If these walls could talk...

Many of my childhood memories relate to a cabin my grandparents owned. They built the cabin when I was about two years old, and I spent endless amounts of time there as a child.

One my favorite stories my grandmother would tell me was about a weekend that my parents and my grandparents were at the cabin. I was about three at the time. We had taken the motorbikes out for the day, and one of the bikes had broken down. My grandfather and my dad took the other motorbike and left to obtain the tools necessary to fix the bike. My grandmother, my mother, and I began walking back toward the cabin. Well after a short period of time I decided I was done walking and sat down, refusing to move. My grandmother and mother threatened to leave me and walked away, but to no avail. I. would. not. budge. They ended up having to carry me back to the cabin, which was about a mile away. Neither of them were too pleased with my stubborn behavior, and my grandmother reminded me often.

When I was older my grandparents would take me and my cousins up for weekends in the summer time. We spent HOURS playing out doors. We had names for the rocks and trees, and all sorts of imaginary games.

In the winter time we would walk on the frozen lake and play duck, duck goose. The best part was sledding down the hill on toboggans.

After my dad got his pilot's license we would fly up. There was a landing strip about 1/3 of a mile from the cabin, and we would fly up, lug all our stuff up the hill, and enjoy a day or two away from civilization. (There was no TV, so in my opinion that really was away from civilization.) I loved flying up in the airplane because it only took 30 minutes. By car it was about two hours, which as a child seemed like an endless amount of time.

My last trip up to the cabin was about 6 months before my mom died. She was sick and the doctors were struggling with trying to diagnose her condition. While at the cabin she was reading a magazine about some of the best cancer doctors in America. One was located at UCLA. She took that information and about a month later she was in LA discovering that her cancer had spread.

The summer after my mom died, my grandma decided it was time to sell the cabin. It has been 2 1/2 years since my grandfather passed away, and she did not have the passion for the cabin once he was gone. Most of the enjoyment she had associated with the cabin was the time she spent with my grandfather, and with him gone the enjoyment was gone as well.

She sold the cabin to Doug and Marylee Hale. So the cabin when from being owned by the Hales' to being owned by the Hale's.

I decided when I went up to Idaho conference weekend, that a visit to the cabin was in order. I told Darrin that I wanted to listen to conference while we drove up to Cascade to see the cabin. I decided in advance that if there seemed to be anyone there that I would stop and introduce myself. You know being the shy individual that I am.....

Here is what I drove up to find. We parked the car, and I saw two men washing down the driveway,(a new addition) I got out and asked the man closest to me if he owned the cabin. With some hesitation in his voice he said "yes." I introduced myself and told him that my grandparents built the cabin and as a child I spent a significant amount of time at the cabin and have very fond memories of this location. A warm smile washed across his face, and he told me his name was Doug Hale and he bought the cabin from by grandmother. By then he was very excited to see me. We visited for a few minutes and he said, "let me get my wife." Out came Marylee, who was just as warm and inviting as her husband. We talked about all the outside visible changes, namely the garage, roof, and deck extension.

I love the intertwine of the logs

Here is the deck extension. Plus you can see the new dormer on the side of the house. The upstairs bathroom was a very dark and cramped space. With the addition of the dormer, I swear it doubled the size of the bathroom, and there is LIGHT!

This is the fireplace, in pretty much the same condition.

Marylee invited me inside. I felt bad because we had just dropped by, but she assured me it was ok, just as long as I didn't mind the mess. They were so excited to show me the changes they have made to the cabin and the things that have remained the same.

This chair came with the cabin in a set of two. Although the last time I saw the chair the upholstery was orange.

The kitchen only has minor changes, new tile, and back splash. I love that the cupboards are the same. I showed Marylee which cabinet was the treat cabinet, and she assured me it was still the treat cabinet.

This is the funky heater in the bathroom! I loved playing with these heaters as a child. You flip the switch at the bottom and the coils inside heat up to a vibrant orange!

The snowshoes and match box remain untouched.

Along with the log holder.

I LOVE this carpet! The carpet upstairs has remained untouched. It soooo screams 1960's.

My grandmother had two sets of dishes at the cabin, formal dishes and everyday dishes. When she sold the cabin she took the everyday dishes but left the formal dishes. Marylee assured me they use the formal dishes for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

They changed the roof line, propping it up on the side and they added the garage with a walkway. The garage is a great addition. They have all their "toys" stored in there and up above the garage is an bonus room that is a "man cave." Its great!

Check out all that storage!

I had a wonderful visit. Doug and Marylee told me that when the came to look at the cabin before they purchased it, my grandmother was there waiting for them and had just baked cookies. It was then they knew that this cabin had to be theirs. I laughed, my grandmother was the perfect host, even in selling the cabin.

Their kids were young when the purchased the cabin and over the years the cabin has been a place where they have created many family memories, both with their immediate family and extended family. I thanked them profusely for letting me intrude on their Saturday without warning, and told them I was so happy that they were using the cabin as my grandparents had intended for it to be used. They were pleased I stopped by because they always wanted someone from the Hales family to see how much they love the cabin, and the memories it now hold for them.

Before I left Doug told me that every once in a while, when he is tinkering around on the cabin, he can tell that my grandfather is hanging out with him, watching, smiling, and and enjoying a place he loved, that is still continues to be loved. I did not for a second doubt the truth of what Doug told me.