To us 3283 embodies a generations-long family
experience. A physical locale that is constructed of love, of learning, of
exploring, of growing, of sharing and -- ultimately -- of paying it all
forward.
In the early 1930's Michael and Harriet, a couple from
Chicago, used a small family inheritance as a down payment to purchase the
place. They had no idea -- or maybe they did -- that their decision would shape
families for decades to come. Their kids
Mitch and Loretta spent countless summer days, weeks and months enjoying the
simple lake shore life and sharing it with relatives and friends. In those
summers Harriet and the kids would live at the cottage and Michael would take
the steamer across the lake on weekends. The kids grew up and married. Loretta
married John and added three sons to the family: John, Paul and David. I'm that
son, John...and it's from my perspective that this story will be told.
The summer of 1949 was my first at 3283. Not yet a year old
I was responsible, it is said, for the first major cottage renovation. Grandpa
decided -- probably with considerable input from Granny -- that the baby needed
more than primitive plumbing...and a bedroom was converted to a bathroom complete with hot and cold
running water, sink, toilet and bathtub. Such modern conveniences.
My mom followed the pattern set when she was a girl. As kids we packed up after school ended in
June and spent the entire summer at 3283. Grandpa, Granny, Mom and --
eventually -- all three boys were there seven days a week. Dad drove up on
weekends. [I hadn't thought of it this way before, but it's noteworthy that my
brothers and I have December and January birthdays. Mom didn't apparently want
to interrupt summer at the cottage with something as disruptive as childbirth.]
The neighborhood was full of kids. We spend hours and hours every day just
playing outside. The beach stretched for miles...the lake was clean and
refreshing....there was a pine forest perfect for forts and untold real
explorations and imaginary adventures. Grandpa chopped wood. We chopped wood
with grandpa. There was a fire in the fireplace every night.
I eventually went off to college. Mom and dad moved from
their suburban Chicago home to Arizona, and back to two other Illinois places.
But, 3283 remained. It was the constant...the one place we all could come to
that didn't change. Well, didn't change....much. As boys the structure was
simpler: a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, the bathroom, and a long front
porch. Upstairs was a single big room....a dormitory. Only a single window at
each end. We slept together: four double beds and three cots. Curtains were
sometimes hung to separate areas when aunts and uncles would visit. But for the
most part we heard every snore and grunt that grandpa, mom, dad and the three
boys made. Granny slept in a downstairs bedroom.
There were always little projects being undertaken....tile
floors in the living room and on the porch... re-configuring the
kitchen...opening a wall along the stairway. Decks and stairs to the beach were
built and re-built thanks to mother nature's whim. But the basic structure was
unchanged.
In 1972 I married Bobbie....the 3283 family was expanding.
Sue came along in December '73 and Mike in February '77 [Notice, again ... no
summer interruptions]. 3283 changed to fit the new family. Dormers were built.
Four bedrooms with windows facing east and west replaced the upstairs dormitory.
The cottage had become a six-bedroom summer home. But it was, and still is, not
a year round abode.
Susan and Michael grew up with 3283 as their own, too. I
can't speak for them, but I sense the same deep connection and affection for
this 'place' that I have had for my 64 years. Sue with her husband Damon and
sons Drew and Leo have made their home in Minnesota. They spend as many days as
possible every year at the cottage. Mike, his wife Lindsay and their son JJ are
closer. This was JJ's first summer at 3283. As he played in the sand I pictured
myself there decades ago. Passing on a legacy is amazingly fulfilling.
In 1996 my mother passed away. Bobbie became the matriarch
of 3283. Dad loved the place...spent just about every summer day there....but
could never spend a night in the place after mom died. He had a stroke in 2003
while in Arizona ... and never saw the cottage again. He joined mom in 2011.
To some, places are just that. While they may hold memories
there is little connection to the land or structures. I couldn't let 3283 go. I cherish it and how
it continues to be a centerpiece of life for my kids and grandkids.
In 2012 we settled my father's estate. It was a hard long
decision that Bobbie and I made. We were/are close to retiring. We would be
determining our lifestyle for years to come. The decision may not have been
completely rational or financially prudent. But the legacy needed to be carried
on....for at least one more generation.
In June 2012 I spent a whole lot of money to buy something that I've had
all my life. It's ours. It will be our
kids'. Hopefully even another generation or two.
We're going to make some changes to the structure that will
let us enjoy it more....and prepare it for future generations. But whatever we
do we will never change its purpose. We will never forget that Granny and
Grandpa founded a lakeshore home for family to gather and that Mom and Dad
implored us to always:
Be Happy and Have Fun.
This Blog will be a chronicle of how we will
shape 3283 for Bobbie and I to live in as we live our lives out; and to pass on
for my kids, grand kids and their families to cherish forever.
