Dreaming BIG!

Keep your heart open to dreams. For as long as there's a dream, there is hope, and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living.-anonymous

This past weekend, my family and I took a drive up to Geneva on the Lake.  A place, that as a child, my father would take me in the summer every year.  AKA:  GOTL.  I remember even rescuing a turtle trying to cross the highway on the way up to Geneva one year, and I named that turtle GOTL.  We let GOTL loose on our way back home, in a safer place of course.   

Geneva-on-the-Lake calls itself "Ohio's First Summer Resort." The fun started in 1869 when the first carnival park, "Sturgeon Point" was built. In the early 1900s, Midwest inventors and businessmen, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone, chose the spot to spend camping weekends. Gradually, tents gave way to cabins and cottages, but the site still retains its humble, accessible appeal.

Those weeks in the summer, were some of the most memorable weeks of my childhood.  The drive up to Geneva alone, was always entertaining to me, as the Amish lived in the area.  So lots of horse and buggies to pass and wave to along the way.  My cousins, (rather 2nd cousins) would have a cottage, my dad would have a cottage, and we'd spend every day and night walking the strip of Geneva on the Lake.  Back then, there were several arcades to spend hours within collecting tickets and picking out cheesy prizes, art studios, photography places where you could dress in old fashioned clothing and have your photos taken:

Me, my father, my sister.

.......fortune teller shops, t-shirt shops, tattoo parlors, etc.  The typical souvenir shops, that I know I would probably spend hours walking through looking at all the nick nacks and bring them home to clutter up my bedroom.  There is the ever so famous "Eddie's Grill", that we ate at usually once every other day if not every day. 

Then, Madison Donuts, where we bought our breakfast most mornings!  Also, the Debonne Winery.    We would go to the winery in our large group, my father would get a big cheese, meat and homemade bread platter.  We would sit out in the pavilion, drinking grape juice (I am sure he had a glass of wine with his cousin-I was too into the fresh grape juice to notice what they were drinking), and just enjoy the sunny days while a band entertained us or cooler evenings as the sun went down munching on the cheese, pepperoni and bread.  Was heaven to me!  (probably not the healthiest thing, but nonetheless, was heaven)

Usually on weekends, there was a pub that had entertainment and we would all go to watch the various shows.  There was this particular comedian, "Grinny", that always brought the large crowds and was a regular back in those days.   He would have all of us kids laughing so hard at times, and at other times, he would yell at us because we would announce his punch lines before he got to them.   

My father always told the story of me being "arrested" as well in Geneva, because I was out past curfew walking the strip.    He claims he received a call from the police, stating that they had picked me, my sister and cousins up and would be returning us to the cottage.  I am always told, (so the story goes), that I sat in the back seat, "sniffing" stating that I smelled bacon-and my sister trying to "sush" me, so that we wouldn't get into anymore trouble than we already were.  (I don't know how much of all that is true.... I was such a good lil kid!!!)  Luckily, this was my only "brush" with the law!!  We did a lot of swimming in the pool in our cottage area, or we'd hit the lake beach as well. 

In the fall, before my father passed away, my family and I finally had a weekend free to do some camping together.  We were all set up, ready to fish, cook outdoors, ride bikes, etc this particular weekend.  My father called, and wanted to see if we were interested in our annual drive up to Eddie's for a hamburger and fries, as it remained his most favorite place on earth and he wanted to share it with his grandchildren of course.  Reluctantly, because we had just set up camp, and I knew we didn't have many free weekends as is-we agreed to go with him.  I am SO happy that I decided to do so, instead of telling him we were just set up for camping, as it ended up being my last trip with him to Eddie's Grill as he passed away in January.  I still have the image of him, as we drove away after eating and hanging out that day, of him sitting on the bench for just a while longer with his white baseball cap, enjoying the sites and sounds of Geneva on the Lake, his favorite place on Earth.  I imagine, he goes there quite often now, just to watch and to smell those hot dogs and hamburgers in the air from heaven above and to people watch.  It was one of our favorite things to do back in those days, and he would make me say at least one nice thing about every person that walked by us. 

As we left Geneva this past Saturday, I noticed a little cottage for sale at the beginning of the strip.  I just HAD to stop and look.  As immediately, my mind went to Dreaming of Three, and how awesome it would be to give the families I take to rodeos, another special weekend by allowing them to stay in a cottage we owned at a placed I enjoyed as a child.  I immediately started dreaming-- of how I could have meals all prepared for them in the fridge, gift certificates to Eddie's, tokens for the arcades, putt-putt vouchers, water slide vouchers, winery gift cards, etc. etc.   How COOL would THAT be??!  To be able to give families a little vacation to the place where I grew up loving! 

Unfortunately, my dream was quickly crushed when I saw the asking price on the window! 

Yikes!  I figured, it would be somewhat more expensive, being right on the lake..  but never dreamt that much!  My own home didn't cost that much!  So, I still took a look around regardless.  A beautiful view of the lake in the back, with a patio, and built in grill.  Looked so nice for relaxing on a summer evening as the sun would set!  There was nobody there of course, as beginning of the season, so I didn't get to look inside, but I am sure it was very quaint. 

Perhaps someday!  But, first things first in making Dreaming of Three a success and applying for non-profit status first, which is about $700 I understand.  So need to raise that money, and build from there I suppose.  Until then, I will continue to dream of what I can turn Dreaming of Three into and  remember that your dreams come true when you act to turn them into realities!