What’s your dream? Dreams don’t have to wait until retirement to come true; although, sometimes they do. My friend, Karen, had a dream for her and her husband, Tim, to have a cabin in the country. And guess what? Her dream came true. At the end of June, she retired. Dan and I went to visit Karen and Tim, at their cabin which is set on a pretty lake, in the country.
To get to their cabin, we drove on the interstate, then a state highway, and then a road which was marked by a hand-painted street sign. The next road did not even have a street sign. We just knew we had to go either right or left, and we rightly went right. We found the entrance to their gated community just fine. Tim met us there and led us to their peaceful paradise.
Now, everyone has their own idea of what a cabin looks like. Their cabin is in the woods, which I guess is what makes it a cabin. But, to me, their cabin is a house, with all the modern conveniences, and a very nice house at that. I don’t know about you, but if I’m gonna live in the woods, that’s how I’d want to live.
Do you recognize those two chairs on the porch?
I really loved how the cabin was decorated. (Karen calls it a cabin, so it’s a cabin.) Now, this cabin is their second home, at least for now. But, over the years, Karen and Tim have collected numerous second-hand and curb-rescued items, including furniture, to use in their cabin. The result is a warm, charming, magazine picture worthy home which reflects Karen’s love of nature.
Now, I could do a whole post just showcasing the cabin. Essentially, the cabin was finished to the drywall stage when they bought it. Karen made excellent choices when selecting everything else, like lighting fixtures, bathroom and kitchen cabinets, flooring, etc. Even the kitchen cabinet knobs were little bears.
Karen then decorated using the treasures they collected through the years. It’s amazing to me the stuff people put out for trash. Why not donate it to Goodwill or offer it online for free? At least, keep it out of the landfills. Here’s just a couple of their rescued items:
Ignore those Polar Pop Cups.
I don’t know how they got there.
After seeing Karen and Tim’s cabin, I felt inspired. The decor was so charming, I want to spruce up our home just a bit. Maybe move some things around, bring some stuff up from the basement. I want to go thrift shopping and find some charming items for not much money.
I am also inspired to continue my efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle. I love nature, too, like Karen, but visiting her reminded me how much I do. From her decor to taking a bug outside to even a gift they gave us for our wedding.
Karen and Tim gave us a bamboo serving board for cheese and crackers. Once we opened our gift, she immediately recycled the paper. The bow is recycle-able. I can already see us using the serving board at a campsite. Care to join us?
Now, their cabin isn’t quite finished. There is some flooring to be laid, a couple bathroom fixtures to be put in, and some painting to be done. So, sometimes when Karen and Tim go to the cabin, they work. Other times, they just relax and enjoy the peace and tranquility.
Our day was for visiting, and of course, for having a meal together. Karen made two dishes – Monterey Spaghetti and Camp-out Chili dogs. The thing is, she made these dishes in slow cookers. You know how I love using my slow cooker, but these dishes were a reminder to me to try new recipes, not just the same ol’, same ol’. The Monterey Spaghetti and the chili dogs were delish!
Everyone has different dreams, and that’s the beauty of it, isn’t it? While our dream is to travel in our travel trailer, we could certainly see the appeal of a different dream – the dream of having a cabin in the woods. Karen and Tim talked about how blessed they feel, and Karen says – in her ever positive outlook – “It’s more than I ever could have hoped for.” I am so happy their dream came true, and I am really glad Dan and I got to enjoy it with them.
Chambers on the Road 
Great looking cabin. Or dream was to full time in our coach, check. Next up, Europe if the Pandemic ever subsides enough. We’d like to start in Portugal.
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That sounds like a great dream. I would love to read your posts about travels in Europe. Thanks for reading and your comment. Enjoy your day!
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Very pretty. Where is the cabin located? I found a wonderful clay bear by the side of the road sale in Foley, Alabama on the redneck Riveria. It was a good find for $2.
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The cabin is located in a lake development near Potosi, Missouri. Since we have four seasons here, they will be able enjoy each season. Karen would have bought that clay bear for $2 had she seen it first. 🙂 Great find!
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I believe in taking things to Good Will and “recycling” too. We have too many landfills! A long time ago my parents bought a house up north. It wasn’t a cabin, but they lived on a chanel that went out to Chippewa Lake and they had birch trees along the chanel, birdfeeders outside their living room, etc. When I went to visit them my Mom seemed always busy with making tea, meals or something. I told her “Sit down Mom. Relax.” she just laughed “Oh, I’m just putzin’ around. I feel like I’m on vacation all the time up here.” There was something about that old home that felt like a cabin (even though they had all the conveniences) and you did always feel like you were on vacation.
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I think that’s exactly how Karen and Tim feel about their cabin. They feel like they are “away” and on vacation. I googled Chippewa Lake to see where it was in Michigan. It is just a bit west of Barryton. That’s where my uncle restored an old church and made it into a cabin. The cabin was right next to the Chippewa River.
We went there just once when I was growing up, but I remember it well. We floated the Chippewa River. Nothing commercial. Just put tubes in the river, and a parent picked us up 7 miles downstream. There was one man who lived up the road from the cabin. Elmer. If Elmer came by, watch out because he could talk for hours. The story was Elmer had put an ad in the newspaper for a wife. He only had one response, but that was all he needed. Good memories! I love those white birch bark trees up north. We’ll be in Michigan soon!
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I went tubing on the Chippewa once too! I love tubing, canoing and kayaking. Great fun! I’m glad you’re coming to Michigan. Which area of the mitt or the U.P.?
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We are going to Pentwater. It is about 11 miles south of Ludington. My dad was from Comstock Park (Grand Rapids), so I’ve been visiting Michigan my whole life. Mostly in the summer. 🙂 We’ve been going to Pentwater for nearly 49 years. Last year, we kayaked the Pentwater River one morning. I loved it!
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My wife and I dream about a little lake cottage somewhere in the northeast, where it’s not so hot in the summer. I grew up in the southern midwest, but it’s so warm and muggy down here this time of year!
The cabin looks amazing! And to think that many of the furnishings are things that other people threw away?! The way you write about your adventures makes me want to go out and have some adventures myself.
All the best to you and Dan!
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Thank you, David. Michigan is a dream in the summer. But please don’t tell my mother I mentioned it to you. We’re not supposed to tell people. 🙂 But for you, I make an exception. Enjoy your Sunday.
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What a beautiful place and truly a dream come true! I’m glad you visited and shared with us!
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Thank you! It really is a dream come true for them. I felt my own interests recharged after our day with Karen and Tim. I’m blessed to have such a friend. Thanks for reading and your comment. Enjoy your day!
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In Canada, second properties /vacation houses might be described by owners as camps, cabins, or cottages.
Terminology seems to vary with the area where the owner lives rather than whether the property is in a remote wooded area, on a lake or on a river. It might be a rustic dwelling or a well-appointed house.
In Southern Ontario, where we live, we call our place a cottage. in Northern Ontario, it would be called a camp. In the prairies where I grew up, it was a cabin. I’ve never understood the regional variation in the descriptor!
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How interesting! I think the idea of what a “cabin” is varies, but to my knowledge, not by region here. I like the idea of a “cottage.” To me, I picture a smaller, cozy home with flowers in a more rural or country setting. Thanks for reading and your comment. Have a great week ahead!
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In the mitten of Michigan they’re called cabins, but in the U.P. they call them camps. Every area seems to do their own thing.
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Whatever it is called, we are happy to visit. 🙂 “Camps” does sound more rustic though. Please give me the modern conveniences.
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What a beautiful cabin! Our dream changes with our life seasons but right now it’s a home outside of suburbia to raise our kids in a safe environment surrounded by nature. We are putting our suburban house up on the market this week to see if we can sell it. Wish us luck!
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Thank you. Yes, our dreams do change with life seasons. I hope with all my heart your dream comes true. We only get to raise our kids once. Safe and surrounded by nature sounds like a wonderful plan. Enjoy your day!
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Someone said it far better than I could so let me quote them – “Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand – and melting like a snowflake….” ― Sir Francis Bacon
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Beautiful quote! And a good reminder to enjoy the day!
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Looks like a lovely “cabin” near the water. My kind of place. We had a cabin. It was also a house, but we called it a camp, probably because it was near a big lake and all the fish camps. Grammi decorated it with a fisherman’s theme. We loved it at first. Our kids loved it too. I thought we would spend many days there when we retired. But after a while the kids got bored with it and Grammi and I went there less and less. When we did go, we worked more than we enjoyed. Then we realized we didn’t want to spend our retirement in one place. We traded the camp for a camper. Best decision we ever made. Safe travels.
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Some people just don’t get bit by the travel bug. The way I look at it, that’s more campsites for us! Safe travels!
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Thank you Betty for the kind words about our beloved cabin. We so enjoyed the visit with you and Dan and absolutely love our new chair set with table. They are just beautiful! Having a cabin that we can share with friends and family is definitely a dream come true!!
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You are more than welcome! I hope you have many great moments relaxing in the chairs, sipping your drink of choice, and enjoying that beautiful view!
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I’ve always wanted a cabin in the mountains. I may not get it, but at least we got our “cabin” in the country. (We name our current home “The Cabin” because it is extremely rustic.) I love Karen’s design aesthetic and will be searching for similar light fixtures for our place. 🙂
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I really liked Karen’s design aesthetic, too! She has put together a very charming cabin. Good luck with your search for similar light fixtures, and enjoy your country cabin!
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