“The cabin” is our family cabin, built by my grandparents in the early 90’s as a spring and summer home for them. It’s in Hume Lake, a little Christian camp in the Sequoia mountains. I was five years old when the cabin was “open,” and I spent every summer there as a kid. My memories are rich and numerous; hiking with my older brother and our family dog whom we always lost (she clearly was a very loyal, protective family dog!) and picking wildflower bouquets for my grandma. Learning to sail with my Grandpa (with an emphasis on learning, not mastering) and swimming in the cold lake on hot afternoons. Cheeseburgers and ice cream at the snack shop and browsing the goodies in the gift shop. Looking for tadpoles in the creek and walking around the lake, being sure to stop at the bridge to play “Pooh sticks.” Riding “the goat,” or the four-wheeler that still runs today and walking to Inspiration Point for the best views and breezes on the mountain. Bear sightings, feeding squirrels, porch naps and late-night games …. I could go on and on. This cabin is my childhood all wrapped up, and now it belongs to my mom and her sisters, a legacy passed down from my late grandparents, and could one day belong to me and my cousins. I do not take it for granted; this special place that is more than old logs and four walls. This special place that we visit as often as possible and are now introducing to our own children. It still looks the way it did when my grandparents lived in it; the same old furniture and wallpaper they chose, my grandpa’s sailing trophies and my grandma’s knitted blankets. A lot has changed, of course, to better accomodate the four families that call this their vacation home, but it still feels the way it did when I was a kid. And I love that.
Chloe has been up six times since she was born, and this past weekend was Emelia’s first trip. Chloe slept on the bottom bunk of the built-in beds that my brother and I slept in 25 years ago! The closet in that room still has the beach toys that we played with. And I found Wrinkles, my favorite raggedy stuffed dog whom I so loved as a kid, to give to Chloe to snuggle with.
My grandparents never got to meet my girls, but they left us with something so special, and for that I am grateful. A place to build new memories and remember old ones. A place that will remind my daughters of their childhood, just as it does for me. Do you have a special place from your childhood that you still visit?
xoxo, Heidi
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