When the cabin that has been in my family was passed down to me, I was more than honored. Indeed, I was humbled a bit. I know that sort of sound strange when you’re talking about an old hunting lodge. But this was the place that dad would yank me out of the air conditioning of elementary school early in the day to take me. It might be the favorite thing my father and I shared. Lord knows, my mother was pleased to have us out from underfoot. I used to wonder what she might be doing all alone inside the central air conditioning at home. And I’d even ask dad. He’d just have that wry smile of his and tell me that mom was having some relaxation time. I found out decades later that my mom would take these occasions to have the girls over and get into some wine. Dad actually did all the legal stuff to pass the cabin to me prior to him dying. But it wasn’t long before he passed on. It really was the final torch being passed from that father to this son. And it was awesome quite frankly. It really was just a dirty, smelly old hunting camp on some of the most pristine natural spots I’ve even seen. I left it that way for a while after dad died in his honor. But little by little, I’ve begun updating the cabin so my girls find it more appealing. One big plus is that we now have residential HVAC in the cabin thanks to the ductless heat pumps installed by an HVAC professional I happen to know. Still, as you roll up to the front porch, I’m almost surprised not to see dad sitting in a rocker with his feet up.