Hello, Readers!
The Lamp Post Express,
Saturday morning edition
has reached your inbox!
I took my time working on this blog post
for a few reasons.
For starters,
it was a beautiful evening at the little blue cottage.
A calm lake
and a new swimming mat to test out
drew my crowd to the lakeshore.
We stayed late to savor the smoky sunset,
made extra interesting
from the wildfires in Canada,
just 26 miles north.
We celebrate lots of things at the Lamp Post
and Dog Birthdays top the list.
Penny was born three years ago yesterday,
so we brought her to the beach for her special day.
This facebook post about Penny
shared by Mr. Lamp Post,
summarizes our life with her perfectly:
Dog owners, this is one of my dogs Penny. She turned 3 today. She’s one of those dogs that doesn’t listen, rolls in nasty things and has us all in the palm of her paws. Wouldn’t trade her for anything.
The other reason I wanted to get my words right this week,
was to honor our dear friend Cheryl
who passed away unexpectedly at the end of May.
We attended her Memorial Service in Marienville last weekend.
It was the perfect service to honor a life of a woman
It was the perfect service to honor a life of a woman
who led her best life.
I snapped this photo in her little white church
located on the tiny town's main street.
It reminded me of the church in the final scene of
the LOST TV show
that was the original inspiration for this blog.
The simple service allowed for the opportunity
to stand and share a remembrance of Cheryl
with those who have congregated in her memory.
One woman,
a neighbor who I had never official met prior to the service,
stood up and shared this sentiment about Cheryl:
"Cheryl was like a cool breeze on a summer day.
"Cheryl was like a cool breeze on a summer day.
She was quiet and gentle, but oh so pleasant.
It felt so good when Cheryl was around.
And when she wasn't there--
boy did you ever miss her!"
I didn't stand to share
knowing that a wider spotlight
would be cast the way I know best--
through my words on this blog.
I'll intersperse some of my thoughts about Cheryl
with some of this week's nature photos,
because aside from her family and friends,
she loved nature next best.
Cheryl would have been delighted to know
where I found this stem of wild berries.
She would have raced me to find the newly ripened ones the next day,
and would have brought me a cupful,
sharing her find.
It is rare to say that I don't possess a single snapshot of someone.
In the thirty years I've been visiting the small settlement of Duhring
I've never asked for a photograph.
That should really come as no surprise because if you follow me,
as you know posed shots are my least favorite.
I love to capture life in the un-posed moments.
Given that Cheryl's home was across the street from Dad's Camp,
and now our 2020 purchase one plot over,
Creekview Cabin,
I could have stealthily snapped a photo
while she was walking her dogs,
gardening,
or wading in the creek.
But Cheryl was a private person,
and any action on my part would have been
an invasion of her quiet life.
Cheryl was the other half of BertandCheryl--
she and her husband Bert were a unit,
and I tended to think of them as one person.
It's not that they were together physically all the time.
In the most recent years they spent some of the year in Colorado
with their son Ethan, daughter-in-law Melissa,
and granddaughter Grace.
Often Cheryl would return to Marienville sooner in the summer
to tend her gardens surrounding her cabin-renovated home,
while Bert remained in Colorado a few extra weeks,
"working on things."
Bert's own memorial service in the little white church
was held exactly one year and one day prior to Cheryl's.
I don't think Bert had as many things to do
as he possessed the knowledge that his wife enjoyed
her quiet weeks in Marienville alone,
spending time with her friends and neighbors,
her pets,
and work at her church.
After healthy Bert passed due to complications from a bum heart,
I worried about Cheryl spending half of the year in the big woods
by herself.
She was well loved by everyone who knew her,
so there were plenty of people who would help her out if she needed it.
She was so healthy that I assumed she'd live well into her 90's,
and wondered when there would be a summer when she would be too frail to
make the long car trip from Greeley, Colorado.
I always thought that if that time ever came,
I'd drive to Colorado myself to deliver her some of her flowers
and my strawberry jam that she so loved.
I never expected I wouldn't get the chance.
After the beautiful service,
planned from the footprint of Bert's service that Cheryl herself planned
just one summer prior,
friends and neighbors were invited back to their home
to gather and celebrate her life.
Friends and neighbors fried fish,
and brought salads and snacks and banana pudding
to her picnic table.
We sat around her flower gardens
and beneath the old metal sign to commemorate Bert's bike ride
across the United States.
They shared stories of her school teaching years,
and all their adventures along the Appalachian trail.
Bert hiked the entire trail,
and she portions of it,
always supporting his goal for the Through-Hike
which he completed.
The stories I liked best were of her dogs--
the pooches in my time with Cheryl were
Ruth
Bernard
Bear
and
Star.
Star will be under the loving care of Ethan, Melissa, and Grace
(who wants to be a vet).
Star also has a new buddy to hang out with.
This is Grace's newest dog---
Shadow, the Pocket Pitbull.
He drove across the country a few weeks ago
to attend Cheryl's memorial,
along with big Cali.
Penny and Shadow formed an instant bond,
and he will be her long-distance boyfriend.
The best thing a person can do in memory of someone
is to take a piece of a well-lived life
and carry it with you into the future.
I'd like to show you the Community Garden of Marienville
that Cheryl was so proud of.
I would like to plant the seeds of this possibility
in my own community of Harborcreek.
Take a look at this, locals.
This lovely little space
is carved outside of the Marienville Area library.
It features many raised bed gardens,
tended by the community.
Upon harvest the bounty is placed in this stand
and shared.
A little free library was created for book sharing,
and book details scatter the grounds.
Marienville was a train stop,
so the train theme is carried throughout.
This musical exploration for children
is mounted on the side of the community shed
that houses the garden tools.
They created a fish pond
and circled up painted Adirondack chairs
for conversing and reading.
The art is all community created, too.
Penny enjoyed the photo-op.
Hazel, not so much.
We took the time to read each painted fence post,
each of us choosing a favorite plank.
Here are the family favorites.
My personal favorite will appear at the end of this blog.
As I see you throughout the summer,
in school,
or at sporting events,
I may strike up this conversation with fellow Harborcreekers.
Wouldn't this be a great addition to the Harborcreek Community Park?
Gardens near the Firman Road parking lot
would be ideal.
Message me if you would be interested
in developing an idea to present to the Parks Board sometime.
Some cool breezes of my summer days this week:
Time in the mountains
Sweethearts who unknowingly dress alike:
A visit from Cousin Polly and a trip to the Beer Garden:
Mini Golf:
Natalie busy in the workshop:
Baseball 2023's final game:
You meet an old friend on first base.
Guy Gang Support:
When the team unravels in extra innings--
We go take dog photos:
And for my final three shots of the week--
my favorite fence post
Cheryl's church
and a sunset.
Eloise
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