Memory Lane - Summer to Santa (July to December 1983)

As summer slid into place in 1983, family behavior patterns we have maintained since that time began to solidify. Especially in summer months. Building on our Ipperwash dabbling in '81 and '82, we embraced the cottage life fully in '83. We found ourselves taking every opportunity to build on Nancy's childhood memories at Avon Rae. 

At that time Nancy's parents were retired and spending their summers full time at the lake. So when we joined them for a long weekend or a week's vacation, it was as guests in their (second) home. We always enjoyed their company and were thankful for the time our kids were able to spend getting to know their grandparents. 

But as with most families, Nancy's parents had certain expectations about how things should work in their world. Like how much space beer should take up in the fridge (not very much), how high the volume should be set on the stereo (not very high) and how many kid and adult toys should be strewn around the large common room at any one time (you guessed it - not many). Maintaining behavioral equilibrium between fun and restraint could be tricky. 

None the less, we survived our parental co-habitation years at Avon Rae with only infrequent incident. Like the time I was caught snacking on leftovers that the head chef had earmarked for that evening's dinner (I hadn't gotten the memo). Or the time our dog Heidi ran through the porch screen, despite our pledge of responsible pet management.   

To help reduce such occurrences Nancy and I took to taking long beach walks after dinner (while still a little buzzed from happy hour) to review the days near misses and renew our commitment to inter-generational harmony. After all, our access to the gorgeous sands of Ipperwash was on the line.

Over time, this approach paid great dividends in the form of endless hours playing in the sand and surf and otherwise enjoying the pastoral life of rural Ontario. Not to mention building strong family bonds across three generations. Here are some pics from the summer of '83.

In this first shot we have son Ted and nephew Brian in deep conversation on the beach, no doubt conspiring about how to get an extra Looney (Canadian dollar) for that afternoon's run to the park candy store. 

Oblivious at this age to the candy store ritual, Christine was more concerned about her beach ball skills. First retrieving it from the lake.

And then learning to sit on it. Properly. It can be tricky.

Also sharing the beach that day was a very young cousin Heather (daughter of Nancy's cousin Lynne) taking in her busy surroundings in the safe confines of Aunt Barb's lap. 

Among those surroundings were Nancy, her dad Rae and yours truly giving guidance on the safety features (or lack thereof) on our inflatable boat.

Another common scene was huddling on our family-sized floating mattress trying to get warm after a dip in chilly Lake Huron. That's Nancy's mom Marge looking on.

Typically about an hour before happy hour this happened. All the generations would gather in the shallows for a last taste of Lake Huron for the day. It was sort of pre-happy hour.

Of course it wasn't all fun and games. As with most cottages, there was always a repair or upgrade project in process. Rae was in charge of such activities. Below is a pic of Rae putting the finishing touches on the new patio-block walkway from the parking area to the slab at the rear of the cottage.  

As an engineer, Rae always had a plan for his projects and boasted an impressive array of tools. As a humanities major, I was assigned to those supporting tasks that fit my skill set - lugging things around and shoveling sand when needed. It was a very satisfying partnership.

A few final pics of the beach that summer. First the house, set back from the lake about 80-90 feet but only about eight or nine feet above lake level. A little scary at times. That would all change in the following years as the lake levels rose and fell. Note Marge relaxing on the high ground in her chaise lounger. That's Nancy and Christine playing at the water's edge.

And the kids, totally immersed in the cottage life. Ted, enjoying the lake.

And Christine, learning to be a beach bunny.

Capping off our summer fun was Christine's second birthday, once again celebrated at the lake. There was the usual fanfare. Party games.

Processing new acquisitions.

And of course, cake and ice cream. Chocolate. Fun for the birthday girl and the parents.

Following the summer of fun, the usual fall events and routines took shape. Work was nearing the end of another fiscal year, with all its normal craziness. We were still learning what the changes in seasons means to home owners. Things like furnace maintenance, critters looking for warm places to winter (like your house) and leaves that refuse to gather themselves at the curb for pickup. 

But the big challenge in those early pre-k years was child care. There were plenty of options available. But finding the right one for our work schedules, our particular geography, our (adorable) child's disposition and our budget - could be troublesome. And once settled-in with an acceptable provider, it seemed the situation never lasted too long. Either our needs or the service providers' ability to meet them would change. As a result we found ourselves always keeping an eye out for a better arrangement. 

So it isn't too surprising that with our focus on managing activities those days, we didn't stop and take pictures very often. We did come up for air on occasion, mostly around holidays, and captured a few memorable moments. Here's a glimpse from the closing months of 1983. 

First a brief stop on Halloween. Here are a couple of pics of Christine's first Halloween costume. She wore it as she assisted with the distribution of treats to the ghoulish youth of Dearborn.

She was dressed up as one of the scary things in her life - namely me. My hat, my bowling shirt and my bowling ball. Not too original, but it was a crowd pleaser.

And then on to Xmas. First the traditional shot of our tree, after Santa's visit. Note the combination toy box/art easel on the right. Santa had no trouble assembling this little gem. None. None at all. Really. 

And here we have our little darling Xmas morning overcome with joy at the discovery of an apple ornament on our tree. Paying little heed to the toybox/art easel that Santa painstakingly assembled for her in the middle of the night.

In this pic Dad is working hard to assemble what I believe was called a "Sit 'n Spin" for Christine. Just trying to keep up with Santa.

Here she is on her maiden ride. 

I'm pretty sure this item is still in a box somewhere in our basement storage. Hiding out from current child safety regulations. 

One final shot from the festivities, and one of our favorite early pics of Christine. Happy at two years and four months and starting to get the rhythm of the holidays. 

However, there would be one more chapter to Xmas that year. A couple of days after Ted came to visit between Xmas and New Year's, he woke up looking like this.

No, he wasn't practicing an impression of Alfred E. Newman (although it would have been a good one). Those are  chicken pox blisters. Can you guess what happened next? Yep. Patient No. 2.

So calamine lotion and baking soda baths were at the heart of our New Year's celebration. I remember it fondly. 

That brings us to the end of 1983. Can 1984 be far behind? I hope not. Till then.

Grosse Pointe Charles