Smith Family Weblog

For the 33rd summer in a row, I had the luxury of vacationing on a lake in Minnesota with my grandparents, in a cabin that feels like home.

You can have your cruises and mountain hikes, your long flights and big cities. Give me a cabin on a lake, a floating raft and a few mosquito bites. Throw in some tan lines and a camp fire complete with S’mores, and that’s all I need.

I want to lay in the back cabin—windows wide open and curtains blowing in the night breeze. I want to hear the loons from across the lake. I want seaweed curling around my toes and a hammock with a perfect view. I want to hear the sound my feet make on the dock, and see the wet footprints it holds as my swimsuit-clad girls scamper back to the cabin.

I want chicken cross-fired on the grill and red wine on the deck. I want to hear hours of stories of my grandparents’ past.

I want just one more week.

I hope Ava and Olivia will grow to appreciate this amazing place as much as I do. I know they already adore the grandparents that make it all possible, and for now, that’s enough.

Gramma spoiled us with fabulous food the entire time we were at the cabin. Here’s Ava helping her make eggs in a basket–ramekins with bread “baskets” filled with eggs, ham and cheese.