Cabin Country

It's summer in Minnesota and that means it's time to head up north. Those of us lucky enough to have cabins or good friends that are willing to share, head up somewhere past Brainerd for some nature time. I'm sure every cabin has its own traditions. Ours has never held a television or a microwave. Its made of thick red logs and has been a source of joy, peace and togetherness for almost 50 years. My late Grandfather helped to build it and the cabin itself hasn't changed much since the beginning. Family members that get busy in the everyday occurrences of life go up to gain perspective and to get to know each other again. The area around the cabin has changed greatly. New, bigger cabins tower over the lake and the town nearby can, as my aunt put it, resemble the business of the mall on the weekends. I can't blame people for coming up and building up. It's just a beautiful place to be. It's a place where people enjoy the summer sun (something we really have to appreciate around here), go boating, fishing, take naps, read books, play volleyball, take another nap, ride into the local dairy queen, have a bonfire, play cards, etc. etc. Who wouldn't want to spend a few days doing that? We've always made room for people to enjoy the scene with us. The cabin fits about 11 sleeping people comfortably, but it's not unusual for there to be tents dotting the yard and over 20 people spending the weekend. There's never been a telephone up there either, but that really doesn't make a difference now with everyone having cell phones. The amount of activities has increased through out the years also, with many of my aunts and uncles having children growing up. They've got a speed boat, fishing boat, sail boat, canoe, kayaks, and I heard that a pontoon is being launched next week. Despite all the distractions though, the basic philosophy has remained. Grandma still spends her summers up at the cabin, waiting to welcome us. It is still enjoyed by so many people, family and friends alike. It's been a vacation place and a memory of more enjoyable times to get us through the winter, a place to spend time with each other and the nature that we forget about.

Now with Drew in my life, I'm able to enjoy another up north haven not too far away from the one I grew up with. His is located on Island Lake and has many of the same things to appreciate. It does have a tv and a microwave (there's even talk of bringing a dish washer up), but it definitely has that cabin feel. It's relaxing and peaceful. It's a smaller lake in a less cabin populated area, which makes this a quiet place to be. The lake isn't busy and we rarely see other boats cruising around. It's a good fishing lake and the sight and sound of loons echo across the lake most of the day and some of the night. The only down side is that it's so hard to leave.

Here's some images from Drew's cabin.