father's day . . . .
Happy Father's Day, Dad.
These are some bricks, mortar and part of a cement trough. The bricks and mortar are part of the cottage my Dad built probably close to 70 years ago that was "down over the hill" from our house in Sugarcreek where I grew up. After he bought the property, he built the cottage before he ever built our house. My mom & dad, grandmothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, other relatives and friends would gather there evenings and on weekends. The cottage was the place to be!
Sugarcreek ran past it all and so there was swimming, too. That's where I later learned to swim in that rushing, ice cold water! I can't even begin to tell you the number of hours my brother and sister and I have spent down there.
I wasn't even born yet, but I saw old home movies of the cottage in the beginning, my relatives and the fun times everyone had down there. I never got tired of watching those old movies as I grew up. From what I can remember, there was a table inside and some cupboards at one end, then I think some seating and at the far end were lots of metal bunk beds and cots. Out back of the cottage was an outhouse. If I remember right, it was a little building with a two-seater inside. It was home to lots of bugs, spiders and mice. As kids, we grew up with all that kind of stuff and it never bothered us. We were fearless! There were many trees around the cottage, mostly sycamores that swings were hung on and hammocks stretched between. (Some day I would like to get with my sister and go through all the old cottage pictures and make a story or album of them.)
There was a hand pump outside the cottage that brought up spring water for drinking, doing dishes and washing up. I remember it so well when I got older. There was a long handled dipper that hung on the pump. The trough was usually covered with thick deep green moss and the water was ice cold.
Dad made the trough, too. I remember he always loved mixing and working with concrete.
Anyway, one year about eight or nine years ago when we were up there, Pete and I walked down over the hill to where the cottage used to be. We gathered some of the old red brick, mortar and part of the trough that was left so we could bring a little bit of my childhood and Dad back to our home in Florida.
Dad was still alive then and I remember he thought I was nuts wanting to do that, but we loaded the back of the car with as much as it would hold, plus some of the windows from the old cottage and rocks from the creek and brought them to Florida.
After we got home, it took awhile before I knew exactly what I was going to do with it all. One day I saw this pump in a store and bought it on the spot. The wheels started turning and I knew I wanted to make a little scenario of memories in the garden out front. I am so glad I did that because every time I walk past those Sugarcreek rocks and parts of the old cottage I think of my Dad.
**********************
Well, I was only going to post this one picture today for Father's Day and in memory of my Dad, but it seems to have turned into a story. I really hadn't intended to go on and on about the cottage, but once I got started . . .
One more picture taken a few years later after some plants had filled in
These are some bricks, mortar and part of a cement trough. The bricks and mortar are part of the cottage my Dad built probably close to 70 years ago that was "down over the hill" from our house in Sugarcreek where I grew up. After he bought the property, he built the cottage before he ever built our house. My mom & dad, grandmothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, other relatives and friends would gather there evenings and on weekends. The cottage was the place to be!
Sugarcreek ran past it all and so there was swimming, too. That's where I later learned to swim in that rushing, ice cold water! I can't even begin to tell you the number of hours my brother and sister and I have spent down there.
I wasn't even born yet, but I saw old home movies of the cottage in the beginning, my relatives and the fun times everyone had down there. I never got tired of watching those old movies as I grew up. From what I can remember, there was a table inside and some cupboards at one end, then I think some seating and at the far end were lots of metal bunk beds and cots. Out back of the cottage was an outhouse. If I remember right, it was a little building with a two-seater inside. It was home to lots of bugs, spiders and mice. As kids, we grew up with all that kind of stuff and it never bothered us. We were fearless! There were many trees around the cottage, mostly sycamores that swings were hung on and hammocks stretched between. (Some day I would like to get with my sister and go through all the old cottage pictures and make a story or album of them.)
There was a hand pump outside the cottage that brought up spring water for drinking, doing dishes and washing up. I remember it so well when I got older. There was a long handled dipper that hung on the pump. The trough was usually covered with thick deep green moss and the water was ice cold.
Dad made the trough, too. I remember he always loved mixing and working with concrete.
Anyway, one year about eight or nine years ago when we were up there, Pete and I walked down over the hill to where the cottage used to be. We gathered some of the old red brick, mortar and part of the trough that was left so we could bring a little bit of my childhood and Dad back to our home in Florida.
Dad was still alive then and I remember he thought I was nuts wanting to do that, but we loaded the back of the car with as much as it would hold, plus some of the windows from the old cottage and rocks from the creek and brought them to Florida.
After we got home, it took awhile before I knew exactly what I was going to do with it all. One day I saw this pump in a store and bought it on the spot. The wheels started turning and I knew I wanted to make a little scenario of memories in the garden out front. I am so glad I did that because every time I walk past those Sugarcreek rocks and parts of the old cottage I think of my Dad.
**********************
Well, I was only going to post this one picture today for Father's Day and in memory of my Dad, but it seems to have turned into a story. I really hadn't intended to go on and on about the cottage, but once I got started . . .
One more picture taken a few years later after some plants had filled in