As my brother and I were sitting and sipping
coffee at our cabin on Whidbey Island, we started laughing as the screen door
slammed noisily. We both felt so
nostalgic for our youthful Aberdeen summer days spent at the family cabin on
Richmond Lake. We have always felt so
fortunate to have had those days. Our
cabin was far from fancy, rather it was a cabin that the family built
together. I recall helping my parents
with the project when I was
only about seven.
Initially there were no trees on the lot as it was among one of the
earlier cabins and most of the cabins were small weekend places. My parents put
a lot of sweat into making a fun retreat that we would use during the summer
months. We would wake up, put on our
swimsuits, play all day, and then change into our pajamas at night. The days were full of many outdoor activities
such as boating, skiing, swimming off big inner tubes, fishing, playing hide
and seek, volleyball, etc There were lightening bugs which we would put in a
jar. We were always barefoot and sometimes too sunburnt. Often we would play on
the spillway and were so fortunate that we never fell in. Sometimes the lake
would turn a mucky green due to algae, but we would swim anyway. Our parents
had a fairly open door invitation for friends as they loved to have the cabin
filled with friends and laughter. There were baskets that contained orphaned
swimsuits, sunglasses, and towels which guests could always use. And they did.
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| Whidbey Island |
In high school there were times that I felt
that I might be missing out on some of the mischievous summer fun in town. We
heard that friends were tee-peeing each others homes in town so some of
Richmond lake classmates had to try it too, however we were caught, had to
clean the cabin, and decided that was not much fun after all. 
Our 'wild adventures' also included sneaking into the Youth Camp, ringing the large camp dinner bell, and then escaping by boat.
I know that both my brother and I have always wanted
to find that "lake life" quality again. Now we have an old, funky cabin on Whidbey
Island in Washington state. The floor is
uneven. It is decorated with hand me down, thrift store and/or garage sale
furniture and other items. There are
tables, hutches, wicker chairs, etc. that we brought here from Aberdeen. Many items are from farm auctions that Mom
and Dad used to go to. Nothing is fancy
and we don't want it that way. Many
classmates have asked me to describe the island. Whidbey is a beautiful place
to spend time., particularly in the summer.
It has wonderful quaint port towns, farmer's markets, barn tours, garden
tours, fun restaurants, beaches, blackberry bushes, etc. It is not quite the
same as the lake life we
grew up with, but we do love it and the friends we
have made here. It all takes me back to my fun days growing up on the lake in
South Dakota with friends and family...especially sitting sipping coffee and
hearing the slamming porch door.
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| Flower Power Carole |
There are many of you classmates that have also spent or
still do spend summers on a lake in the Aberdeen area. Or perhaps you have a
memory of a summer at camp, playing at a local park or at the municipal
pool. Perhaps you were a lifeguard, a
camp counselor, or had another fun summer job.
We would love to hear your stories. Please share your memories from the
early days in Aberdeen or consider telling us your more current stories,
travels, hobbies, or adventures. We hope you might have something to share in
our blog. It is so easy to do if you are interested. Simply email Terry. He can do the rest.
