Hebgen Lake

Growing up we took several trips each summer to my grandparents cabin on Hebgen Lake in Montana. It was there that I learned to water and jet ski and pretend that the water wasn't super cold, roast the perfect golden marshmallow, ride and crash a moped, play cards, all about my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, that a little dirt never hurt anyone, and that Aunt Jill makes the very best peanut butter rice crispy treats (I seriously still crave them all the time).

A couple of years ago during one of Daphne's first trip to Hebgen Lake she began calling it Heaven Lake and nothing could be closer to the truth. It is the only place on earth where I feel a perfect clarity of mind just by being there. When I was in college I once drove up there by myself when no one else was there and just sat on the dock and thought and journaled for a couple of hours. In short, I love, love, love Hebgen Lake and feel so blessed that my grandparents have provided such a wonderful place for us where we can return each summer to create family memories.

While I was in Idaho over the 4th we drove up to Hebgen for the day and had a great time. We are going back in August for ten days and I can hardly wait. When we first arrived George was whining and I couldn't figure out what his problem was. He kept complaining about his shoes (George complaining about his shoes is him repeating shooz, shooz, shooz in a sad voice) and I just told him he needed to be happy. Later on I found a sewing needle stuck through his shoe and it was sticking his foot. Poor kid, I briefly felt like a bad mom. The neighbors had a chocolate lab that was awesome at fetch. George played fetch with him for about 20 minutes and laughed hysterically each time he threw the stick. Charlie was a bit unsure about the boat (mostly he hated his life jacket) but warmed up to it after a bit and we had a great ride around the lake.

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Lara and Darci wrote the following poem for a Hebgen Lake memory book that we gave my grandparents last year. I could honestly write pages and pages about Hebgen Lake but their poem really sums up what it was like to grow up spending our summers on a lake in Heaven.

All I really need to know I learned at Hebgen Lake...

Never swim on Sundays, the devil's in the water.

You can always come home, to Hebgen Lake. It is the place where love and happiness is tangible.

You are never too old to sit and swing.
If you laugh at your uncles you better be a fast runner.

Whether you get up on skis the first time, or do a sweet biff on the tube, Grandma will cheer just as loud and proud.

All is fair in love and nerts.

Never cheat, and if you do, don't get caught.

The road can get rough so make sure you wear a helmet.

Always leave the cabin better than you found it.

Don't flush after 10:00 p.m.

Good food and good company should top your list. A weenie roast on the beach is as good as any gourmet meal.

Don't sweat the small stuff. It is OK to have a little sand between the sheets.

Finding the fountain of youth of easy, follow the paper plates with "Hall" written on them.

Live a balanced life: play some, swim some, nap some, relax some, sit around giving each other a hard time some.

It's nice to head into town for a little culture.

Learn how to keep a secret. If you are going skinny dipping keep it between the dippers, you never know who might nab your clothes.

Take a bath. The lake, the kitchen sink, all you need is a little soap and water (doing your hair or putting on make-up is not a requirement).

Be aware of wonder. Experience a Montana sunset and the feeling of a fresh start with the morning sun.

Sunday is always golden, God's way of teaching us patience.

Come prepared. Never venture out onto the dock without a life vest (or be ready for an earful from the patriarch).

Revisit your childhood. Its a great way to remember who you are and where you came from.

Hebgen Lake is a place to come with the new additions and to remember those we've lost, man's best friend, Pogo.

Pool at the cabin isn't about if you win or lose, its about who gets a ball stuck in the pockets first.

You don't have to do it alone. The path between the cabin and the boathouse is short in the daytime, but at night be prepared to have a buddy.

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. If you're serving eggs and it's 11 a.m. it still counts.

Eternal gratitude to our parents and grandparents. Sometimes the greatest gifts we are given are great memories. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The gift of love, happiness, the thrill of adventure and a good hearty breakfast. A guide to sane living that can be passed down to the third generation through a week at Hebgen Lake. And it still holds true, no matter how old you get it is still irresistible fun to shove someone off the dock!