Envision 12 adults bundled up, boots on, jeans cuffed hiking through a foot of snow for a quarter mile out to a cabin in the woods.
The cabin was built piece by piece by my grandfather... three rooms, no electricity, no plumbing but as it was pointed out today it has dropped down ceilings. There is an outhouse, multiple storage sheds, an old dog house and a rustic sign stating "Rhodes Big Flats".
I never been to this place until today but when our hiked ended and we arrived at our destination I was amazed by it. My sister said it's beautiful. I am not a big outdoors kind of person but it was pretty and serene. After taking in all the details of our surroundings, I noticed the smoke coming from the chimney inside the cabin and the fire burning in the fire pit. How did this happen? No one was there yet... we had all hiked down together... well my dad and Bill had come down earlier and warmed the cabin and built the fire pit but no one knew they were going to do that. They also put out pictures they had found in the cabin for us all to look at. It was the perfect setting for my grandpa's final resting place.
We all went into the cabin to warm our frozen toes and to look around. I always knew about this place and heard so much about it but I don't recall every being there. It was so interesting to see the things he had there. Native American decorations... Canadian Magazines from 1994... Old Pictures and Awards... a Celine Dion tape hahaha.... Eventually everyone migrated outside to the fire where many old memories started flowing. These stories were hysterical. I had tears of laughter flowing down my face and my stomach still hurts from laughing so hard. I could envision all these things happening. After much laughter we all walked a bit away from the fire to a clearing that was near the edge of a cliff.
Bill placed the ashes near the edge and read a note my dad wrote and a passage from the bible. My dad wrote about how my grandpa would come to our house to visit and he would leave mid conversation telling us that he had to go because he had a fire going on the hill. The note finished with my dad stating that there is fire burning on the hill for him now. It makes me tear up right now thinking about how when Bill was reading this note I could hear my dad crying... that doesn't happen... it isn't allowed in my world. Hearing him cry made me almost choke holding back my sobs. I don't like to see my dad upset. It is a very rare emotion from him and it really is heartbreaking. My dad, two of his brothers, his sister and Bill went to the edge of the cliff where Tag spread the ashes. It was quite, peaceful and beautiful.
We went back to the fire. Shared a moment of silence and a few more stories. It was growing dark so we realized we needed to make our trek back through the snow and to the cars. We all made sure we were still bundled up, took a few glances around and as we left that fire was still burning on the hill....
The cabin was built piece by piece by my grandfather... three rooms, no electricity, no plumbing but as it was pointed out today it has dropped down ceilings. There is an outhouse, multiple storage sheds, an old dog house and a rustic sign stating "Rhodes Big Flats".
I never been to this place until today but when our hiked ended and we arrived at our destination I was amazed by it. My sister said it's beautiful. I am not a big outdoors kind of person but it was pretty and serene. After taking in all the details of our surroundings, I noticed the smoke coming from the chimney inside the cabin and the fire burning in the fire pit. How did this happen? No one was there yet... we had all hiked down together... well my dad and Bill had come down earlier and warmed the cabin and built the fire pit but no one knew they were going to do that. They also put out pictures they had found in the cabin for us all to look at. It was the perfect setting for my grandpa's final resting place.
We all went into the cabin to warm our frozen toes and to look around. I always knew about this place and heard so much about it but I don't recall every being there. It was so interesting to see the things he had there. Native American decorations... Canadian Magazines from 1994... Old Pictures and Awards... a Celine Dion tape hahaha.... Eventually everyone migrated outside to the fire where many old memories started flowing. These stories were hysterical. I had tears of laughter flowing down my face and my stomach still hurts from laughing so hard. I could envision all these things happening. After much laughter we all walked a bit away from the fire to a clearing that was near the edge of a cliff.
Bill placed the ashes near the edge and read a note my dad wrote and a passage from the bible. My dad wrote about how my grandpa would come to our house to visit and he would leave mid conversation telling us that he had to go because he had a fire going on the hill. The note finished with my dad stating that there is fire burning on the hill for him now. It makes me tear up right now thinking about how when Bill was reading this note I could hear my dad crying... that doesn't happen... it isn't allowed in my world. Hearing him cry made me almost choke holding back my sobs. I don't like to see my dad upset. It is a very rare emotion from him and it really is heartbreaking. My dad, two of his brothers, his sister and Bill went to the edge of the cliff where Tag spread the ashes. It was quite, peaceful and beautiful.
We went back to the fire. Shared a moment of silence and a few more stories. It was growing dark so we realized we needed to make our trek back through the snow and to the cars. We all made sure we were still bundled up, took a few glances around and as we left that fire was still burning on the hill....
It was absolutely perfect!!! So cold, but so warm by the fire, so still (no wind), very calm and peaceful. Absolutely beautiful up there today...truly serene! No place made him happier.
ReplyDeleteVery nice Kristen
ReplyDelete