Tale of the Summer Home

Ann entered into her parent's summer home and was surprised to see that the house was still in good shape. Her father passed away and all of his estate was left to her. The summer home in Iowa was his only real property and the rest of the estate was liquid assets. She hadn't been there since the late 1950's. The house only needed dusting and cleaning. Ann walked through each room and then entered on the covered back porch which looked out to the high wooded hills rising up from the flat fields of corn. Her journey back to the family summer home was to decide to keep it or sell it but as she sat and rocked on a noisy old porch swing, the place just brought back memories, pleasant ones at that.

Ann's father graduated architectural college before the World War II and spent most of his career designing ammunition plants for the army. Her father's parents passed away during the war and he inherited the family farm of his youth. He sold most of the flat agricultural acreage to the neighbors but kept about the 50 acres of scenic woods and the home with the entrance to the county highway. After the war, he had the old house torn down and replaced it with a new contemporary ranch home. At least what was contemporary for 1946. It was intended to be the family's summer or vacation home.

Her father traveled extensively and she remembered her many summers there with just her mother and the weekend visit or occasional week with her father. Then she remembered all of the photos. Her mother had a passion for photos and was self taught in photography including developing. Ann leaped from the porch swing and went into her father's architectural studio/library. She headed towards the bookcases passing his dusty drafting table with the drawing tools still scattered about. Ann stacked the old photo albums in her arms and carried as many as she could to the porch swing. She placed the stack on the wooden porch floor then sat on the porch swing with the first album, looking over the black felt sheets that held the old black & white photos. She felt so relaxed and calmer than she had in years. 1970 hadn't been a good year for her as she was recently divorced, had a daughter that just graduated high school, and a son that was a day or two from being draft age. Ann was fed up with her life as it was and the general events going on in the country. She hated to see her son being drafted. So unfair! Life was so much better for her in that summer house during the 1950's.

Then one of those provoking thoughts came to her. Maybe she should gave it all up and disappear on the farm with her kids. "Yeah" she thought, "Just drop out just like Leary said." Her son had no social security number yet, not registered for the draft, and no criminal record. If they just left, how could he be traced or found? She had enough funds from her alimony and her father's estate to live comfortably for a number of years. She didn't know if he kids would like it there but why not. Would the kids want to live there in seclusion? She decided keep the house and go into seclusion if the kids were willing to go along with it. She worked hard the next few days sprucing up the summer home. She was going to have her children come up for a short vacation since it was the beginning of June and then approach them with the idea.

The return drive back to her home seemed quicker than before as her mind was buzzing with everything that would need to be done. She picked up her children from her ex husband's place then spent the next few hours telling her children about the summer home and how beautiful it was. They seemed to be interested in their mother's chatter about the summer house but seemed slightly distant. She picked up on the faint smell of marijuana about them and figured what was up. She didn't disapprove of pot as she had enjoyed it on several occasions but wanted her children to be careful with it as it was very illegal in their state.

"So what about the three of us going up there for a couple of weeks for vacation?" asked Ann.

"Works for me" said her son, Pete. "I've got nothing going on."

Her daughter, Laura, seemed more excited than her brother and said, "I can use the break. I don't know if work will let me off but screw them, I am going to quit anyway. Can your work let you go?"

Ann smiled and said, "They know that I need some time to settle the estate and while it may be with out pay, I have some money to cover us for awhile. I think all of us need the break."

"How come we have never been up there before?" asked her son.

"Because your father didn't like it there and he didn't like my parents very much." Ann said with a scowl.

"Sorry Mom." said her son quietly. "I didn't mean to bring up Dad in the conversation. I understand."

Ann dropped the subject and told her children. "Ok...well it will take about to wrap my personal affairs here and you should do the same. I want to leave next Monday and we should be there for about three weeks. That OK with everyone?"

Her son and daughter nodded in agreement. Both were anxious to get some vacation as it had been a few years since they had been anywhere. The year or two before their parents divorce and the divorce itself left little time for play and was a tough time on everyone. Laura was glad to be out of school but had no real plans for her future. She hated her small time job and her high school boyfriend dumped when he went to college. Pete was going to turn 18 in a few days which would make him draft eligible. The only good thing was that he had one more semester to graduate high school and it delayed him from the draft. Many of his friends who graduated on time had received their notices and were shipping off. The vacation would be welcomed by all in the family.

Time passed quickly and that Monday morning they packed their suitcases into their mother's car. Pete slept for several hours in the backseat while his mother drove and chatted with her daughter in the front seat. There was going to be a long stretch of driving on the highway with no turns or change in directions which seemed to be a good time for Ann to take a break and let her daughter drive for a few hours. As they got closer to Des Moines, Ann took over and guided the car through the capital then north to where the flat rolling farmland meets heavily wooded hills. Pete woke up and watched out the window as the car left the highway for a state road then after crossing a set of railroads track made a right turn onto a dusty dirt road. They seemed to be on the dirt road for some time until they came to a post box with their grandfather's last name on it. Ann almost missed it, stopped, backed up a few feet, and turned on to another dirt road leading to the summer home. They pulled up to the house and everyone wearily got out of the car, stretched and looked around.

"The house looks nice" said her daughter. "I thought it was going to be some run down farm shack."

"Oh no." smiled his mother. "My dad was an architect not a farmer. Pete, help us with the bags."

Pete picked up more than his share of the baggage and followed his mother to the front door. After she unlocked the door, they proceeded to bring in the bags and groceries. She directed certain bags to the bedrooms and then to kitchen. Ann said to the kids, "I hope you don't mind sharing the bedroom but the house only has two bedrooms. Yours has a queen size bed but if one of are uncomfortable with it, you can sleep with me in my bed." The children rolled their eyes but said nothing back to their mother. After the car was emptied, Ann proceeded to put groceries away in the pantry or refrigerator. "Take a look around" said their mother. "You have never been here before so check out the house. Tomorrow I'll show you some of the trails and the swimming hole."

Pete and his sister looked around the house, poking their head into each room, then exited to the back porch. They walked around the outside of the house and returned to the back porch. "So, what do you think?" asked Pete.

"It's a lot nicer than I thought." Laura said. "Very quiet out here. I like the countryside and I think it will be like camping with all the comforts of home."

"At least there is a TV." joked her brother. "I hope I don't get bored out here. Really don't look like much to do"

"I know" sighed his sister. "Wasn't that much happening at home either. I wouldn't worry about it. You sleep through almost everything anyway."

Pete didn't respond to his sister remark. "Hey something smells good."

"Smells like mom is frying chicken" said Laura. "I didn't realize how hungry I was."

"Me too." said Pete. "You know we haven't eaten since we left this morning."

Brother and sister walked from the porch to the kitchen. The kitchen was heavy with the smell of fried chicken and the sound of popping grease. Ann turned her head towards her children and said, "Glad you came in. Dinner is almost ready. Can you go in that second cupboard and set the table? Rinse the plates off in the sink first. They haven't been used for awhile. The forks and stuff are in that corner drawer. Pete and Laura worked quickly and had the table set as their mother just finished cooking. Ann placed a large paper lined bowl of chicken on the table then a paper lined bowl of fries. "Its quick country cooking so I hope you like it." Ann opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of champagne. "Pete can you open this? I think we should celebrate our get away with something special." Pete opened the cork which echoed in the high ceiling kitchen then poured the bubbling liquid from one green table glass to other until each one had more liquid than foam in it. They began to sit and eat.

"This is the best." said Laura. "This is so good. How come you never made this at home?"

"I have." smiled her mother. "It just tastes better here in the country. I forgot...We need a toast. To just us and a peaceful but fun couple of weeks." Everyone clinked their green table glasses together then took a drink. The family chatted and ate until nothing was left except for the greasy paper towels in the bowls. "Laura, help me with the dishes and Pete, you can help dry them in a few minutes." Pete went out on the back porch for a minute as the girls cleaned the table and ran hot water in the sink to wash them. The sun had set and it was black outside except for the stars.

"I have never seen some many stars in the sky in my life" thought her son. The quiet of the day was replaced by the loud droning of crickets and cicadas. There was a pleasant cool evening breeze replacing the heat of the day. Pete began to daydream but perked up when he heard his mother call his name. He came back in and began to dry the stack of wet dishes that his sister and mother worked on. After everything was finished, they turned out the kitchen lights and went into the living room to watch TV for awhile. Ann flipped the switch and turned the turner dial to see what was on one of three stations that they could receive. "This is a black and white TV" moaned her son.

Ann quietly laughed and said, "Yes.... My father never did get a color TV. This is probably from the 50's but hey it still works." The sights and sounds of Laugh In filled the room as everyone watched and laughed. After the program, Ann announced she was tired and was going to bed early. After telling her children not to be up too late, she left to her bedroom. Pete and Laura watched for another hour then Laura decided that she would call it a day as well. Pete didn't want to be alone watching TV so he would go to bed as well. Laura turned off the TV and Pete hit the lights after his sister left the living room. Brother and sister entered their bedroom and awkwardly paused looking at each other.

"Well" said Laura.

"Well, what?" stammered her brother.

"This is just a little weird." said Laura. "We haven't sleep in the same bed since we were little. Just don't hog the bed."

"I won't" muttered Pete. "You going to turn around while I undress?"

"That should be my line" smiled her sister. "OK. Lets turn our backs to each other and when each of us is ready, say OK. No peeking before we both say OK."

"OK" smiled her brother. "I mean not that OK."

They turned around and began to remove their clothing and pile them on the floor. Laura was in her bra and panties and reached for a large white T shirt on the dresser. She could see her brother stripping from the reflection in the dresser mirror. She slipped off her bra and donned the shirt over her head. She returned to watching her brother in the mirror as he stripped down to his briefs and removed them. "Nice ass" Laura thought as she continued to watch her brother bend over and grab a fresh pair from his suitcase. When he almost had them pulled up, Laura said, "OK"

Pete needed a second or two then said "OK". They turned around and smiled at each other. Pete watched his sister climb into bed and get under the sheets. "I'm going to brush my teeth." said Pete as he exited the room for a few minutes. Soon the sound of running water stopped and he was back. He flipped off the lights and felt around the edge of the bed in the darkness to his side and he slipped in between the sheets. They lay in bed with the sounds of the night filled their room and a cool breeze flowed across the sheets. Pete could smell her sister's faint perfume which he found pleasant with the night air. Within minutes the children were snoring away into deep sleep.

Laura woke up the next morning as her eyes fluttered open with the first rays of the sun coming through the window. She had to remind herself that she was in the middle of Iowa and not in her mom's apartment in the city. Then she realized that she was snuggled against her brother's back. Instead of having the "eww" feeling, Laura felt very comfortable with her brother. She untangled herself and sat up in bed then yawned, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. She didn't know how Pete felt but she thought that she would enjoy this break very much. She was so much more relaxed than she had been at home in such a long time. Her work had only given her a week but screw them, she didn't care if she worked for them or not anymore. She quietly slipped out of the bedroom and headed for the bathroom to freshen up. Afterwards she walked into the kitchen and found her mother cooking up some oatmeal.

"Sleep well?" her mother asked sweetly.

"Oh really good" said her daughter. "Better than I have in months. What are you fixing?"

"Just some oatmeal" she said. "Want some? It is almost ready."

"Um sure" said Laura. It wasn't her favorite but somehow sounded good at the moment. Ann scooped some into a bowl and layered sugar, butter, and milk on top of it then placed it in front of her sitting daughter. Laura spooned some into her mouth and said, "Aww Mom, this is really good."

"Everything tastes better out here." said her mother. "What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know." said her daughter. "What is there to do around here?"

"Plenty but it's simple stuff." said her mother. "Since it is cooler this morning, let me show you around the acreage. You know the different trails, the swimming hole, and stuff. You think your brother will be up soon?"

Laura laughed, "Him? He won't be up until lunch. You know him."

Ann laughed in agreement. "After breakfast, get yourself together and we'll go for a long walk. If you didn't bring any hiking boots, wear some good tennis shoes."

Her daughter finished eating and then went into the bathroom to shower. Ann had already showered and went into her bedroom to change for the day. Her daughter returned to the kitchen in about an hour to find her mother in a T shirt and jeans, finishing the rest of the coffee. She thought how pretty her mother was. Ann had medium brown hair that went slightly past her shoulders and simply fixed into a ponytail today, bright blue eyes that Laura inherited from her mother, and had a good figure for someone in her late 30's. Laura noticed that her mother wasn't wearing a bra under her T shirt. It was the trend with girls her age but she had never seen her mother braless before. Her breasts still looked firm from what she could see outlined by the T shirt.

Laura was going to say something but let it drop and asked, "Are you ready?"

Ann said, "Yeah" as she finished the last drop of coffee. "What kind of tennis shoes are those?"

Laura stood there in a t shirt and shorts and extended her left leg to show off her new shoes. "These are some new shoes that are just coming into the stores. They called Nikes and they are better for you to walk and jog in. Better on your feet than the old Keds you are wearing."

Ann felt a little old fashioned and said, "Let's go." They left through the back porch and started for the line of woods at the edge of the house.

Laura asked, "Aren't you going to lock the door?"

Ann laughed, "We're in the country. No one bothers to lock stuff around here. No reason too."

The pair found the trail that meandered through the low wooded hills and fields of cone flowers, black eyed susans, and sunflowers. Ann pointed out a fork on the trail that one would lead back to the house and the other went to the top of the highest hill on the property. They took the trail to the top of the hill which was rugged in spots. They reached the top slightly out of breath then rested on a large slab of rock protruding from the ground. They could see west of their property for miles as the scenery changed from rolling woods to flat fields of corn to the horizon. They stayed for awhile and gazed at the view. Ann prompted her daughter to return to the walk and reversed their travel back down the hill. It was certainly easier to descend and with the day was warming up they were beginning to sweat. Before they return to the main fork on the trail, Ann took a side trail that Laura had not noticed on the way up.

"Where does this take us?" asked her daughter.

Ann smiled and said, "A surprise." They followed that trail which followed around the base of the hill and went through an area of dense woods where sunlight barely filtered through.

Laura began to hear the sound of running water disturbing the quiet of the woods. She noticed large patches of green ferns arching from the dark earth and to her surprise large patches of marijuana plants. Then they came to the surprise. There was a large spring of flowing water from under a boulder into a large pool then draining to a shallow but wide running creek bed. "Wow" was all Laura could say.

Ann smiled, "My father created this pool for swimming in the summer. It used to be just a creek that flowed from the spring but Dad use a tractor with a front shovel in the 50's to drudge out the area that is basically this swimming hole. The creek meanders through the county and eventually ends up in the Upper Iowa River. I don't think anyone knows or remembers about the swimming hole except me and now you."

"It's beautiful" said her daughter. "Is it deep?"

"Not really." said her mother. "It used to be about 3 feet deep once you are a couple of feet from the edge. There is a small spot that is about 5 feet in the center. My family used to spend many hot summer days cooling off here. It's a hot day, you want to cool off for awhile?"

"Sure, I'm warm but I didn't bring a suit." said Laura.

"You never skinny dipped before?" said Ann in surprise. "Really?"

"Really" said her daughter. "Where would I have an opportunity like that at home? I know that Pete has on some of his camping trips but not me."

"Opportunity is knocking now Laura" giggled her mother. Ann began to remove her tennis shoes and then slipped off her T shirt. Laura was caught off guard by her mother's boldness then began to remove her own clothing. Within minutes a naked mother and daughter gingerly stepped into the pond. The water was cold but they slowly walked in up to their knees. Then Ann just slipped her body in the water. "Laura this feels so good. Just take the plunge and get in the water." Laura slipped into the cool water next to her mother. She shivered for a second then enjoyed the cool refreshing water.