Over the River........

Take a turn off the main road. Follow down the hill and over the river across the newly restored iron bridge. Take the first right across the field. I'll greet you at the back door. Maybe we will have tea. Or sit out on the front porch watching the birds. (a girl can dream in February). This is the place Mike and I would escape from the day to day back in the days when vacations were few and the miles from home to camp weren't very far.

We would come here for Sunday afternoons. In the early summer, the girls would hunt for wild strawberries. Karen took first steps here, celebrating her first birthday at "camp". Grammie Rose told a funny story about how she spent the night at camp only once. She and her sister Grace couldn't sleep, for fear of the mice they could hear scurrying around above them. I can only imagine the hours of nervous laughter as they waited for daybreak. The rest of the time, she and Grampa Phil spent quiet hours at camp, almost within sight of their own house.

Christie and friends spent their senior prom night at camp after the dance. She couldn't have known then that her handsome date would one day become her husband.

Camp was a place of refuge from the day-to-day. Mike always slowed down a little when we would visit. We built campfires and invited friends to spend holiday weekends with us. The day came when camp was gifted to my dear husband. The place was etched on his heart. Dreams became reality in 2006 when we left his childhood home and moved into the new home he designed and built for us. Now our escape has become sanctuary.

Two years ago, I went to an amazing retreat and came back with a vision. My home is a gift and a blessing. My vision is to invite others to come and to share in its peace and its welcome. I wrote in my journal a description of what I hope for:

Handiwork

Laughter

Serenity

Companionship

Women are here. We are talking and sharing and creating together.

Grammie Rose was one of the best friends I ever had. She was a funny, warm, lovely lady. She and I spent many hours together, creating things. Laughing. Eating lunch. I know she would have loved this house. I certainly loved Grammie Rose. My vision is dedicated to her.