Levi squeezed his fists tight at his side while Brandon’s arm around his waist held on firmly. “I told myself I’m not going to cry about this. We took all those photos, and I can look at them any time. This is the right thing to do. I’m sure Grandpa never intended it to be permanent anyway.”

The small demolition crew continued to swing sledgehammers into the walls of the little cabin and pull boards and logs down one by one. All of the furnishings were gone, and it was already only a shell of a building. It didn’t take long. The pile of discarded lumber grew, while the walls remaining looked less and less like a home.

Brandon said, “I’m sure both of your grandparents are looking down at you with pride. After all, you took care of the paintings well enough that only 6 out of 122 suffered damage beyond repair. That’s astounding, Levi. Grandma Dale’s legacy is assured.”

“I’m glad I didn’t sell them.”

“Me, too. The museum will make sure everyone can enjoy them, and we’ll get a big economic boost around here once the news spreads. Art experts and students from around the country will make the trek to the Northwoods. I can’t wait for one of our clients to say they found their way to Arrowhead Falls out of curiosity about Isabel Daley. We’ll take them to Lone Cedar Lake, and you can share stories.”

Levi said, “Oh, that reminds me. I’m taking my first group out solo next Tuesday. Kyle said that I’m ready, and I can’t wait. It’s a couple from the St. Louis area, too. I’ll bring my Cardinals T-Shirt just in case, you know, the company one gets wet or something.”

Brandon poked Levi playfully in the side. “You and your baseball fixation. Are you going to take me to a game sometime?”

“We should check and see if the Cardinals come to play the Twins during interleague play. I would love to take you to a game. We’ll eat hot dogs, drink beer, and sing ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game.’”

Both Brandon and Levi stood silently for a few moments while the crew continued to work. Brandon said, “It will be a little strange to have everything gone and an empty clearing in its place. We might have to come up here in a canoe from time to time and bring the sleeping bag to the clearing to relive old memories.”

“It’s not all going away. I made sure of that.”

Brandon gestured toward the buildings. “What do you mean? Both the cabin and the shed are half gone. Do you mean the stump where we chopped wood will be left behind? I wasn’t counting that since it’s a natural part of the forest.”

Levi shook his head. “No, I wasn’t thinking about that either. It’s the flowers. I specifically told them to be as careful as possible with the flower beds. They’re going to leave them behind.”

Brandon grinned. “Oh, that’s fantastic.” He pulled Levi closer. “We’ll have to come back here and check them out. Maybe we should even plant new seeds every spring in Grandma Daley’s memory. We can do that until the forest takes over.”

“I think that’s a perfect idea. When the blooms hit their peak, we can cut a bouquet and carry them back to Arrowhead Falls in the canoe. Grandma Daley would be proud of us.”

After a few more minutes of watching the crew work, Brandon asked, “Are you ready to go home?”

Levi nodded. “I think so. I like how that sounds.”

“How what sounds?”

“Home. You talked about us going home. You didn’t say going to your place. It’s our place now, and it is my home. When you’re there, it’s the most like home that I’ve ever known.”