabin, and it's about time we changed that!

Heather, 8.6.11, written at the Elk Lake Public Library