With the passing of my father last week, I found myself digging through old photographs. There were a lot of photos of my family together on outdoor adventures. My dad loved to fish, and many of my childhood memories with him are at the river under the trees with a pole in the water. Fly fishing, catfishing, bass fishing, any kind of fishing. He loved it all. He loved to sit under the tall pine trees and listen to the sound of nothing but birds and cicadas instead of traffic. He loved to put his feet up and enjoy the cool breeze.
Photo: Broken Bow Lake
My grandparents loved to camp, and there are so many good memories of roasting hot dogs over an open fire and catching fire flies at the edge of the forest. We swam in the lake with all the cousins and canoed down the river letting our voices echo off the slate cliffs. We ran through the fallen leaves, hiked up the trails, crossed the creek beds, and hid behind the trees. Our childhood took root in the woods next to those towering pines, and those roots pull me back to nature every year.
Photo: One of the five cabins at Holly Creek available to you to begin making memories!
My father and my grandparents are gone, but the memories we made in the forests, the mountains, the rivers, and the lakes will last forever. I am so grateful for the family time we had in nature, and it is a reminder to make more memories with the family they began. My kids have learned the joys of hiking and fishing and swimming. They know the joy of smelling the fire pit as they grab the marshmallows and head out to circle up and share stories. And now, more than ever, I feel the urgency to gather up the entire family and plan an event with everyone together to reminisce on our family memories.
Rustic Rose Hall has the space to host a huge family gathering, and the five cabins are perfect for those of us who have outgrown tent camping. Add a heated pool and playground to keep the kids happy to create the perfect recipe for memory making with your family this year. Don't wait for a special occasion. Make today special just by bringing the whole family together.
Pack up the kids and the cousins, the aunts and the uncles, and head to the woods. It’s time to make some memories!
Photo: My dad enjoying life in the 1980's.
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