Thursday, June 20, 2013

Theme Thursday: Water

I just had to link up with Cari at Clan Donaldson today, because the theme this week is so apropos.  I've got water on the brain.

My husband grew up in a house on a lake, in northern New York.  We just came back from a visit up there with two of my husband's sisters and their broods, and I snapped a couple of pictures the other day as I was sipping my first cup of coffee in the a.m.  The morning sun was shining on the water, making it sparkle like diamonds.  That's what my late mother-in-law used to say, as she sat in her comfy stuffed chair in the kitchen, staring out at the view: "The lake is diamonds."

It's astonishingly beautiful, isn't it?  Is it any wonder that my husband and his seven siblings gravitate to their childhood abode every summer with their families in tow, to be together again in such heavenly surroundings?

To this day, my hubby could sit and stare at the water for hours on end, mesmerized.  The view right out behind his childhood home is his favorite on earth--and as an airline pilot who's been flying hither and yon for a quarter of a century (to breathtakingly beautiful spots, both foreign and domestic), trust me, he's seen a lot of terrific views.  Give him a Diet Mt. Dew or a beer (depending on the hour of day) and a deck chair to sit in, and he could be happy for hours on end, just sitting on the deck of his parents' house, gazing at the water.

When my mother-in-law died in 2009 (six years after we lost my father-in-law), my husband and his siblings decided to keep the house and share it equally, rather than sell it and split up the proceeds, and they formed an LLC to manage its upkeep.  This year, a new sea wall was built in order to shore up the bank, because they were losing so much real estate to erosion.  Atop the sea wall is a gigantic patio like you've never seen before: I believe my husband could land one of his 767's on it.  I can only imagine the fun we're going to have sitting on that patio when the whole gang is there (which will happen around the 4th of July). We have a big gang.  It's a gang that needs a big patio.

It's not just the water that brings us all together in that place; it's the shared family memories that have been made there--not just for my husband's generation, but for our boys and their many Pearl cousins.

Yes, it's really family that makes this spot special.  But the fact that it's by the water doesn't hurt one bit.

Now swim on over to Cari's.  The water's fine!

20 comments:

  1. So beautiful! I think they are just brilliant to have held onto it. My family has a place on a lake in Michigan that was bought and built by my Great Grandfather. It is now owned by all his grandchildren, and all three existing generations still head up there in droves every summer. Love the patio.

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    1. Isn't it wonderful to have an awesome gathering place like that? Your family sounds like ours!

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  2. These are beautiful shots. I've got an Upstate New York lake on my mind today too! :)

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  3. Beautiful! And how wonderful that your husband's family is keeping that property and continuing the tradition of family gatherings. I LOVE it. I could probably sit there for hours staring at the water, too. :-)

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    1. And now that we have this amazing patio right by the lake...I don't think my husband will ever leave it!

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  4. I love the idea of the family "camp"!

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  5. What a beautiful place to gather as a family and share time and memories!

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  6. So beautiful! What a blessing!

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    1. I know, and it would make my husband's parents so happy to see us continuing to enjoy it.

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  7. What an incredible place to grow up and how wonderful that you were all able to keep it in the family. I just love to sit by water and hope one day to live by it, too.

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    1. We may never be able to get a house of our own by the lake...but we can always go to this one and get our "lake fix."

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  8. Whenever I see the sun shining on a lake I always think of Anne of Green Gables and her "lake of shining waters".
    Beauitful pictures!

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    1. I really, really have to read Anne of Green Gables. It's my daughter-in-law's favorite and somehow I never got around to reading it!

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    2. I re-read the series every couple years. I am a huge fan of L.M. Montgomery. Her short stories are great, too!

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  9. What a fantastic idea to keep the house!! And I'm sure your in-laws would have loved that idea!!

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    1. They are looking down with enormous smiles on their faces, I'm sure!

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  10. These are gorgeous. We just came back from Lake Tahoe and it is a whole different experience from going to the beach along the ocean. We loved it! (BTW, just saw the link to your book. Checking it out now. :-))

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Bobbi!

      If you do end up reading the book, I'd love to know what you think.

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