Dear Members,
In 1969, my parents bought a lake cabin on Hayden Lake. It was an old cabin, some rooms already being over 50 years old; others were of a more recent vintage. Now, sixty years on, the cabin, as the family, has aged. The added bedrooms and the enclosed porch still slant off in different directions; the mortar between the fireplace stones is looking decidedly iffy; leaks have left trails down the high, knotty pine ceiling in the living room.
Sleeping facilities are limited, with two bedrooms inside and the other two in separate “sleep houses”, structures with no more room than space for a queen-sized bed, a bedside table and a small dresser. And, of course, a trip to the bathroom requires a walk across the patio or down the driveway to the cabin. I have always slept in one of the sleep houses, first in the shed my father converted and now in one my brother constructed. I love it out there. It is quiet, and when all the windows are open on a warm summer night, I feel as if I’m back at Camp Four Echoes on Lake Coeur d’Alene when I was a Girl Scout.
The cabin has always been a place of family: aunts, cousins, grandparents, grandchildren, nephews, dads on weekends. It continues to be such. The nephews are grown men, many members have passed away, the original family members are well beyond middle age. The tenor changes, and our activities are different, but the cabin remains our summer gathering place.
Every year but two since 1969, I have travelled back to the cabin in the summer. As I drive the winding road away from the glitzy end of Hayden Lake, the Swainson's Thrush beckons me along from the darks of the forest. At the top of the Windy Point Loop road, I stop to let the dog out to run on ahead of me. Then, down the hill, past the thimbleberry bushes, to Windy Point Lodge, my lodestone, the most beautiful spot on the lake. It will be forever so.
Thank you to Julia Kern and her crew, who, once again, gave us another lively social event at the Summer Sipper at Dover. It was a lovely evening, albeit with a somewhat overly dramatic finish! ⚡️🌬⛈
Another huge thank you goes to Toni Sommer for CAL’s 4th of July parade entry and all of you who helped construct and deconstruct the CAL float, walked or rode on the float that helped CAL win the Civic prize. Yay, CAL!!
Here's the Direct link to: Photo Album for CAL's 4th of July
And finally, don’t forget to put in an hour or two of weeding at The Healing Garden on July 17. Sally Lowry’s article has all the details. Remember, ASSISTANCE is our middle name! What could be better than cheerful CAL voices in a garden?
Wishing you all some summer time in your special place.
Sherry Ennis
President
* Photo by Tony Castro - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60452397