A tradition

Every summer and some winters Keith and his sister Jennifer (Jen) would visit their family cabin in Idaho along the shores of Donelly lake.  My mother in law's family built the cabin together years ago with tender loving care, adding and changing the cabin over the years. It's a neat old, rustic cabin (well you do have a shower and running water) set back from the lakes shore with a view of the mountains and peaceful landscape of wildlife and the forest. Ever since we were married years ago we have wanted to come to the annual fourth of July get together at the cabin to watch the fire works and enjoy a few days at the lake with family. Unfortunately time, money and life have gotten in the way of traveling the day long drive over to the cabin. When his grandmother passed earlier this year plans were made for a family memorial at the cabin and we were blessed to be able to attend and enjoy the time to meet his mothers side of the family I still had never been able to meet.

Grandpa and Grandma Nye

They have been married 42 years!

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Canoeing on the lake.

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Daddy and Clobear making sandcastles

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What would a weekend at the family cabin be without smores??

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She tried SO hard to catch a fish all week......

Buckets, Strings, cups, fishing lines were all used but without success.

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Marshmallow on the nosey!

It means the smore was just that gooooooood......

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Diana figuring out she had marshmallow on her nose

and trying to dodge the camera......

Little did she know I had already gotten it on film

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Taylor baby by the fire pit.

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Keith and his sister, Jen

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Jaime, Kory, Jen, Keith, Nerida, and Nikki 

(Keith is the only male cousin) 

All of the cousins sitting on Grandma Mitchell's memorial bench

Keith is holding her remembrance plaque 

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The family together!

It has been over 10 years since this happened.

Way too long!

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The Nye Family

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We were there to celebrate this wonderful woman's life and legacy.

An excerpt from her obituary

Marjorie died Oct. 22nd, 2009 at the Cottages, a Payette care facility. She was born in Grant , Iowa to the parents of Fred C. and Leila Smith. While moving from Iowa at a young age, she was accompanied by her parents and three of her six brothers. Elementary through high school were spent in Glenns Ferry where she graduated valedictorian. To get to school she frequently rowed herself and brothers across the Snake River . Her dad sold a calf so she could attend Albion Normal, a teacher's college. While teaching in Ten Davis, she met her future husband William (Bill) O. Mitchell. During WWII, she worked in San Diego as a riveter for the military. After returning to Parma she owned a women's dress shop for a short time. She returned to teaching in Parma and then finished her thirty-seven year teaching career in Nyssa , Oregon . Her later retirement years were shared with her family and friend /companion Bert Miller of Boise . Bill and Marj had three children: Linda (Larry) Nye of Portland, Vicki (Joe) Bowman of Payette, and Keith (Sally) Mitchell of Boise. She has six grandchildren and five great-grand children. Linda, Vicki and Keith followed in their mother's footsteps and became teachers. Marj was preceded in death by her husband Bill, four of her brothers, and her parents. She had a fun-filled life where she lived in Parma and Boise .

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It was a wonderful week at the lake with family. We enjoyed playing games, late nights reading and talking to get to know one another after years of never meeting and the great outdoors.  My kids loved meeting the family and really loved cousin's Kory and Jaime. Poor Jamie got dog piled more than once. I loved seeing the cabin Keith  had talked so much about  in his childhood memories spent boating, biking down to his ice cream shop and fishing and swimming in the lake. I hope the time we all can be together again is less and far in between next time. Family is a precious blessing and the time we spend with them is a gift. I am sure that day Grandma Marj was smiling down, happy as a clam that we all could be together as a family at the cabin.