Summer of 2007

Watching the summer come to a close while sitting in the confines of the HITW was a gift I will cherish forever. Morning coffee under the gazebo. Talking with the tribe of white masked bandits and chattering with the birds,I watched as the camouflage of green slowly faded to the vibrant colors of fall. (The view from the Duck House as the sun rises is heavenly if the smell where different.) Ghost memories of past clan gatherings ran through my head as I thought of the growth our little haven has seen...the memories, laughter, and even some tears...but memories for us all to cherish.
I thought back to the chill of the mornings Memorial Weekend as we put together our summer home...In the fall that chill is at night, mornings were warm even in the rain. I thought back to the HITW when we first arrived in a muddy wet sand pit...turned out to be primitive concrete I think...now hard work on our parts and lots of love has dried out the mud...even in the rain...puddles accumulate but the mud of the past seems to be 99% gone.
Willows and Alders, once little shoots hardly noticeable, now almost surround the area...it is hard to tell it was a sand pit.
I relived the summer of 2007 in my heart and head...cementing it in the mud banks of my brian...the long wait we had to endure due to my fathers misreading the email on Dee-Dee and Donny's arrival. Their actual arrival and the visit of our second guests of the summer. (Remember Uncle Bill arrived earlier in the spring.)Having family in the Hole made it even more of a haven for me. Having family from the past in the Hole...made me feel young again. Seems when they pulled out of town...Uncle Bill followed them...leaving the Hole to father with nothing to do. He took advantage of the sun and the previously planted sauna tubes (in hopes of building a gazebo next year)...and built it this year. A beautiful addition to our haven...and bait for the return of family in future years.
Summer was still in full bloom upon my arrival at the Hole. The gazebo being newly finished was in need of a coat of stain...with the monies left in the money jar I hired a Mexican to do the work...she did a mighty fine job too...and in record time. Unfortunately dad will have to find some more change...about 35 cents an hour...I ran out before the top of the roof was done...or he will have to climb the ladder himself. So now the bait was on the hook for the clans up here to come South...I myself did not cast the line...but I am glad they were landed.
Moving the Wolf Den and putting up our wood for Memorial Weekend made if feel less like an end and more like a beginning for next year.
Having "family" from out of state for the closing weekend made it even better. Pat and Dick were fun to have around it was great listening to stories and seeing pictures of my parents when they were...okay I will not go there as it will ruin the "I am young feeling" (they were my kids age!). Oops!!
Pat works wonders in the kitchen and I was treated to the most wonderful pssketti in the world...and I know the secret ingredient now. It was fun to watch my parents with friends from the past...and even though i do not remember these people I felt I did.
Teaching my father a new competitive sport was something I could have lived with out...but it was a fun game and the balls did not weigh nearly as much as a ballini ball...nor was it necessary to throw them as hard as a base ball. Best of all...it did not require me to attempt to catch a speeding object.(we will soon have to spend the entire summer down there just to play all the tournaments).
So the weekend drew to a close...and the trees will soon finish shedding their leaves...
but under the blanket of brown that will become white...our summer of '07 memories...will be taking root for the leaves of '08.
(Now I wish I had a digital camera...this is the time for the sappy song and the photo shoot....maybe someone will add it to this post later.)