When I think about our family I think we have always loved being close to water… We have always had Lakeshore Dreams…
My parents Chris and Thora Eriksen both imigrated from the little European country of Denmark, A peninsula surrounded on 3 sides by water. My father’s family farm bordered on the North Sea and has been held by family members since the 1600’s. It is a lovely place, with green fields that reach down to the seashore.
Jack and Liz Canfield, my husband’s parents, LOVED to fish, grandpa more than grandma, and did so as often as they could. They spent many years, the two of them driving with their friends to Alaska for 3 months of Salmon fishing off the Kenai Peninsula. Grandpa and grandma caught many salmon, purchased a canning machine, and brought enough back to Minnesota for all of us to enjoy.
In the early 60’s grandpa and grandma Canfield purchased property on Lake Mille Lacs and built a cabin. Grandpa fished Lake Mille Lacs along with other lakes catching walleye, perch, northern pike, crappies, and trout, and we ate them all – wonderful! Grandma had a great way of preparing large Northern filled with a tasty stuffing and topped with bacon which the family enjoyed and savored every mouthful.
Our young family loved to go to grandpa and grandma Canfield’s cabin, but we also enjoyed camping in and around Minnesota, spring, summer, and fall, whenever we could get away.
Once, while our son, Eric, and his dad, Jack, were camping at the Army Corp of Engineer Campground on Crosslake near Brainerd, they spotted a “FOR SALE” sign next to a small white cabin. They came back home with an excitement in their eyes, this would become our family cabin, our retreat.
Jack and I first purchased our own little cabin in 1978, a small 1 bedroom with indoor plumbing (a real plus)! Jack was still working every day and Eric and Beth were still in school so most of the time we were only able to go to the cabin on the weekends. The weekends went something like this: Our dog Jiggs followed me around the house all day Friday knowing that we were leaving and NOT without him. I would bake some goodies to take along and the kids would come home from school and help pack up the car. When Jack came home, we were ready to go. Most of the time we enjoyed going up through Pierz, MN. We would stop for a bite to eat at the Old Bank and then at Thielens Meat Market for some of their great meats. Saturdays were filled with cabin duties, visiting with neighbors, giving candy to the small neighbor children who came to visit, water sking. swimming, basking in the summer sun and of course, laughter. And once in a great while a skunk! Great times were had singing, eating smores by the campfire and looking at the bright starry sky. Sundays we were able to walk to church together then pick up a Sunday paper and go back to the cabin for a nice big breakfast before we started thinking about getting packed up to go back home.
As the kids got bigger, the cabin felt smaller. After a garage was built that was larger than the cabin, I knew it was time to add onto the cabin. We added a great room and 2 upstairs bedrooms. That extra space served us well, until both Eric and Beth got married and began raising their own families. We added more space and some finishing touches in the 1990’s. The extra area has made all the difference. With the last addition, we added a furnace so that we can spend time in the winter. There is a stillness in the wintertime that is very peaceful and the cabin feels so warm and cozy. It’s a good time to share memories while playing a good game of Hand and Foot or reading near the fire with one of the grandchildren, many times it’s hard for us to leave.
Through the years we have made family friends, learned new games to play, read many books, walked many miles, biked to the store and found a church where we love to worship.
As time goes on we are able to spend more time at the cabin. We still have the same neighbors - life long friends for all of us, young and old. We now enjoy more of the restaurants like Pine Peaks and MoonLight Bay and we love to stroll through the ACof E Campground and remember our camping days, wondering at the same time how many of the folks in the campground have their own dream and will one day like us, own a little cabin by a lake.
We have all changed and the cabin has changed too, but there’s one thing that remains the same, we love to go to the cabin. We are truly grateful to have had the privilege of seeing our lakeshore dream come true. And it is our hope now that the next generations will be able to enjoy their Lakeshore Dreams.
