Jaron's Special Day

I promised Jaron, my 9-year-old grandson, that we would have a special day when he could choose to do whatever he wanted. At first he didn't believe it would happen, because he said usually his two sisters had to go wherever he went. I promised him the day, and last week we packed a bag and went to Crystal Lake. For this boy, fun revolves around food, so he requested eating the hot tenderloin plate at The Apple Basket and a medium chocolate milkshake at Sonic. When I told him I might even get him a large milkshake, his eyes and his smile widened. I am frugal enough that we waited until after 8 p.m. when the shakes were half priced. He could not even finish it in one setting, but we put it in the freezer, and he enjoyed it with the movies he had chosen earlier from the library. "At least I got what I always wanted....a large milkshake," he said.



He enjoyed fishing at Crystal Lake and caught two fish, a crappie and a bass, which he released. He wanted to catch a snapping turtle, but I asked, "What would we do with it if you caught it?" I also would not let him shoot a bullfrog. (Yes, it is frog season.) Later, he said pointedly, "I would really like it if Grandpa was here."



Fishing at Crystal Lake

The next morning when I asked what he wanted for breakfast, he replied, "Sausage McMuffins from McDonalds, and can I have two, please?" I am anti-fast food, but since it was his special day that is where we went. Later, we went to the Flywheel Reunion in Macon and donated my Uncle James' electric mousetrap to the museum there. I bought him a camouflage hat with a fish on the front as a keepsake. A friend of mine from high school gave him a pet rock she made to look like a spider, which he promptly named Jo-Jo.  I hope he will always remember his special day. Maybe next time we will invite Grandpa.



Jaron holding the electric mousetrap invented by Uncle James

Crystal Lake - The Deck

The old deck at Crystal lake had seen its better days. It had been used as a place to grow tomatoes more than for socializing. The boards were mostly rotten and the rail was unsafe. Now that the house was livable, the deck needed to be torn down and rebuilt. We had many kind friends and family members volunteer to help us, but we just did not know where to start. Our son and grandson helped tear the old deck down. West Construction provided the foundation, and family and friends took it from there. Thanks to "Old" Blaine, "Young" Blaine, Matt, John, Josh, Terry, Logan, Larry, Ellen, Bruce, Marilyn, Lance and Vanita, we have a safe deck that I hope will be the site of many future celebrations.

The old deck

Matt throws the old railing off the deck.

They work well together.

The old deck is gone. It looks better already!

West Construction Crew

Logan helped put the floor down.

Lance helped Grandpa get the posts straight.

Lance put every spindle on the deck while Vanita helped hold them in place. He is holding on because the ladder collapsed earlier with him and he scraped his arm.

My job was to hold the boards while Blaine sawed them.

B.L. and  Larry work on the floor.

The view out the patio doors.

Oh, yes. I like this! If Mama is happy, everybody is happy.

Let the Fun Begin!

     On the last day of school, my granddaughter Madison came home with me. We planned a mini-vacation to Crystal Lake. I packed up my bag and off we went. "Let's pretend we don't know where we are going," said Madison.
     "Okay," I replied, "but I brake for garage sales." We stopped at a garage sale and she found some dangly earrings. Our next stop - Wal-Mart, of course, for snacks, and on the the grocery store for more snacks.  Then, we both wanted to go to the library. She loves to read, just like I do. We found some books, and also checked out some movies, Sleeping Beauty, Harry Potter, and Tom Sawyer. We were both pretty hungry by that time, so we decided to go to Apple Basket for supper. We both chose the hot tenderloin plate, which was delicious.
     Arriving at Crystal Lake, Madison said, "How did you find this place?"
     I answered, "It was my uncle's."
      "Grandma, we have never been here before!"  she reminded me.  Oops, I forgot we were pretending. She loved her room, and unpacked all her clothes right away. Then we did some of our favorite things:

We blew bubbles.

We watched old movies.

We had a "proper tea party" with Oreos and milk.

  
We painted our nails a ghastly glittery green that she picked out. Then she giggled and told me I looked like I had "ogre toes". She did my hair. The next morning, we ordered biscuits and gravy from Apple Basket . It was everything we hoped for in a mini-vacation, except it did not last long enough. The good news is, now that we have found the place;), we can go there again.

We Bought a Lake!

Uncle James and Aunt Vanita's husband fishing at Crystal Lake

My  Uncle James Bane passed away quietly in his sleep on January 3 of 2012. He was a hard-working man, just like his siblings, which included my dad, Kermit, Uncle Curtis and Aunt Vanita. James never married nor had children. He worked as a welder for Associated Mining from 1968 to 1989, and he also farmed. He enjoyed flying, inventing and building. His pride and joy, though, was Crystal Lake, which he purchased and by which he placed a small two-bedroom home. On January 6 at the graveside services, the people who came and shared stories of his generosity touched us.  My sisters and I went out to Crystal Lake, and it was at that peaceful moment with the wintery sun reflecting off the water that I felt compelled to buy it and keep it in the family.  My vision for the future includes family fish fries and barbecues and spots for family campgrounds, complete with a shelter house. Fortunately, Blaine supported my decision. I could not have tackled the project without him.

The two geese on the end of the dock think they own the lake.

Son-in-law Stanley helped Blaine install the sliding doors and surprised me!

 Now, the name Crystal Lake sounds idyllic, and it is beautiful, but as our son said when he first saw it, “It’s pretty, but it’s a project.” We repeated that often as we repaired the hole in the dam, scrubbed the house, ripped up carpet and painted walls. Family members and friends pitched in, carrying out old carpets and furniture, trimming trees and mowing the grass, rolling paint on the walls after much careful deliberation in deciding the perfect colors, mudding cracks in the walls, installing beautiful white crown molding and baseboards and amazing sliding glass doors in the kitchen, which provide a gorgeous view of the lake. It was hard work, but I will treasure the memories of talking and laughing with Blaine and my family as we worked together over the summer to fulfill the dream.

An added bonus is that the property came with our original home – a mobile home that we first started housekeeping in back in 1972.  James bought it from us when we moved to Atlanta and put it on his property to rent out. He also bought two more trailers, and the property includes a falling-in house still to be removed. The property has a fascinating history.  Civil War soldiers camped there, as evident in the old lead bullet that a metal detector located in the trees. The abstract documents the transfer of a female slave and her “increase” (children) to be shared by a man’s wife and son.

Our first home together. It was olive green from end to end.

Men with mules and scrapers built Crystal Lake in the early 1900s. They also cut ice from the lake in the winter to be used in the summer. Cabins surrounded the lake, and a big pavilion provided a place for music, dances, and skating. It was also a private pay lake, where people paid a small fee to fish.  I love the trees, the house and the lake, including the ducks and geese that call it home.  I recently took these pictures of snow at Crystal Lake. 

I hope Uncle James is happy that we kept it in the family and is smiling down on us like he is smiling in the picture above.