The Flavor of Memorial Day

Did you know Memorial Day has a flavor? It is pancakes with strawberries and whip cream--not the store-bought in a can or container kind but the freshly whipped kind that's made from heavy cream and sugar.
Our family had a Memorial Day tradition. Each year Uncle John and Aunt Ann hosted a breakfast. It started out as just family, then a few friends, then half the town! I think the last one we had served almost 100 people.
Uncle John's pancakes weren't the usual 3-4 inch pancake. They were the size of the whole plate and if you could eat more than one you were either some kind of hero or really sick! The pancake batter was made from a sour dough start that was over 100 years old. The dough is set out the night before. It grows and grows then in the morning some of the start is taken out, put in the refrigerator and saved for then next time. More ingredients are then added to the remaining dough to make it the batter consistency we all are familiar with.
Along with the pancakes topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream each person was served a couple of eggs--sunny side up--and a slab of ham. There was a choice of milk or OJ to drink.
After our large breakfast we would all head up to the cemetery to put flowers on our loved-ones' graves. It was a happy day that our family shared.
I can't help but think of Uncle John and his pancakes on Memorial Day. I know that pancakes with such toppings could be had any time of the year but for some reason we saved it for that special day. I have since made that meal but it just doesn't have that same tickling of the taste buds. Oh, it's good, and we'll have it again, but I sure miss Uncle John and his pancakes.
Happy Memorial Day!

Cabin Creek: The Sign of an Eleven-Year Marriage

Eleven years ago April Chris and I were married. There were many things I didn't know about Chris but I did know that he enjoyed camping, hiking and some hunting. When he was in high school he used to go on long camping trips with his friends. After he graduated he and his friends headed off for a three-week camping trip in the mountains. I can only imagine what goes on when three boys get together with no supervision, no rules and no showers! Chris did bring home a souvenir from his trip, however, an old sign which said "Cabin Creek". The story goes that he paid one of his siblings to sand it down and paint it for him.
Over the course of our eleven-year marriage Chris has toted that sign around claiming that "some day" he would hang it in our home. Our first few apartments were small, very temporary or not concussive for hanging things on the wall (BYU Married Housing--cinder block walls). When we moved the North Carolina he thought the time had come. He had a nice office which was eventually decorated with his diplomas and some nice fly fishing decor. It could have gone in there but the sign was kind of big and bulky and would have looked funny.
Now, I always went along with Chris and told him that "yes, someday", he could have the sign up. When it came right down to it I just couldn't allow him to hang that thing in our home.
Now that we are all settled into our new home we have found a perfect place for the Cabin Creek sign. I am actually quite surprised at how nice it looks and Chris was quite surprised that I agreed so quickly. We have an eight-foot-wide porch that looks out to a rustic wooded front yard. The sign now hangs from the porch and adds a personal touch to our home that says it's ours.
Welcome home to Cabin Creek!