My small group from church went away last weekend to the island cottage of one group member's parents. There were ten of us in three vehicles. All of us, our baggage and all our food had to be ferried across to the island in a small hull of a boat with a small motor. It took three trips and the boat was low in the water. Getting in was scary for me--I was sure I'd tip the boat and send all our possessions to the bottom--but the "boat master" was very gentle, patient and helpful and I managed without incident.
The cottage used to be a homestead, the family raising dairy cows. On an island? Apparently! I guess they could cross them on the ice in the winter, but imagine the difficulties, especially if they had school-age children! They could cross to the mainland by boat in the summer and in the winter they could trudge through the snow or be pulled on a sleigh with horses but what about the in between seasons when the ice was either forming or melting? They'd be island-bound!
It sure was a peaceful place, however. The old homestead has been added to. The original being one very large room, now the living/dining room. Added to it are two bedrooms; a large kitchen; a screened verandah; a sunroom where we ate many of our meals, looking out over a narrow straight of water and a large, roofed deck that overlooked the larger body of the lake. I enjoyed the rocking chair on the deck until I discovered that the bright sun in my eyes was causing me problems and had to retreat indoors. Some of the furniture inside is very old and must have belonged to the original owners. Obviously, moving furniture on and off an island is no easy feat, and so there were heavy pieces with ornate carvings, three wood-burning stoves of various kinds and sizes and even a pump organ--not working because mice have chewed holes in the bellows.
The outhouse deserves special mention. This was no ordinary place of contemplation. There were steps leading to the door and three LARGE windows covered with lace curtains. They said no one could see in but I have my doubts and surely at night, when one turned on the electric light in there, all could be seen. The walls held needlepoint and paintings and the toilet paper rested in a cloth-lined basket. On a stand sat a basin and jug of water and instead of a board with a hole cut in, we used an actual toilet--but please wrap the used tissue in a page of old phone book and toss in wastebasket. Despite the view of the lake from the windows on the front of the outhouse, out the side window, on a nearby shed, hung a framed, scenic painting for our viewing pleasure.
Each couple was assigned a meal to plan and prepare, so we ate very well. Breakfast was eggs benedict, lunch was fruit salad and hot-from-the-oven biscuits and supper was shishkabobs, corn on the cob and baked potatoes with all the fixings.
My husband came along (see
"On the Right Path" for my turmoil about inviting him) and seemed to enjoy himself. Everyone else seemed to like him too, though amazingly he kept to himself a lot. I'm not sure why. He has since announced that he'd like to start coming to my church regularly. I have mixed feelings about that but I know God is in control and that He has promised to heal our marriage so I have to let go and let God do what He wills.
