Our family loves camping. Actually, more “glamping” and no so much tent camping but we still get outdoors, have the campfire and of course a s’more or two. We’re just fortunate to have heat in the cooler months and air conditioning in the Summer. This past holiday weekend, our family was camping near Eagles Mere, PA. Home of the first Crockett Eagles Mere Model built back in the late 1980’s, maybe the early 1990’s. We can’t quite remember.
In the spirit of Columbus Day, we went out exploring….on a hunt for the Eagles Mere. We travelled many dirt roads up in Sullivan County. As we searched, I started to wonder why we were doing this. Would we be searching for a stick built home the same way? I didn’t think so. I started to think about traditions and what memories a log home can hold for a family. I’ve heard people fondly say, “I was raised in a log home” or “I remember Nana and Papa’s log home” all with the look of a distant memory crossing their face. All homes hold memories but I believe that log homes hold a different kind of memory, or maybe I’m just partial to log homes. I thought back to our last camping trip where I took a picture of our daughter in front of an old log building. I remembered a local orchard with an old log structure that many people take pictures in front of. The owner shared with me that it was his father’s project to restore the building they use as storage shed. I think many people are partial to log homes just like me.
As we drove, we began a conversation with our daughter. We talked about what kind of home she wants when she grows up, what dreams she has for her future. Things she wants to accomplish, places she wants to visit, experiences she wants to embrace. Along the way we found many log homes. Large ones, small ones, old rustic ones, ones with chinking, and ones without. Capes, chalets, mostly traditional in design but some more contemporary. No Eagles Mere though. We may not have found what we were looking for, but we found a wonderful family bonding time. Next time you’re looking for a conversation starter, talk about a log home. Someone will remember one and maybe someday it will be yours.
