Thanksgiving 2025

 Another cabin camping trip is "in the books."

I had reserved a one bedroom cabin, and when we arrived on Wednesday afternoon, we were assigned cabin # 107.

We bought two bundles of expensive fire wood, and headed to the beautifully quiet, virtually uninhabited cabin area.

When we got to the cabin, to our surprise, there was no bedroom, but a "studio" set up, with the bed, and hide-a-bed sofa, in the living room area.

This was not what the pictures on the website showed when I made our reservation in April! 

The interior had been completely remodeled, with stark white walls, no pictures, no cabinets or drawers in the kitchen, and no shelf or counter space in the bathroom.

BUT, we made do.  There were two small shelves in the kitchen, on either side of the wall-mounted microwave, and two cubby holes.  The utensils had to lay out on the counter top, but that was no big deal.  

The brand new appliances were WONDERFUL!  

We moved an end table into the bathroom, for my cosmetics and our deodorant, etc.

The cool part was that there was an extra "room" by the door, that may once have been a porch, where we could keep the cooler and boxes.

However, there was still the fact that there WAS NO BEDROOM.  No separate space for us to sleep..... so that I would have to deal with Dave's snoring for all three nights.

Perhaps the remodel had eliminated the bedroom to make way for a larger kitchen and bath, and perhaps that room by the door.

Be that as it may, since check in time is 4, we had arrived late, and it gets dark well before 6, there was no chance to get out to the fire pit (as mentioned last week, we knew in advance that there are no interior fireplaces in the cabins anymore).   

We settled in, and I made the cranberry sauce, and then dinner.

We discovered that the bathroom sink drain would not stay open, so Dave wedged one of our butter knives under it, so that we could brush our teeth.

Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, was chilly, but calm, and oh so clear and beautiful.  When I stepped outside in the morning, I frightened a flock of juncos, and then saw TWO pileated wood peckers up in the trees.

After showers and breakfast, we walked around the cabin area a bit, and tried one of the foot paths, but it had SO MANY rocks hiding under the fallen leaves that I became afraid to continue.

My hiking confidence is nearly nil, now that I know my pelvis has more cancer in it.  If I can't see what's on the trail before me (i.e. roots, and stones), I have to go slowly, and check every step before putting weight on that foot.

It's sad.

Anyway, we enjoyed a lovely charcuterie luncheon, and I set the fire pit up to have a fire at dusk.  The only sign I saw of deer in the park the entire time was a small pile of scat under the oak tree near our cabin, where there were acorns.  I found this while I was collecting dry twigs for kindling.

We took another walk, this time into the campground area, and I saw some beauty berry!

More people checked in at the cabins, but everyone in our section was quiet.  No screaming kids or barking dogs, like we had to deal with last year at Greenleaf.

When the time came to get the fire going, it looked like it was going great, when all of a sudden, the wood started to hiss, and it just would not say lit.   I tried everything.... and I am a skilled fire tender.... and it would NOT burn.  It was wet inside.

I was SO disappointed..... one of the things I love about this trip is having a nice fire to sit by all three nights (previously, and preferably,  INDOORS, but I digress). 

I almost cried.  I look forward to this trip ALL YEAR, and tending the hearth is a big part of that. It's spiritual for me.  This trip is a retreat for me.

Dave took care of baking the half turkey breast we got from Trader Joe's, and I put the veggie dish together.

Dinner was delicious, though the brined turkey was surprisingly dry.  Thank goodness for cranberry sauce!

We played backgammon, and then dominoes, and then went to bed.  I got about 2 hours' sleep, but Dave slept great!

Friday was a bit warmer, and there were high clouds, and wind, which made the tall pines whisper.  

The forecast was for rain that night.

After breakfast, Dave went to town while I had my spiritual alone time, which was wonderful.  

When he returned, we went "across the street" to the main part of the state park, where the visitor center is, and the actual Robbers Cave.  

It was crowded, and noisy with kids and dogs and family groups all climbing up to check out the cave.

We expected that, though, and it was kind of fun.  In that area of the park, the walking trails are far clearer, due to so much foot traffic, but we pretty much stayed on the paved areas.

Anyway, just before we had left the cabin for the cave, a roadrunner came right up to the window at the back of the cabin!  I'd never seen one so up-close before!!

Friday evening was very chilly, and there was a dampness in the increasingly strong wind, so I didn't even bother to try for a fire outside.  We decided to bring the second bundle of firewood home with us.

The rain started while we were playing backgammon, and it rained on and off all night long.  It was lovely to hear the rain on the roof, and our little fake fireplace gave off a nice, flickering glow.

Next morning, there was a puddle next to the faux fireplace, and a smell of dampness in the room, like the drywall was wet on the inside.  

My dirty laundry bag was sitting where the puddle formed, but fortunately, it did not have any leaks, so the laundry inside was still dry.

We packed up and got to the lodge to check out just before 11.  

Dave told them about the leak, and the drain that would not stay open, and he also said "We reserved a ONE BEDROOM cabin, and cabin 107 doesn't have a bedroom.  It's set up like a studio apartment."

The woman behind the counter just smiled and nodded.  Dave didn't pursue it, and I was too tired to jump in and argue the point.  Okay, thanks so much.

She DID write down that there is a leak in the roof, and water on the floor, and that the bathroom drain needs to be fixed.

On the way home, we stopped in the town of Krebs, OK to visit a family-owned Italian grocery store that I had read about.  It was lovely, and we brought home pet sitter gifts, and some treats for ourselves.

Stopped for lunch, and got back on the road.  

Once home, we (mostly Dave) got the car unloaded, I did one load of laundry, planned my menu for the week, and ordered the groceries.

THEN, I sat down with my lap top and emailed the state park office.  

I REPLIED to my confirmation email, so that whoever reads it can see that the confirmation clearly shows "1 BR CABIN."  

I explained in the email that the picture on the website also shows a separate bedroom, not a studio set up.

I asked for a partial refund, because we needed, and expected, an actual bedroom with a door.

We will see if they even reply.

Last night, at home, I FINALLY GOT SOME SLEEP! 

In other news, my bone treatment when just fine last Monday, but my blood work still showed elevated (but much improved) liver enzymes and creatinine.

I have 3 more days of chemo for this cycle, then a week off.  During that week off, I am supposed to go for labs again.

We shall see if the doc changes anything after that.  

There is another story I could tell about the nurse at the oncology clinic not reading all of the words in a message I sent to them last week (about the dosage of the chemo), but I won't go into it.

The upshot is that my doctor had me start out on a lowered dose of the chemo, and that I am to continue on the lowered dose until I see her in the middle of December.

So far, I seem to be adapting to it okay.  The diarrhea I had during the first week or so seems to be easing off.

Here's hoping that my gentle readers have had a pleasant holiday weekend, if they celebrate, and if they do not celebrate, I hope they've had a good weekend none the less.