It’s crazy how fast life can change in an instant.. for the better or for the worse. In this particular case, both. In June we found out we were buying a lake cabin which has a been a dream for as long as I can remember. The childhood cabin that my Dad grew up in and then later on, my childhood cabin, was up for sale and we were presented with the opportunity to purchase it. I should also mention that this particular cabin was built by the Olson Family.... The same Olson Family of the house that we currently live in and the reason this blog even exists. In 2004 we bought their house and seventeen years later, we bought their lake cabin.
Then, on July 28th, we unexpectedly and suddenly lost my Dad. Gene Skarsten, 74 years old, was gone. In an instant, my life changed forever.
One of the things I was most looking forward to with owning this cabin was being able to re-live some of those moments of the past. Fishing on Island Lake was one of Dad's most favorite pastimes. Mom reading her books and sunbathing on the beach.... I don't recall many summer weekends as a kid without those memories. I can't even tell you how many hours I would stand at the end of the dock, looking out on to the lake, waiting for that little fishing boat to head towards me. Something I've thought a lot about lately is I wish I would have recognized how precious those moments were, IN the moment. We always cherish them later in life but to have the consciousness to recognize it in the moment... That is definitely something I have gotten better at. I just wish tragedy hadn't been the call to reality.
Bittersweet is the the word at the forefront of my mind these days. I am devastated that Dad will not be there to see the transformation that's about to happen to this cabin. And believe me, there are going to be lots of transformations happening! But I am also excited to get started and I know he will be there with us in spirit.
I'm in awe of many things these days... Probably one of the biggest things is the fact that I actually talked my Husband into this! Three cheers for Milissa because she got him.. hook, line and sinker!
This cabin was built in the 1950's. It's a wood A-frame on stilts and back in the day when our family would vacation there, it was basically a "wooden tent with electricity." No running water. There was an outhouse - that literally scared the shit out of me - up the hill from the cabin. Let's think about that for a second.... 😲 Our potable or drinking water, was hauled by big jugs from a cabin three doors down. They had a spigot on the backside of their cabin, hidden by ferns, that ALWAYS had tarantula-sized daddy long leg spiders that would many times cause me to cry and run away. Anyways, I digress. Thankfully, a bathroom and running water have been installed in recent years.
Lots of plans in store and it will take some time. I have to keep reminding Ryan that this is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. I anticipate future blog posts expressing frustration and elation, accompanied by lots of profanity.
So, stay tuned and I'm going to leave you with one last Dad moment.
As most know, my Dad and I had - and still have - a very big musical connection. I was thinking about him and the cabin the other day and the song came on, "Drink A Beer" by Luke Bryan. Trust me when I tell you that this was not a coincidence. As crazy as I might sound, I know that my Dad still speaks to me through music. And in that moment, I knew that was him. Neither of us are big Luke Bryan fans, but, what we both have always appreciated, are good lyrics.
