My Cabin: Life on the Porch

Our cabin is a 102-year-old summer home on Grand Lake, Colo., built in the style of traditional Rocky Mountain architecture, with the bark left on the exterior logs, which are placed in decorative patterns. The best feature is a glassed-in porch that runs across the length of the cabin facing the lake. We love to
sit on the porch and watch the interplay of sun, rain, wind and shadows on the lake.
    The sagging, cushioned rattan chairs on the porch are peopled from coffee time in the morning until the sun drops behind the peaks in the evening. It’s where we sit and watch and let our thoughts roam, and no one expects otherwise of us. Besides merely sitting and watching, we often sit on the porch and talk. If we have a potluck dinner or lots of family in the house, instead of sitting in the large living room, people circle up chairs in the central portion of the porch.
    Of course, we spend time being active at the cabin too – sailing, motor boating, hiking or mountain biking. But when those activities have run their course for the day, well, then we have to talk about them – on the porch.