About 30 feet beyond the front porch, which is our summer dining and living room, is a stand of cedars. The cedars offer erosion control for the bank and a privacy shield from traffic on the lake. But every decade or so, the cedars begin to block our view of the lake. And the dreaded words are spoken: “It's time to trim the cedars.” These words are usually accompanied by the telling of stories.
“Remember how Dad always just trimmed the cedars with a stepladder precariously balanced on a fishing boat?”
“Do you recall the year the guy came and topped the trees by first standing on the top of the boathouse? It was amazing to watch him stepping off the boathouse on to the top of the first two trees he cut and walking across the stand of cedars with a running chain saw, balancing on the tops of the tree he had just topped.”
After story time comes the listing of possible solutions for cutting the cedars, now that the tree-balancing man doesn’t do that anymore (which may have something to do with liability insurance).
We could trim the cedars using the tradition of some in the Adirondack region of upstate New York who reportedly use a shotgun to cut down small Christmas trees.
Eventually, we opted for the safe route and hired a truck with a bucket, equipped with a hydraulic chainsaw, and a barge to bring it to the shore of our island camp to get the job done. Our view is now restored, the erosion continues to be controlled and stories punctuate the dining and living space on the front porch with laughter.
Life is never boring on the porch at Camp Oteetiwi.
“Remember how Dad always just trimmed the cedars with a stepladder precariously balanced on a fishing boat?”
“Do you recall the year the guy came and topped the trees by first standing on the top of the boathouse? It was amazing to watch him stepping off the boathouse on to the top of the first two trees he cut and walking across the stand of cedars with a running chain saw, balancing on the tops of the tree he had just topped.”
After story time comes the listing of possible solutions for cutting the cedars, now that the tree-balancing man doesn’t do that anymore (which may have something to do with liability insurance).
We could trim the cedars using the tradition of some in the Adirondack region of upstate New York who reportedly use a shotgun to cut down small Christmas trees.
Eventually, we opted for the safe route and hired a truck with a bucket, equipped with a hydraulic chainsaw, and a barge to bring it to the shore of our island camp to get the job done. Our view is now restored, the erosion continues to be controlled and stories punctuate the dining and living space on the front porch with laughter.
Life is never boring on the porch at Camp Oteetiwi.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PLACE! Just like this reader-submitted piece, your story about your place could appear in Cabin Life!
Send us 2-3 high-resolution photos* and a 250–500 word story, sharing why you love your cabin and what you enjoy doing there. Send to: “My Cabin,” Cabin Life Magazine, 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612. Or e-mail: editor@cabinlife.com (subject line: My Cabin).
* High-resolution means 4x6-inch photos at a resolution of at least 300 dots per inch. Prints from film cameras are fine too.
Send us 2-3 high-resolution photos* and a 250–500 word story, sharing why you love your cabin and what you enjoy doing there. Send to: “My Cabin,” Cabin Life Magazine, 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612. Or e-mail: editor@cabinlife.com (subject line: My Cabin).
* High-resolution means 4x6-inch photos at a resolution of at least 300 dots per inch. Prints from film cameras are fine too.
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