The Lake Cabin

In the early '60's my parents began work on "The Lake Cabin" - a simple getaway located among the cedar trees on  Possum Kingdom Lake. It's more creek-side property than lake-side property, but it's on the water and there's a dock and some boats and kids can fish and swim and grownups can sit and watch and what more do you want?

I'm not sure of the exact date the cabin was moved onto the property but it was probably about 1962. The original structure was a railroad section-hand house. Very sturdy, interior clad in asbestos panels, and fairly small. Pops added the front porch fairly quickly, and then later added the beds room. Plural. Sometimes it's referred to as the sleeping room, but honestly there's not much sleep goes on in there when there's a full house. There are beds for 18 people in the beds room - two more on the porch, and at present two futons that can sleep 4 more and a roll-away or two. There's even a guest house now - an outrider building that sleeps 4 more. Why so many beds? When the family gathers at the lake there's the grownups, and the kids, and the grand kids and now great-grand kids. You've got to put them somewhere.

Over the years the folks added this and that - a car port on the side, a rock path to the walkway to the dock, a rock patio in front for sittin' and talking. There have been tree houses and slides and a cable ride stretched between trees. Closets on the front porch, propane heaters on the porch and beds room, windows across the entire screened porch. There's no way to measure the amount of work that Mom and Pops put into the place. There was always help from others - I think my brother did a lot if not all of the rock work. Someone rebuilt the front steps in recent years. Bill recently re-planked the walkway to the dock.  But it was a labor of love for Mom and Pop throughout the retirement years.Their fingerprints (and notes of instruction) are still very, very evident.

The Lake Cabin has been a focal point for our family for nearly 50 years. We've gathered for big events and small, in warm days and cold. We've often waked to a cold, cold room until some brave soul started a fire in the stove; then huddled around that until someone ventured out of doors and found that it was a lot warmer outside than it was in the cabin. Christmases, Fourths of July, Labor Days and just getaway weekends. It is a great place to gather.

When Mom and Pops died, the Cabin passed to my sister; I often think we did her no favors in doing so. It's a lot of work and expense to keep every thing working (and the Brazos River Authority happy). She has put a ton of work into the property (hooray for city water!) and the family continues to gather there regularly.

Truth be told, however I stopped going there for a while. It was partly because of the memories. There's not a square inch of that property that does not have my father's imprint all over it. And it's partly because it has become harder and harder to persuade me to go anywhere. I'm getting crotchety in my old age; I like my bed and my couch and my recliner. But we did come for a Labor Day get-together a couple of years ago. And while it was bitter-sweet, it was fine. They are good memories.

And we were there again last weekend. I came for the reunion and Barbara was kind enough to come with me. Rob and his family came, too and it was a gorgeous weekend to be at the lake. The kids fished and played in the water, we breakfasted on eggs and sausage and cinnamon rolls; Rob grilled hamburgers and we graded papers and read books and worked on the ever-present jigsaw puzzle, and we played Sorry and we loved every minute if it.

 Thanks, Mom and Pops. Thanks Sis. Thanks all of you.