First View and the Feast of St. Nicholas

Today is the Feast of Saint Nicholas, a day we like to observe as part of our Christmas celebration. Yesterday, the Eve of Saint Nicholas, is a family anniversary we refer to as First View, the day we first visited the homestead. We find it a bit hard to believe that we made that first visit seven years ago today. (Actually, we didn’t. We figured out in 2012 that we actually first saw the homestead December 4, 2004.)

Reflecting yesterday on the changes we’ve made from that first visit to the seventh anniversary, I feel we have a lot to be proud of. The place looks more homey now than it did that first day. Thank goodness we could see its potential!

The cabin's living room as we first saw it.

The cabin’s main room then . . . (Photo: Mark Zeiger).

Cabin living room 2011

. . . and now (Photo: Mark Zeiger).

I also considered how lucky we are that the day we visited was so different from the same day seven years later. The official label for it was a 40 knot gale with 55 knot gusts, but it felt far more severe to us, with strange crashings around the cabin and huge, spume-tossed waves smashing into the beach. It would have been thrilling to be introduced to the place under such conditions—if we and the Realtor had struggled across the bay in the teeth of such a storm—but I wonder if our imaginations would have been captured in quite the same way?

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2 Responses to First View and the Feast of St. Nicholas

  1. Astrid says:

    Funny how that goes with house eh? our first visit to our farmhouse..it was raining, never seen it raining that bad in Saskatchewan.
    We entered the farm house and in the basement, frogs and salamanders where jumping in front of my feet, who were standing in about an inch of water.
    we looked at the house..fell in love and live her now for over 3 years…happier then ever..and yes our house is slightly changed also 😉

    Happy anniversary and as being a Dutchie imported into Canada, I do know who Sint Nicolaas or Sinterklaas is.(dutch spelling)

  2. Mark Zeiger says:

    Astrid, I have to assume you’re a braver homesteader than I am. I think if I saw amphibians in the basement, I’d look elsewhere!

    Mark

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