Lake Ericson: Family Cabin

At a young age, the age when you start to recollect the acquaintances in your life, I was introduced to Lake Ericson, Nebraska.  Lake Ericson is the name of a small, small town located in the sand hills of western Nebraska.  There is your local bar (The Hungry Horse Salon), a small gas station off the highway, and a giant water tower; everything a town needs.  The population that dwells here is so minute, though this population size in no way is correlated to the land that constitutes Lake Ericson, NE.  This is because smack-dab in the middle of the town exists a vast body of water.  Encompassing this lake, many residents have nestled into small cabin-like cottages.  Many of these cabins are rugged and rusty, built by past family members that once inhabited them but are now long gone. 

This is the case for the cabin imprinted in my mind.  Off the southeastern shore of the lake, the Edwards’ Family cabin rests, illustrated by its placidity and simplicity.  There my great-grandfather built a shelter for his family; this shelter today is labeled as the garage on our plot.  Adjacent to the garage, we have constructed a more modernized cabin.  Here the idea of modern is understood through the conservative perception of the town, which would oppose today’s traditional definition.  I can remember when I was a little kid – our cabin did not even have indoor plumbing.  We would fetch drinking water from local spigot that was connected to a fresh underground spring; the water was always cold as ice, clear as crystals, and rejuvenating as it slid down my throat.    Getting used to the idea of using the outhouse instead of a toilet was also a fun experience as a kid, though today the idea would seem all too foreign to me.  Since then, the outhouse has been demolished; and in its memory a shower and toilet have been added to our “modern” cabin. 

This is the consistent atmosphere at Lake Ericson; it is kept as an idea of placidity and simplicity.  Venturing out to our family cabin has always been, and continues to be a wonderful experience.  It provides a much needed escape from this world.  No TV, no heating or air-conditioning, and the constant fetching of fresh drinking water have never seemed like a punishment.  Instead they have grounded me; taught me to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and not to get focused on the extravagant.