Carried to the North

We just returned from an extended trip to the North. It was a vacation that resulted from the kindness of an amazing crowd of people. The Cunninghams generously offered us the use of their cabin on Lake George, NY and then arranged for a remarkably large number of people to pitch in to help cover our expenses. The result was a long trip as delineated below. The intention of the trip was for us as a family to be away together, away from the busyness of life, to recover, heal and grieve after a year marked with great sadness. The death of my father in April followed by the death of our son Reid this past July has made this a year unlike anything we have ever experienced. The Cunninghams and their many cohorts offered us this trip as a way to simply be together. Since the cabin has no TV, Internet or cell service, it was a good location to become cut off from the noise of the world and be together as a family. Below is a description of our trip and a few pictures that hopefully capture the beauty of where we went.

In an attempt to avoid the stress of the crazy drive North, we decided to do the trip up in two legs. The first leg was to Dingman Falls, PA. We wanted to visit both Dingman falls and Child's Park which Diane had visited as a child. The photos of those places are still in Erin's camera so I'll upload them next time she visits. Both places were beautiful beyond description. Dingman Falls was like visiting the National Gallery of Art, except it was all God's handiwork. The lush beauty of the place had us speaking in whispers and the delicate beauty of Silver Thread Falls and the stunning power of Dingman Falls were art to perfection. There was a long set of stairs that climbed to the top of Dingman Falls. Along the way was the place of Faeries. A wide stair step cascade of white water shot into a moss covered narrow. It was dwarfed by the nearby thunder of Dingman Falls, but had a beauty that seemed unreal.

The next day we headed up to Vermont to visit Diane's parents and had another chance to stop by Reid's grave and add a few more touches. We placed a small stone turtle by his boulder and a small pile of sea shells. The plaque is not finished yet, but when that comes in we will add that to complete the memorial. That small spot in the mountains of Vermont has become more precious than I ever imagined.



On Saturday 8/15, we headed over to Oxford Cottages on Lake George. I must confess I had a preconceived idea of what lakes were like based on my experiences over the years and I wasn't prepared for what we found. Lake George has the clearest water I have ever seen. The massive lake, with the towering mountains all around was more beautiful that my wildest imagination. But the clarity, transparency and purity of the water struck me every time I stepped outside. As a result of that (and the freakish heat that week) we spent most of our time outside.



The cabin where we stayed (Overbank) was very rustic. The water from the lake was pumped into the house for showers and sinks. It was a simple cabin with a single bedroom, kitchen and dining area and a porch with a view that was stunning. I had brought a lot of material for reading and writing but I ended up staring for hours on end out over the water. The constantly changing sky, the numerous boats racing or drifting by, the cloud shadows on the distant shore mountains all created a show that overshadowed any other activity.

We did what most do at a place like this, we swam, canoed, canoed some more, ate, swam some more, read, prayed, wrote, ate, played boardgames, ate at restaurants (we really liked Fredericks in Bolton Landing and Eddie's Restaurant up toward Ticonderoga), slept (somewhat), reminisced, watched the stars, saw Jupiter rising in the East, counted satellites, ate, walked, and ate. We were right down the street from the Silver Bay YMCA facility which has been around since the late 1800's. It was a beautiful place for a walk. We took a side trip up to Fair Haven VT to have lunch at the Fair Haven Inn with Diane's parents in the middle of the week. As always, a restaurant run by Greeks is almost a guarantee of great food. Once again this stereotype held true. We also took a side trip up to Middlebury VT to see that quaint college town and came back across the Ticonderoga Ferry. The drive up Route 30 in Vermont and then Route 74 was some of the most beautiful scenery we've ever encountered.

We left a day early due to some commitments this weekend but had an unusually easy drive down the New York State Thruway and the New Jersey Turnpike. It was a very meaningful time away - primarily because we knew the love that was carrying us up there and back. We continue to be amazed in this year that has been so filled with sadness, we could experience so much of God's goodness. It has been poured out in overwhelming quantities through our many friends and family. We are a blessed family.


Below is a slide show of some of the scenes around Lake George that we enjoyed this past week:



Lake George Trip