The Gypsy Caravan 2023

Friday, August 14, 2020

Postcards from the Lake: Eulahberries

My lake friend, Eulah, was one of my Ladies of the Lake. My cottage and her home were separated by a vacant lot where the Bad Neighbors now live. And that lot was filled with blue gold!


Every summer we celebrated the arrival of what we called Eulahberries -- tiny huckleberries, ripe for the picking.


It was easier picking those wee berries when we had shorter legs! The older we got, the harder it was. But the payoff was good. During a good berry summer, we'd end up with enough for cereal and to make Eulahberry bread!

Now there is a big, hideous house on Eulah's lot. They tore down all the trees and paved a driveway large enough to land a helicopter on. They are not lake people. They just live on one.


Eulah, and her husband Bill, are turning over in their graves. And alas, the days of Eulahberry bread are long past. Just sweet memories.

43 comments:

  1. Lovely story..so sad when people leave us ..and she would have been shocked re her land..I remember that story..:(

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  2. Your photos of huckleberries brought back fond memories of my days at the lake when we'd sort and clean those berries while sitting at a picnic table. Once sorted my mom would bake pies, still one of my favorites.

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  3. Hello,

    Pretty photo of you and Eulah. I am always sad to see lots cleared, I am sorry you have to put up with this bad neighbor now. Eulah is missed, she would be sad too. I have a blueberry bread recipe I love, it is so easy to make. Take care! Enjoy your day, wishing you a great weekend.

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  4. I don't think I've ever had a huckleberry - only remembering the old Huckleberry Hound show as a kid. It never dawned on me that there are huckleberries! HaHa sill me.

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  5. Summer Love Notes is such a good place to go this morning! So sad about the property, crazy! I suppose those pirates live there year round, they should , having caused so much damage- what a shock. I did not know about huckleberries, their miniature size and tartness. Beautiful little berry but probably would not feed a bear.

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  6. Beautiful memories. I have been living off blueberries, yogurt and plums this week, not bad at all. Hugs, Valerie

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  7. Reminds me of an elderly farmer at the local farmers market who had boxes of berries and everyone seemed to go by and look inquiringly or ask if they were blackberries, and he kept repeating “them’s Huckeberries” ...
    be well,
    mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  8. Lovely pics of you, Eulah and Eulahberries:)
    Enjoy the weekend.

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  9. Reminds me of an old friend from years ago, now long since departed, from Scaramento, CA. Her favourite bird was Black Phoebe and she would rhapsodize every time we saw one. It soon became known as Ellen's Phoebe, and that is how Miriam and I still refer to it.

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  10. What a lovely thing, to name the berries after your dear friend {and sorry you also have bad neighbours, it spoils a lot}

    Deb in Wales

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  11. That is such a lovely photograph of you and Eulah, and the Eulahberries sound very good.

    We've been enjoying blueberries recently, nice served simply with with Greek yoghurt or double (heavy) cream!

    My good wishes, have a happy weekend.

    All the best Jan

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  12. These memories make a wonderful story of remembrance, Jeanie. When you bake the bread now, even using blueberries, I know you remember Eulah. I had a friend who lived to 104 with clear mind. What stories she could tell! On the day she died, she still celebrated cocktail hour.

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  13. Jeanie, I love that happy smile of yours. I know the dear lady meant a lot to you. Sad about just razing things without truly thinking of how things will look. Having money , doesn't mean one has sense. We call that more money than brains. I did like reading of your sweet friend. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie

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  14. When I was a kid, there was a huckleberry bush on the way to my friend's house. It grew at the edge of the woods just above the river. Such a treat.

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  15. Mmmmm.... huckleberries & happy memories -- may you enjoy many of both! (and may they help mitigate the strain of unpleasant neighbors.)

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  16. Oh, yum!!! I have never met a berry I didn't like. On my way to check out your other post about Eulah's berries. <3 She looks like a sweet neighbor...

    Happy Friday and weekend to you,
    Barb :)

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  17. First I have heard the name Eulah . . .
    A gem, wasn’t she . . .
    Eulah bread sounds delicious . . . blueberries it will be . . .

    McMansion in the middle of the cottages . . .
    A forest removed . . .
    Sad . . .

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  18. I haven´t seen our neighbour W this week, the more it´s nice to see you care, too ❤
    Hope when we are "old" - define, that, huh, we have someone, too...
    Nice pics. Oh. I do feel really old now.

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  19. I wonder if huckleberries are what sometimes are called wild blueberries? I've had some "wild blueberry" jam from American Spoon that's full of berries so tiny I hardly could believe it. I smiled to see your friend's name, too. My mother's first name was Eula -- no 'h'. She absolutely hated it, and went by her middle name her whole life. Suddenly, I couldn't remember, so I looked in my photos -- sure enough, that hated 'Eula' isn't on her gravestone, either!

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  20. You are fortunate to have had these ladies in your life. How amazing to live to 103. I’m sorry about the bad neighbors.

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  21. Eulah sounds like a lovely lady! Thanks for sharing. And we call those huckleberries low bush native blueberries here in NH. Or at least I think they are the same thing. And the BEST blueberries to eat. Or make into a pie like a did a couple of weeks ago. Now I'm really curious about what's a blueberry and what's a huckleberry. Happy weekend! hugs-Erika

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  22. Good neighbors are priceless ~ you can see the closeness of the friendship in this photo so clearly. The berries look just like blueberries ~ do the taste different? I'll have to pop over and read the other post :)

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  23. Great pose...I love blueberries but have never had a huckleberrie. HAHA...I have found that I am learning more and more of things I did not know about till hitting 60!! haha

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  24. Such a sadness after reading Summer Notes (which I didn't know about) but what completely lovely memories of a good friend.

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  25. You must miss your lovely neighbour, but you will always remember the good times you had together.
    Have a lovely weekend Jeanie and enjoy the Eulahberry bread :)

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  26. Jeanie, this made me so sad. I know you were truly heartbroken. Loved hearing about your friends and you must miss them. Thanks for the recipe, I have blueberries in the fridge.

    Enjoy these remaining summer days. Happy weekend!

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  27. What a wonderful memory. I miss my neighbor so much. After she lived there, her house was bought by a church, and one night the house caught on fire and burned to the ground. We were glad she wasn't living there then, glad no one was. It's just two acres of trees and grass now.

    I've never eaten a huckleberry. Sounds awfully good.

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  28. What a wonderful memory. I miss my neighbor so much. After she lived there, her house was bought by a church, and one night the house caught on fire and burned to the ground. We were glad she wasn't living there then, glad no one was. It's just two acres of trees and grass now.

    I've never eaten a huckleberry. Sounds awfully good.

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  29. What a wonderful memory. I miss my neighbor so much. After she lived there, her house was bought by a church, and one night the house caught on fire and burned to the ground. We were glad she wasn't living there then, glad no one was. It's just two acres of trees and grass now.

    I've never eaten a huckleberry. Sounds awfully good.

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  30. What a sad story. Your neighbor would be saddened.

    I miss my neighbor, too. She and her husband had made a gentleman's agreement with the church on the other side of their house to sell their home to the church but to be able to live there as long as they lived. The church had a new pastor and when the property was paid for, the church forced Mrs. Lawrence to move. Shocking to us. Later, though, the house caught on fire and burned to the ground. We were glad then that Mrs. Lawrence had had to move.

    The little berries look beautiful.

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  31. All the ladies sound so wonderful. I am so sad all those tress were cut down for a huge mansion that seems so out of place in such a beautiful spot. So much for wonderful history. Thank you for sharing.

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  32. This picture of you and your friend is so so cute! Hope your weekend is going well. It's hot and muggy here. We've been busying ourselves with house chores and projects. We walk in the evenings but it's just so hot and humid, our walks are very SLOW AND OVER QUICK. LOL

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  33. I loved reading this story about your dear friend. I am sure she would rollover in her grave if she could see her old lot now. How sad. :(

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  34. I have always wondered what huckleberries are and now I know! That is a sweet, sweet photograph of you and your friend. We lost an elderly friend earlier this year. She had been a friend and mentor to me for the 20 years I had lived here. I was really sad to lose her. In the meantime life goes on. 2020 is not the year I was expecting for sure! xoxo

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  35. It must be so sad and frustrating to have the bad neighbor where there were blueberries...Sweet you neighbor...Makes me think of an Elizabeth Berg novel...or Fannie Flagg...

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  36. What a sweet picture of you and your friend, Jeanie. I've always wanted to taste huckleberries. The word has a very special meaning to me. Huckleberry bread sounds Yummy.

    ~Sheri

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  37. Gosh have not heard of huckleberries in such along time. Janice

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  38. That is one berry I've never met that I remember. I know you wish the bad neighbor had not taken the lot when you seen time picking those berries. Such a sweet neighbor, and love the pic of you two. I love the name, huckleberry.......

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  39. Maybe you can use an impact crusher

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  40. I loved reading about Eulah. I didn't love reading about the McMansion going up.

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