There’s been lots of construction in Oysterville the last few years — much of it centered in and around the historic old church.  But nothing has impressed me more that today’s sight at Tucker and Carol’s.  Wow!  At first it looked like a big, blue rainbow right over their house.  But then… I looked again.

What I was seeing was the immense chute arcing from the cement truck in their driveway over the house and into their backyard.  Without the space to drive the truck to the back, it was the only way to do the upgrade to their existing firepit.  That involved incorporating the huge rocks of the original firepit and making a cement surround wide enough to accommodate comfortable seating as you roast your hotdogs marshmallows.  It will be fantastic!  And right in time to get “broken in” before the Regatta Dinner in late August.

Tucker’s Grandparents Van Fleet, Arthur Nelson, n Brothers Dan and Doug at Camp Tagum

I don’t remember when the original firepit went in behind the cabin — probably shortly after Tucker and Carol bought the place from another Wachsmuth family member.  Maybe in the late seventies, eighties?  I’m not sure. What I am fairly certain about is that Wachsmuth firepits harken back to the days at Camp Tagum at Sherwood Forest up by Leadbetter Point.  That’s where Tucker and his two older brothers spent a lot of their summer vacations when they were kids, camping out with their mom and dad and with various family members and friends.

They’ve carried on that tradition with their own kids and friends and now, grandkids, right here in their own back yard in Oysterville.   Long, lazy summer evenings poking sticks in the fire, telling old  stories, singing songs.  Sometimes the younger set sleeps out near the firepit — under the stars or in tents, depending on the weather.  New generations making summer memories.  And surely one of those memories will be “the time the blue rainbow was over Oma’s and Opa’s house.”