Living a cabin life

Many homeowners find the tasks of home maintenance challenging. Painting, weeding, repairing, replacing, cleaning – chores may seem endless. For folks who also own a lake home, envied as they may be, that challenge of keeping up with housework is doubled.

“It takes a lot of work and organization,” said Lisa Marks. She and her husband, Gary, have owned a cottage on the east side of Lake Coeur d’Alene for 21 years. Through trial and error they’ve learned to simplify the work of owning two homes to better enjoy each of them.

Marks keeps a master food list in a three-ring binder. The list is organized by dry/canned ingredients, cold foods, breads and perishables. At the beginning of summer she takes her master list to the grocery store and stocks her lake kitchen. She buys large sized spices and divides them into smaller containers. This also helps eliminate duplicate tins of spices getting past their prime on her kitchen shelves.

Amy Harter, who’s owned a home on the Pend Oreille River with her husband, Rick, for five years, has a similar system. “We make a big Costco run at the beginning of summer and stock up,” she said.

Mary Manteuffel does it differently. She and her husband, Eldon, have owned a home on Deer Lake, Wash., for 10 years. “I pack up my whole kitchen,” she said. Why? Well, she doesn’t plan on doing much cooking in town during the summer, so she takes everything to the lake.

In addition to a food list, Marks’ notebook contains favorite summer recipes and a list of sample menus. She likes to prepare salads at home and take them to the lake. “I want to enjoy my guests, not spend all my time in the kitchen,” she said.

Ken and Margie Brown have enjoyed their home on Loon Lake, Wash., for 13 years. Margie mixes the dry ingredients for cakes or muffins and stores them in airtight containers. When she gets to the lake all she has to do is add the liquid ingredients and bake.

Some families swear by color-coding. The plastic storage containers and casseroles Marks uses at the lake all have green or blue lids. If one ends up in her kitchen in town, she knows to return it to the lake. Manteuffel has six grandchildren who spend a lot of time at Deer Lake. They bought family members their own color of drinking glass, which saves time washing dishes and money on paper cups.

The Marks’ family has a lake bin. The Browns have a lake basket. They both serve the same purpose – a catchall for items going back to town or to the lake. Marks keeps her cabin notebook in the bin; that way she always has it with her.

Before leaving town, homeowners make sure their sprinkler and alarm systems are set. Timer activated lights are also a good investment, and Brown recommends buying a locking mailbox if you don’t have neighbors to pick up your mail.

“Leave your home the way you want it when you come back,” said Marks. Both Gary, Lisa and their kids, 15-year-old Trevor and 17-year-old Cambrie, all have designated jobs to make getting out of town faster. “I’m in charge of vacuuming and mowing,” said Trevor. Cambrie wipes down counters and cleans the baths. Having the family pitch in makes the transition smoother and more enjoyable for everyone.

Once at the lake, everyone seems to agree that casual entertaining is the way to go.

“Keep it relaxed,” Manteuffel said. “It’s a group effort.”

Marks isn’t shy about using paper plates. “They work great and make for easy clean-up.”

Disposable cameras abound on the Marks’ property for the guests to use. When the photos are developed, Marks places them in a special photo album, which she keeps in the lake bin.

With all the challenges of maintaining two homes, it’s the memories made at the lake that make the work worthwhile. “We don’t entertain every weekend because we like to have our own family time,” said Marks. “We’re all together and have somewhere special to go.”