Pride of Ownership
Monday, July 7, 2008
What a fantastic week.
We finally arrived at Bear’s Lair. It’s a little wooden cabin nestled back in the woods. It requires a bumpy one and a half mile ride down a dirt road to get there. There is a lake, no electricity, and lots of tranquility. Of course there is a lot of work at first, but it is good work as it is for the cabin, for the family, and for posterity.
My brother-in-law and his wife came up last weekend. It was the first time she had ever been there. She is a city girl all the way and therefore not entirely comfortable with such rustic living. Carrie and I worked to make sure that everything would be comfortable for her. Normally, we prefer to use the outhouse on the property, but there is a bathroom with a flush toilet so we set that up for her use.
Zachary was so excited to have his aunt and uncle there for the weekend. We took Aunt Jess on her first canoe ride ever, explored the woods, threw rocks in the creek, and built a fire every night. We cooked S’mores, read stories, and played tirelessly. In the end I think everyone had a good time. If we’re lucky, Aunt Jess may return for a second engagement.
Now we are alone once more. Today we have ventured off to town to restock, check email, etc. Saranac Lake, New York is a beautiful little town that has everything we could possibly need including a Laundromat. It would be easy to laze away a day here doing a lot of nothing, but having fun doing it. The allure of Bear’s Lair is too strong to keep us away for long, however.
There is always something that needs doing at the cabin, but it never seems to feel like work. We are forever in need of kindling, the roof needs to be cleaned off, dead trees need to be cleared and cut into smaller pieces, and the list goes on. The beautiful thing about this labor though, is that it never really feels like work. We are working for the betterment of the place and it is ours. Well, at least partially ours; the entire Niebanck clan holds some share in it, but it is the closest thing to a home that we have. It’s comforting to know that it is there, waiting for us, much the same as it always has been.
It makes me long for a permanent home even more. There never seems to be easy answers for anything. I love it here; I love having my own space, I love having the freedom to do what I please, I love that pride of ownership. Having looked at the price of land on both coasts, I know that we could easily afford a down payment on a house with a piece of land and oh boy are there some gorgeous places to settle. Settling would be nice; I figured out that I have lived in twenty-one houses over the course of my forty years. I’ll hazard a guess that that is a little above average.
You know what? I’m going to stop thinking now and find my way back to the cabin by the lake. I think I hear a cocktail calling my name and I am certain that I need to dive into the cool waters of Union Flow. Forget the future; I need to focus on the present…at least for the next few weeks.
MJR
What a fantastic week.
We finally arrived at Bear’s Lair. It’s a little wooden cabin nestled back in the woods. It requires a bumpy one and a half mile ride down a dirt road to get there. There is a lake, no electricity, and lots of tranquility. Of course there is a lot of work at first, but it is good work as it is for the cabin, for the family, and for posterity.
My brother-in-law and his wife came up last weekend. It was the first time she had ever been there. She is a city girl all the way and therefore not entirely comfortable with such rustic living. Carrie and I worked to make sure that everything would be comfortable for her. Normally, we prefer to use the outhouse on the property, but there is a bathroom with a flush toilet so we set that up for her use.
Zachary was so excited to have his aunt and uncle there for the weekend. We took Aunt Jess on her first canoe ride ever, explored the woods, threw rocks in the creek, and built a fire every night. We cooked S’mores, read stories, and played tirelessly. In the end I think everyone had a good time. If we’re lucky, Aunt Jess may return for a second engagement.Now we are alone once more. Today we have ventured off to town to restock, check email, etc. Saranac Lake, New York is a beautiful little town that has everything we could possibly need including a Laundromat. It would be easy to laze away a day here doing a lot of nothing, but having fun doing it. The allure of Bear’s Lair is too strong to keep us away for long, however.
There is always something that needs doing at the cabin, but it never seems to feel like work. We are forever in need of kindling, the roof needs to be cleaned off, dead trees need to be cleared and cut into smaller pieces, and the list goes on. The beautiful thing about this labor though, is that it never really feels like work. We are working for the betterment of the place and it is ours. Well, at least partially ours; the entire Niebanck clan holds some share in it, but it is the closest thing to a home that we have. It’s comforting to know that it is there, waiting for us, much the same as it always has been.
It makes me long for a permanent home even more. There never seems to be easy answers for anything. I love it here; I love having my own space, I love having the freedom to do what I please, I love that pride of ownership. Having looked at the price of land on both coasts, I know that we could easily afford a down payment on a house with a piece of land and oh boy are there some gorgeous places to settle. Settling would be nice; I figured out that I have lived in twenty-one houses over the course of my forty years. I’ll hazard a guess that that is a little above average.You know what? I’m going to stop thinking now and find my way back to the cabin by the lake. I think I hear a cocktail calling my name and I am certain that I need to dive into the cool waters of Union Flow. Forget the future; I need to focus on the present…at least for the next few weeks.
MJR
posted by Bronx to Timbuktu at 2:50 PM
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