IN JULY OF 1997, we went to Canada with some friends, and had the good fortune to be able to spend a quiet, peaceful week in a little one-room log cabin, just big enough for two twin beds. Very cozy! Situated on beautiful Lake Dalhousie, pure heaven.
THEN IN SEPTEMBER OF 1997, we were able to spend a few more days at Lake Dalhousie, and I came away from those experiences saying to my husband, Richard, "I have to have a place like this in my life....somewhere to getaway, to breathe, to listen, to be."
ON MAY 29, 1998, (when Richard happened to be out of town) our realtor friend, Dave, called and said, "Beth, I think I have a cabin you might be interested in seeing." (I had asked him to keep an eye out for a small, rustic log cabin in his realty dealings) So I drove out and met Dave there. It's a short drive, about 3 miles from our home, and 4 miles from our business.
When I pulled into the drive way, I found a 150-year-old log cabin sitting on a beautiful wooded acre. As the cabin came into view, I remember thinking, "This looks like a painting".....beautiful. The house had been moved log by log from a neighboring county about 30 years ago, and reassembled in it's new location, but has never been permanently occupied by anyone....just weekend getaway type of activity.
I loved the rustic-ness of it! I could literally picture myself just-a swingin' on that front porch for hours on end! Richard was due back in town the next day, so when he got in, I said, "Come on, honey, I want to take you for a little ride in the country." He was somewhat leery of my motives. But when we pulled into the drive, the little cabin had the same effect on my dear husband, who also has longed for a place to get away, to meditate, spend time in prayer.
So, within 1 week, the purchase was made, keys transferred...and we were blessed with the desire of our hearts.
It has an old, old couch in the cabin and it's in bad, bad shape.....big, gaping holes in the upholstery, holes made by who-knows-what......so we've just thrown an old quilt over it, and now its very comfy!
JUNE, 1998: We've spent this month just driving out in the evenings, after work, watching the sun go down....There's a well on the property, but I didn't want to run water to the house, so we put a hand pump in, so now we've got nice well water. ... It wasn't long before we realized the need for "bathroom facilities"....so I went to the internet to a search engine, typed in "outhouse" which brought up several designs. I picked one I liked, printed it out, and gave it to a friend in the church, who is a builder. Within 48 hours, he had built the "mother" of all outhouses!!!
Our granddaughter, Lindsey, was the very first to use the outhouse, quite an historic event!...then my daughter, Amanda, and her daughter, Morgan, spent the afternoon with me at the cabin on Sunday, June 27, and we made a bed for Morgan on the old iron bed that was left in the loft, and she was the very first to sleep at the cabin. Another historic event! Her initial response to her mom was, "I don't like this place.".....Oh well, I've got a feeling it will grow on her!
One other note: We have a family of 6 skunks hanging around...but I haven't seen them in about a week, so maybe they've made their way back into the woods......
More entries, later.
