A tour of camp

We’re just about ready to pack it up and leave Lake Dunmore for the year, so I thought I’d post a little tour of the cottage before we left. Some of the pictures are from earlier in the fall when the leaves were still green!

The cabin here was bought by Todd’s great grandfather in 1938. Originally, it was the freestanding garage for another cabin, which had blown down in a big storm in 1937. To convert it into a full-blown summer/fishing cabin, they added a living room with a fireplace, a second small bedroom, a bathroom (toilet and sink), a kitchen and screened porch. The garage portion is now the main bedroom. Later, an addition was made to increase the size of the dining room, and an outdoor shower was added. I’m not sure how long there has been a dock here, but I do know the most recent incarnation dates back to 2007, when it had to be rebuilt due to flooding.

The cabin (or “camp”, as everyone calls it) has been a summer-time constant in the lives of the Smith/Quackenbush family  for generations now. Todd’s mother and her siblings grew up coming to the lake every summer, then Todd and his sister did, even when they moved to Ohio. Now, Todd’s sister, Lindsey, and her husband are bringing their two boys (ages 4 and 1) to camp in the summer all the way from Alaska.

We were so lucky to have this place to stay in this summer and fall. Though we had a lot of family and friends around before and after the wedding, and we’ve shared with Todd’s parents quite often (this is THEIR cabin, after all!) we’ve had the place just to ourselves for the majority of the time. So it’s really felt like “ours”. Our home. It’s sad to be packing up and leaving.

BUT, we’re excited for the next chapter in our big adventure (Brooklyn!) and we’ll be pretty grateful to no longer wake up in a 40-degree house, spending 1/3 of our waking hours trying to keep the fire going, and showering out in the elements (cold wind is the worst in an outdoor shower).