The Lake

We arrived at the lake after a few hours of sitting in the van,

unpacked all of our stuff into the many rooms around the cabin,

then we headed outside

to sit in the cool shade and warm sun and soft winds coming off the water.

Mamo’s bird house caught my eye while we were sitting on the front porch.

Chickadees dove and swirled in the trees above our heads, and Dad tried to feed them, but just got ignored.

The birds feel safe here, and don’t worry about us humans only six feet away from them.

Just like we feel free to run and go around the whole house and trees in the yard.

 

Papa and Mom laugh loud at the dogs playing in the grass, and we all smile at the bright blue sky.

Dinner calls us in reluctant from the outdoors, but the smells overtake our wish to stay out.

We all sit around the wooden table turned just right to fit us all around it on benches and chairs.

After dinner, Papa starts a fire in the fireplace centerpiece in the middle of the great room. Mamo turns on Norah Jones jazz and we all sing along, just happy to be.

Morning comes early, and soon we are packed and driving down dirt line roads into the real country, where horses and corn sway in the wind.

The new TREE FARM signs glint bright and we all giggle at the little bitty trees making their way, surviving for the next generation.

Mamo points out the ‘sugar bush’, where one day my children and their grandfather will come out to tap trees for syrup, and I dream big about the 2,200 trees growing in the fields.

  I stand at the farm house and in its happy 600 square feet while engines rev loud down in the barn.

Sister have looked forward to this since we arrived!

Race the dogs down and find a very happy little boy jumping in his little blue Miranda helmet, just simply in awe of the machines.

We sit on the ATV together while Papa starts the tractor up and I hear my name called down through the pull barn.

I laugh out loud at the idea, but Papa laughs too and boosts me up on the too-tall seat.

I bounce and practically stand up on the gas pedal, and the blue tractor lurches long up to the farm house and back, to show Papa that I can drive it.

And let me tell you- it’s easier than driving a car!

Travel back-way back- to the tree that was just a seedling in 1776, according to the DNR. All those years and her trunk has a circumference of 12 feet.

L and Dad decide to giver her a try.

L tells me later that it felt like you were up about 200 feet in the air.

We venture to the honey moon cottage (pictures to come… hopefully), then back for a smoked lunch.

Cause who doesn’t like a good bratwurst over the fire?

Papa pulls out the .22 and BB guns, and we go after that bear and squirrel like we were true country folk.

I knock over some water bottles standing proud, and my dad whizzes a few BBs into the targets and bottles.

Mamo loads and shoots like Annie Oakley herself (all that practice zinging squirrels off her feeder made her a great shot! :) )

Papa wows us with his aim, then we all break off again- men to fix the bridge, us ladies down to the creek to play.

R tags along to help Grandpapa with his tractor, and we soon call him back from helping them.

Friends of Mo and Po come to hunt for the weekend, and we take off 6 hours after we arrived.

Yet it feels like only a few minutes.

The next morning we all ease out of bed, sore from the hiking and riding,

but we didn’t really care. 

happy fall!

(kaye ann silver)