Here There Is No Time

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“Perhaps because he chose to defy death early on and start a fishing camp enterprise, Ted prominently hung a sign in the lodge’s dining room that read: “Here there is no time.” And it was true. One only needed to get up with the sun to know when to fish; listen for the resonating ring of the cast-iron bell to know when to show up for meals; choose whatever activity suited the moment; and fall asleep when the moon rose and stars covered the heavens. For most of the citified guests, their real lives back home raced from one responsibility to another, but here in this Northwoods paradise—at least for a few special weeks—time stood still.”

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Grandma’s Cabin

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Clara. I have always loved her name. There is a crisp elegance about it, and yet a softness, too. And that is exactly what she was likeTo us, however, she was always “Grogey,” the name with which my older sister Nancy christened her as a toddler.

Little did I know, looking back now more than a half century later, what our cherished time together at the cabin would mean to me. Through her quiet manner and simple acts of love, Clara instilled in me the wonder of wild birdsong, the thrill of independence, the gift of trust, the joy of simplicity, the imagination that is born of solitude, and the calm that comes with routine.

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The Best Goodbyes

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Perhaps that is the best way to leave the woods: to never have to knowingly say good-bye to the lake and forest forever.

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The Perfect Wisconsin Gift

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Having grown up in Wisconsin, I find many of the descriptions in this book to be somewhat nostalgic. While the people described are primarily transplants or visitors from Illinois, the following quote made me stop and laugh. Of all the things I have seen and read (over decades of time), this is one of the most perfect descriptions of the kinds of things people in Wisconsin will do (as well as the reasons behind the actions):

To celebrate the cabin’s completion and the bond of their friendship, Ted presented Erle and Clara with an eight-point buck to hang over the rustic oak mantle as a housewarming gift.”

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Generations of Cabin Sunrises

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“Get up!” my mother’s voice whispers again. “You must come now. The sunrise is simply glorious!

Our mother’s silhouette is outlined against a golden dawn, the first light catching the soft red of her hair. She is right. It is a glorious sunrise.

Get up! Get up!” I whisper to my adolescent sons sleeping dreamily in the same old metal beds of our family cabin’s porch. “Come see the sunrise! It’s awesome!

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