memories and moving

My earliest memories are probably from the time I was about 5 years old.
As soon as school was out, the family would literally move to Luna Pier. We would pack two Chevys till they were nearly bursting with clothes, food, linens, not to mention children, and anything we thought we had to have for the summer. It wasn't that we would not be seeing our "city house" until September. On the contrary, our cottage was a mere fifteen miles from our home town of Toledo, Ohio, but for a young child like me, moving day was quite final until school started again after Labor day. I thought I miles away from my everyday life, I wouldn't be seeing my room or friends for three long months. I packed my favorite books, dolls and various trinkets that made me feel secure.
The first days of summer after arriving at the cottage, everything seemed new and different and familiar at the same time. Like the fishing poles stacked behing the front door and the coat rack next to it. My mother's plaid sweater still hanging there after the long, cold winter. As though it was only meant to be there on that hook, lonely and chilly. I can't recall ever seeing her wear it.
Several weeks before moving day, the family would go up the "the lake" on saturdays and clean. We would wash all the linens and make all the beds and sweep the dead spiders out the front door. We scrubbed the black and white tiled floor and mop the steps and tidied up the yard, weeded the beds and planted zinnia and marigold seeds. It was always chilly on those days and my mother would bring homemade soup along or chili for our lunch.
As kids, we were always anxious to get going and move-after all, it meant no school and we could sleep late in the morning.
And there was the lure of Lake Erie just at the end of our little street. We couldn't wait to be the first in the water. We had contests to see who could go for a swim in June, the earlier the better.
The water was always freezing at that time of year, and we would put on our new bathing suits and run to the water. After we all finally got in, our lips were blue from the cold water as well as the air. But we were very satisfied after such an accomplishment and we knew then that summer was here and we were at the lake..
Dinner could be fried chicken or spaghetti, followed by a game of scrabble or cards and when the sun went down at arould nine-thirty, we went to bed happy and tired.