On Sunday Bob and Cathie drove me and Skylar and my sister Krishelle to the great northern tundra that is southern Idaho to pay respects to deceased family members. My mom's parents both grew up around that area. I had never before been because we don't really have family up there anymore. At least none that we know.
My grandparents got married and moved out of the area, eventually settling down in a Southern California desert that is so hot you can see it from space. My grandma still has some cousins or nephews or friends she met at girls camp or what have you in the area, but my family is so huge that it's not really possible to keep track of anything beyond immediate family. I know I've told you people this before and you didn't believe me, but I have over 70 first cousins. FIRST cousins.
So, no. I don't know my second cousins or what they're up to or what Hogwarts house they belong to (Hufflepuff, all of them, I'm sure).
Nonetheneverthelesswithstanding, I've got ancestral homies buried all over that place and since I had never been my mom decided we ought to take a drive to lay flowers on their graves because we're respectful like that.
What I discovered as we entered what I am told was a town called "Mink Creek" is that this area--the area from which my grandparents availed and which they have kept from me for 35 years--is the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life.
Mink Creek is buried between two breathtaking mountains and everything in town is built on the sides of these mountains so you look across to your neighbor on an opposing mountain and moon them or do Morse Code with the blinds to signal that the feds are coming or whatever they do up there.
It looks like Switzerland, but without the Disneyland tourists in line for the Matterhorn.
The only thing I previously knew about Mink Creek is this horrifying story my grandma told me about a ghost man who choked people in one of the old farm houses and it later turned out the ghost was a Danish immigrant who had been murdered by the homeowner and buried in a nearby desert and my grandma remembers seeing people in town with bruises around their necks from the ghost AND I WAS SIX WHEN SHE TOLD ME THIS.
I just realized that I've never in my life actually fact checked this story so I went to google it and after I typed in "Mink Creek" google immediately completed the search with "ghost story." There are tons and tons of links to various ghosts that apparently all live in Mink Creek. But I did find this one link that, while sparse with detail, is pretty close to the story grandma told me.
Anyway, so as we drove through this unbelievably beautiful and TERRIFYING place, my mom suddenly pointed out a farm house up on one of the mountains and said that my grandma grew up in that house. We drove to it. It's unoccupied, but apparently owned by my mom's cousin.
From the front porch, looking out to the barn. |
My grandma is 89 now, and tech savvy, so I texted her a picture of the bedroom and asked whether it looked familiar to her. She responded "Oh my goodness! That looks like the window I watched the full moon rise over the beautiful mountains to the east!"
And look. I'm a sucker for good imagery and compelling storytelling and family history. So as I stood in that bedroom and looked out the same window my grandma looked out of 80 years ago during the same time she was regularly seeing ghost bruises on her friends I got ALL kinds of chills and the next thing I knew I was texting pictures of this house to Matt and asking him if he could fix it for me.
As I was contemplating my new future, a little truck with two women pulled up outside. I figured they were probably relatives of mine. They had come from the house just up the hill that my mom thought belonged to her cousin's son.
The women found Skylar first and asked him who he was.
Side note: we call my grandma "Nonna." "Nonna" means "grandma" in Italian. I don't know why we call her this. We are not Italian. But that's just what we call her. We even had a custom license plate made for her that says "Nonna" plus whatever the current number of grandchildren she had at the time ("Nonna 32" I think?).
Apparently Skylar thought Nonna was her first name and that we all call her by her first name, because as the women approached him to find out whether they needed to shoot us, he loudly and confidently announced, "DON'T WORRY. WE'RE RELATED TO NONNA. NONNA WHITTLE."
Whittle is her married name so it equally has no meaning for these people. My parents approached a minute later and clarified the family connection and chatted for a while.
It's been three days and I can't get this house out of my head. I so don't have the capacity to deal with a massive remodel project over two hours away from where I live and I don't even know if anyone is interested in selling the place.
But, you guys.
My grandma.
The full moon.
Ghost bruises.
Are we sure I shouldn't look into this?
~It Just Gets Stranger
Do it!!!
ReplyDeleteWe're having the Stranger family reunion there, right? I already booked my flight so...
ReplyDeletePerfect idea - we can all help with the remodel!
DeleteExactly. I just came here to yell "SUMMER CAMP!!!!!"
DeleteI’m bringing s’mores and we can tie dye matching camp shirts!!
DeleteI mean, if a lawyer and a doctor can't have a weekend home in the gorgeous Idaho mountains to get away from the stress of living in Salt Lake City every now and then, well, then who can . . . ?
ReplyDeleteI love a lot of things about this post but the two I love the most:
ReplyDeleteNonetheneverthelesswithstanding. I'm using this phrase moving forward. I'll give you credit when appropriate Eli.
That BARN! OMG it's wonderful!
oh my god, have the wedding there!!!
ReplyDeleteBEST. IDEA. EVER!
DeleteI was TOTALLY going to say this, in fact, I expected that Eli was going to announce this. I'll even sit on Eli's side.
Deletei mean, doctor, lawyer, vacation home two hours away for those weekends when you want to get out of town, but still feel connected to where you go.
ReplyDeletedo it. just do it. make it a VRBO or airbnb when you're not there.
i love that the wood floor in that bedroom appears to be re purposed wood from a old basketball court. at least that's how i interpret the black and red markings on the boards,
ReplyDeleteTHAT'S what it is! I've been trying to figure out what was going on there!
DeleteAs a descendant of Danish immigrants, yikes.
ReplyDeletePLEASE buy that house. The moon story almost made me cry. I’m such a sucker for old houses with history.
Might as well start planning for retirement now! My grandpa sold their home to the neighbor without asking any of us if we wanted to buy it. He built that home out of cinderblocks with his own two hands, it's the only house I know visiting GRMA and GRPA. If it came on the market, I'd sell a kidney to buy it with no hesitation. It's 11 hours away, overlooking the Columbia River and Blue Bridge in Kennewick, Wa but that house needs to be back in my family!! So if the cousins are willing to part with it, I say make the investment!!
ReplyDeleteMy husband's sweet grandma, Marco Keller, also grew up in Mink Creek. She would've been about your Grandma's age. I bet they knew each other! Such a pretty place. ❤
ReplyDeleteI'll ask her!
DeleteNonna's response text: "Yes, I vaguely remember a Marco Keller. If I remember correctly, she was a bit older than me and I think her mother was our Primary president for a while. Love you--let's go clubbin' soon."
DeleteMy husband's grandma lived there for years too. Ask about the Remys. I'm sure there are some great stories.
DeleteOn another note, I used to dream about my great-grandparents house in Logan. In real life, I had great memories there, but in my dreams there was an evil presence at the top of the stairs. A few years ago, I learned my sister had the same dreams. When the house went up for sale, I felt super driven to buy it. I was too late, but the seller told me she also felt an evil presence in the same spot the whole time she lived there. I hope someday I can buy the house and figure out the draw I feel to it.
Eli, have you told the story behind why you and your grandma say "let's go clubbin'" or "best clubbin' buddy"? If not, I'd love to hear.
Delete2 words: MONEY PIT.
ReplyDelete4 more words: YOU'LL NEVER TRAVEL AGAIN!
Mark, stop being a party pooper naysayer negative Nancy!
ReplyDeleteDo it and do it now.
Remember when you Skylar woke up screaming because he thought there was someone in the house. Now imagine that happening EVERY night. There's a ghost/intruder/murderer/random neighbor/relative in the house!
ReplyDeleteShhhhh. Think of the stories we will get! This is for us, not for his quality of sleep. (Amy Rose from a sleeping bag in a tent)
DeleteOf course you should do it! And let me tell you, if there's one thing that cousins always do, it's mishandle stuff like this. If you don't take charge on this house, I guarantee that the pushy, annoying cousin (there's always one of them) will botch it up.
ReplyDeleteBuy it. But it now. Steal it if you have to.
ReplyDeleteYou should squat there until it legally becomes yours. Eventually your cousins will just assume that you owned the whole time.
ReplyDeleteAnd also, we always called my Grandma Nona and I totally thought that was her first name until she died
ReplyDeleteHave you listened to this American Life episode mystery of loon lake... Or something like that... They just rebroadcast it. You should.
ReplyDelete