Saturday, April 3, 2010

Passing of the Torch, er...Key!!



I have written in previous blogs about our cabin in South Fork of Cave Creek in the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona. It is my favorite spot on earth!! The Chiricahuas are absolutely beautiful. I found the following description on a website about hiking and birding in Arizona.

The largest of the "sky island" mountain ranges in the Coronado National Forest, the Chiricahuas are home to animals and plants found nowhere else in the U.S. The town of Portal is the gateway to world-famous Cave Creek Canyon. Traveling on Hwy 80 toward Portal from Douglas you will pass through rolling grasslands punctuated by the cones of extinct volcanoes; watch for Burrowing Owls and Pronghorns along the highway. As you cruise up Portal Road west from Hwy 80, grasses give way first to thorn scrub then to a variety of evergreen oaks. Some residents in the Portal area welcome visitors to their backyard feeding stations; for information on current opportunities, inquire at the Portal Store in town or the ranger station up the road. Beyond Portal the road passes the U.S. Forest Service ranger station and winds along Cave Creek; watch for Elegant Trogons all along this stretch, particularly where Arizona Sycamores grow close to the road.

Our family, along with two other families, bought the cabin in 1960. I was in sixth grade and the oldest of all of the kids in the three families. We would go up to the mountains every Sunday after church. I have such wonderful memories of our time then. There were a total of 13 kids of all different ages and we all got along so well. We climbed mountains, played in the creek, hiked, played baseball and horseshoes....

This cabin is truly a cabin. We have to haul water from the creek and boil it to do the dishes and wash up. We have a building that houses a generator for electricity. And we have an outhouse.... The Forest Service is requiring that we upgrade the outhouse by the end of 2010.

We have a guest book that has the history of our visits to the cabin. It is amazing to read it now. We have Judy's signature when she was in second grade. It chronicles all of the years and visits that were made and all of the fun times that were had there.

My 13th birthday party was held at the cabin in January. We had a sleep-over, and it was very cold. I am amazed that my mom did this for me!!!

When I was in college, we had some great parties at the cabin with friends from high school. When my kids were little and we spent the summers in Douglas, we spent a lot of time at the cabin.

The cabin sits on Forest Service land that we lease. We have had some concerns over the years as to whether or not the lease would be renewed. Recently, it was renewed until 2028!!!

It has always been in my Aunt Teresa's name with an agreement with the three families. Teresa has been worried about having to take care of things with the cabin and so she decided it was time to "pass the key." During winter break, Judy and I went to meet representatives from the two families to discuss what we would do. One of the families decided that they would not continue because they haven't used it in years. So John and I agreed to take it over.

Teresa sold it to me for $5.00 (I still need to pay her) and I submitted the paperwork to the Forest Service to have the deed transferred to my name. That deed came this past week. Needless to say, I am thrilled!! I look forward to a continued partnership with the Brady Family and know that John and I will make things work as smoothly as our parents did.

I feel so fortunate to be able to be able to use the cabin. It truly is a place to get-away from everything--no phones, no television, no radio...... It is so peaceful.

I know that many of my cousins absolutely love to go to the cabin. And I want Cameron to have the same memories that I have, that his mom and Patrick do. It is a large part of our family history!!

I am anxious to get down there this year. There has been so much rain and snow and I imagine the creek will be running for quite some time and it will be beautiful, as usual!!

Thank you, Mom, Teresa, Johnny, Peggy, George, Dorothy and Paul for making this possible for us!!!!




3 remarks:

NP said...

You got a smokin' deal on that cabin! That was a great story to read. Happy Easter.
Love & hugs,
Nancy

Susie of Arabia said...

$5? Wow - that Teresa is a keen business woman! I guess she knows a sucker when she sees one!!!
Wishing you many more years of continued enjoyment in the Chiricahuas. xox

N-Search of Peace! said...

This makes me smile so hugely!

YOU know what it is...YOU know what it means....YOU know what to do...

F-A-M-I-L-Y!

May your locks never change!

Love you all...
N-Peace