How thankful I am that back in 1979 my mother started a “Log Book” here at the cabin. It started as more of a diary – she was at the cabin a lot that summer and did a great job of recording all the comings and goings. But over the years it has morphed into more of a wordy guest book. Everyone who comes is asked to not just sign in, but actually share their experiences. Since I was determined to figure out just when that first electric pump was installed (“early 2000s” was pretty vague, right?), I pulled out the log books and began to read!

(You can tell we’ve been really careful to stay consistent over the years, right????)
Of course, I didn’t have to start at the very beginning (I did, after all, have an inkling of when it was), but it is always so fun to read everyone’s entries over the years. And remember not only the year(s) of the bad road, the overly friendly mice, the ladybug invasion, and the bear sighting, but also read about the first time a new daughter-in-law came to the cabin, or when the grandkids caught their first fish (even if it was just a Sunny), or to be reminded of all the wonderful family vacations we had here when the kids were little. I even came across a poem I wrote about “Girls’ Week” in June of 1996.
We’ve laughed and we’ve giggled
We’ve all had such fun,
It’s hard to believe
that Girls’ Week is done!

The lawn has been mowed
And the well’s working fine.
The gardens been planted
and the weather’s been kind.

Our trip to North Conway
Fulfilled many a whim
As we found bargain after bargain
And filled the car to the brim.

The road was a challenge
It’s easy to say
The mud just kept moving
to new spots every day!

The fireplace warmed us
And helped cook our food
With temps in the 40s
We burned plenty of wood.

We checked out the flavors
in North Haverhill
Cappuccino or Cookie Dough
What choices! What Thrills!

We haven’t quite worked
Maybe as hard as we should
But the days have been full
And the fellowship good!

And now it’s the end
Of a week that’s so dear
But with our precious Lord’s blessing
We’ll be back – NEXT YEAR!

Little did we know that that would be our last Girls’ Week with Mom. She passed away very suddenly just three months later. These books tell the story of not only The Cabin but also of our family and friends who have come to this little patch of green grass where an old red cabin stands steady and true.  How precious they are!

Thanks for coming along down this memory lane with me. And by the way – the first electric pump for the well was installed in July of 2003.  Happy 20 years of (almost) running water at The Cabin!
I knew you wanted to know!

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