Community Perspective

My cabin in Paynesville is a peaceful place. It is a place where everything I hear, taste, smell, see, and feel makes me feel at home.

When you come to my cabin on Lake Koronis, you can hear many sounds of summer. You can hear the waves of the water and imagine something soothing. Another thing you would hear is the sound of the loons that call out at dusk.

In the morning, it is also quiet; it is as quiet as water falling from the sky. During the day you can hear boats and jet-skis going by, WOOSH, really fast. You can also hear the people on the tube yelling, "FASTER! FASTER!"

That's what you would hear if you ever came up to my cabin.

If you ever come up to my cabin, your taste buds would be having a dream. You would taste my Grandpa's famous recipe for potatoes and steak. If you went swimming, you would taste lots of lake water. You would also taste some of the delicious groceries we buy in town.

One thing you would be craving would be the smores we make either in the outside fire pit or inside the cabin in the fireplace. That is what you would taste if you were at my cabin.

Most of the smells you would be smelling at my cabin would be outside. One thing you would smell would be the icky seaweed that washes up on shore. Another smell you would smell would be our nightly campfires. You would also smell my dad grilling some dinner.

On the inside, you would smell my wet dogs. The last thing you would smell would be the pancakes my mom makes in the morning. My cabin smells the greatest when someone is cooking. These are the smells of my cabin.

You would see some of the most beautiful things at my cabin. One beautiful thing that you would see would be the sunrise beyond the hills. Then at the end of the day, you would see the sunset, and you would see the sunset reflect on the water.

Every year from now on, we are going to see the fireworks on the third island on Lake Koronis where the fireworks go off. Another thing (or should I say animal) you are going to see is Apache, the farm dog that lives across the street. He thinks that our cabin is his house.

You would see four wood buildings on our land. The first is the main cabin, the second is the shed, the third is the old fish house, and the fourth is the bunkhouse. These are things you would see at my cabin.

If you come to my cabin, there are many different things to feel. One thing you would feel are the warm, fuzzy hugs of my grandpas, grandmas, aunts, and uncles. You would also feel the chill and fog of the morning. Another thing you would feel would be the warmth of the summer sun while fishing on the wooden dock. The last thing you would feel would be the shock when you fell off of the tube and into the freezing cold water. These are only some of the things you would feel up at my cabin.

This is what my cabin is like for me. My cabin is a peaceful place. It is a place where everything I hear, taste, smell, see, and feel makes me feel at home.

Paul Orstad is a fifth grader in Burnsville. He wrote this story about his family's cabin on Lake Koronis.

Would you like to participate as a Community Perspective writer? Call Michael Jacobson at 320-243-3772 or e-mail him at editor@paynesvillepress.com to sign up.