A Place Called the Highlands

The seasonal migration from the Highlands to whatever winter destination awaits us has begun. The courtyard resembles that of a used car lot. Cars are being stuffed and are loaded down to the point that speed bumps will be touch and go for some. It is always a bittersweet time of year. Excited for the adventures that lay ahead yet sad to leave such a special place. Landscape architects often try to design spaces that will give the user's a 'sense of place.' I'm quite for certain that there were no Landscape Architect's involved in the design of the Highlands (on old motor lodge from the 1950s). Yet nowhere else I have been has quite reflected a 'sense of place' like the Highlands does. It's a mixture of about a dozen of so cabins each one with their own unique charm. Some so small you can make your morning coffee without ever leaving the warmth of your covers. Although the cabins are quaint it is the inhabitants of these cabins that makes the Highlands such a special place. Rocks thrown at metal roofs are our doorbells, clothes left too long in the dryer are often times are folded and delivered to your cabin, and dinners are always a shared event. There are always morning welfare checks for those of us who thought drinking whiskey out of the bottle until the wee hours of the morning was a good idea. We are a gaggle of Park Rangers from all over the United States and we are unwilling to let the summer go by without filling it up with as much craziness and shenanigans as possible. Each resident of the Highlands brings their own special charm to the group. Bonfires are a nightly event, complete with story telling and fire jumping. Margarita Mondays, movie nights, game nights and Family Night Dinners are all weekly festivities. Ahh yes leaving the Highlands is always emotional but we always have plenty of good stories to last us throughout the winters. It is a place unlike most others. A place that we are all thankful to be a part of and are always thankful for one more summer spent here. May you all find such a place.

Pictures--Larry carving the Thanksgiving Turkey at our last family night dinner.

Don, Cliff, and Tom at Thanksgiving Dinner