Time Flys on Lake Papakeechie
Days Remaining to Finish Cooking Class: 69 Average Grade: 98%
This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend so I would like to give a sincere “shout out” to all of those who serve this great country of ours, past & present! We enjoy freedom like no other country because of your self- sacrifice! A special thanks to my incredible son-in-law who currently serves as a Navy Pilot, has seen 2 deployments, and hopefully is not sent again!
My family has owned a cottage on Lake Papakeechie, in Indiana, for almost my entire life and this is where I am fond of spending holidays. It was so much fun this weekend and spending time with family. It never gets old. I only wish we could all get together here more often. Although this is not the original property or cottage, that our family owned, it’s the one I know the best.
I think my parents bought their 1st cottage when I was about 4 or 5 years old, so it was probably around 1968. They bought it to escape the hustle and bustle of an expanding Fort Wayne. It was a place to take all of us, those that were still at home anyway, and expose us to the natural beauty the world has to offer. Mom took us on nature walks through the woods and game preserve where we saw all kinds of wildlife in their perfect element, (deer, turtles, snakes and daddy-longlegs), and Dad taught us to fish with a bobber.
One of my Mom’s favorite things to do was row the rowboat. Ok Mom, we”ll let you do that! She loved it! Actually, rowing a boat is somewhat challenging when you first learn. It’s all about balancing the oars with a synchronized movement and keeping equal pressure on them as you maneuver the oars. It helps to have a little strength in your upper body as well 🙂
I couldn’t find a picture of the first cottage my parents bought but I remember it well. It was such a cute little red fishing cottage with 2 bedrooms at road level with the kitchen built below. It was built into a steep hill.
I was probably around 5 years old and I think there were still 6 out of the 8 kids at home, although I don’t remember my sister Laurie coming to lake with us much. She was 3rd oldest and probably had a job. I do, however, remember all 3 of my brothers being there, and sometimes their friends.
Because we were such a large family, my Dad commissioned the Amish to make us a custom table that we could all sit at for meals. That thing was heavy, and completely covered in Formica, including the benches on each side. My parents sat at the end of the table in a chair.
Oh, and BTW, that “cute” little red fishing cottage ……… didn’t have any inside facilities. We had a matching “cute” little red outhouse for that. Not so great when you’re 5 and have to “go” in the middle of the night!
I’m not sure whose idea it was, between my parents, but they sold that little cottage and they bought a place right down the road ……… literally ………… about 6 houses down the road. Less than a city block.
The listed price on the picture says $14,500. Can you believe it? It wasn’t very nice on the inside, but it was larger. I remember it being cold and damp which might have been because, originally, it was the garage to the cottage next door. The owners had remodeled it to be habitable .
Although it has gone through many transformations over the years, and has all the modern conveniences of a home now, it will still be that “Little Red Cottage” to me.
Both of my parents are deceased now. My Dad in 1992, and my Mom more recently in 2013, but the legacy they left their children is something that still thrives. I will forever be grateful for their foresight!
We used to all get together here on every holiday but, over the years, the frequency has declined considerably. Although a couple of my siblings live within an hour of the cottage, most of us live further. It’s truly a relaxing and special place to be any time during the year but especially those holidays when I can see my family.
It’s tough to make those visits happen. We are all Baby Boomers, which means we are either in retirement or approaching retirement. Most of us have adult children and half of us have grandchildren.
Time really does fly on Lake Papakeechie 🙂
“Time is not measured by clocks, but by moments.”
xoxo – Katy
*Originally posted on 5/27/17
