Wednesday, June 18, 2008

the cabin...

Fondly known as 'the cabin'...it is so much more!

As I mentioned, we spent the weekend at a cabin at Shuswap Lake which has been in the family for many years.


The furnishings are a reminder of years gone by...a bedroom suite that was in the master bedroom of the home I grew up in...a leather couch from the sixties...a amber pole lamp from 1967...the old hi-fi stereo...


...and quilts and blankets which once graced the beds of my mother's home. The ecru bedspread was hand knit by my mom...I can't even imagine how long that would have taken.

I think of the cabin as a 'family museum' of sorts. The artwork of the ages hangs on the walls...a reminder of days gone by. Each piece comes with a story or a memory.

On one of the bedroom walls hangs this lovely black velvet painting from the sixties. I remember it well...and enough time has passed that it's actually starting to look OK once again. I must have really liked it at that time...since it was my choice. I bought it for my parents for Christmas the first year that I had an income...I worked part-time after school.

This piece of art was handmade by my sister, Bev...a gift for my mom many years ago. It was made with a technique called Scherenschnitte...scissor cuts.

On another wall is a beautiful sketching of a cougar...done by my talented cousin, Pat. It was a gift for mom and dad one Christmas.
This oil painting hung on the walls of my childhood home...rather suitable that it has now found a home at the cabin by the lake.

On another wall is a quilted hanging...made by my sister, Kathy.


One of mom's needlework pieces hangs in the living room...next to a wall mural portrait of our family taken ten years ago.

After mom passed away, the decision was made to send many of the family 'keepsakes' to the cabin. Now every visit to the cabin is like a walk through the past...a pleasant walk it is!


Mom has been gone for eight years...but her handwritten reminder for those who use the cabin remains. It's somehow fitting to have a few instructions in mom's script posted on the wall of the family hermitage.

It's always fun to return to the cabin and take that little trip down memory lane...so I'm glad it is in good hands. Thanks to you, Dot & Mary Ellen, for looking after the family treasures.

Have a wonderful day!

11 comments:

  1. That is just beautiful Judy! What wonderful memories! Your Mom's legacy lives on..
    I love cabins..

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  2. How nice to have a place to go filled with family memories. I especially like how your Mom's handwritten notes are still there. Just lovely!!

    Have a nice day,
    Kim

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  3. Oh you could frame your mother's directions...they're that special!

    Our list is much longer...how'd you get away with such a short list?

    Your comment that the cabin is a "family museum" is just perfect...so very true. Often, we find that we prefer the museum stuff to our own and snag it to take back. Have you ever done that? I can see a few pieces that I'd be snagging if I were in the family. :D

    Enjoy the potatoes; I know that you WILL!

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  4. Oh how wonderful to have a place to go. . away from your busy farm life.
    I bet it is scheduled pretty busy .. .
    Your mom's handwriting sample is so nice. It's funny how handwriting is such a personal reminder of the one we loved.

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  5. Judy, this is such a lovely post. The cabin is just wonderful, and the way you all have gathered meaning ful items there is just the best.

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  6. A beautiful story, Judy. Such good memories of life when you were growing up, and when your Mom was there. It gave me goosebumps. And your own family herilooms means so much more than anyone else's that you buy. Dairymary

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  7. Judy,what wonderful treasures you have. It must be so comforting to go to the cabin and have all those reminders of the past. I love reading my mother's writing. It makes me feel so close to her. It's so very personal the way we write. I especially loved the bedding. Your mother must have spent so much time on that project. Aren't handmade things so precious? What a special blessing!

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  8. My goodness.....what a lovely, special place for your family to visit and keep treasured things! The artwork is beautiful. I remember when those velvet paintings were in style.

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  9. Thank you for that wonderful trip down memory lane at the cabin!!

    Such a wonderful family place to go to and relax and get away. I really enjoyed looking at all the wall hangings from past years and homemade items from loved ones.

    What a treasure you have Judy!
    Thanks for your visit today--

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  10. Your cabin reminds me of an old farmhouse that belonged to my husband's great-grandfather - we have spent all our holidays up there. And it is filled with memories from the past.

    I remember the "velvet" pictures - we had 2 of them in the bedroom I shared with my older sister - very large-eyed waifs. I loved them. I seem to remember that my sister ordered them from a comic book.

    That little note from your mom is precious. I love reading my mom's recipes in her own handwriting - it makes me feel close to her although she died 16 years ago.

    It was a really good idea to put your family keepsakes up there for everyone to enjoy. I'll keep that idea in mind for our place.

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson