Memories At The Lake

 

Sunset at Long Lake, Waupaca, WI.  Photo by Jerry Apps

There is something about a lake that has always attracted me.  I’m not a swimmer, never waterskied, never drove a powerboat—but did a considerable amount of canoeing as well as boot rowing over the years.  And fishing, oh how I enjoyed fishing.

When I was a kid, visiting a lake meant a few hours away from summer farm work to go fishing on a lake.  It usually happened on a rainy day when it was too wet to make hay, or shock grain, or cut corn, whatever the task at the time needed doing.

Lakes have been important for me in ways that go well beyond fishing. For twenty-five years I, along with one of my adult children, canoed the Boundary Water lakes of northern Minnesota.  Not only was it a way to enjoy the outdoors, the call of loons, and the quiet, but also it was a way to get to know my children in a special way.

Since 2002, Ruth and I and our three children and grandchildren have spent a week at a lake—for the last five years on Long Lake, one of the lakes in the famous Waupaca Chain O’ Lakes.  It is a way for the grandkids to get to know their cousins—they are scattered from San Diego to Denver and Minneapolis.  It is also a way for Ruth and me to watch the grandkids grow from babies into responsible young adults.

It is a lake that brings us together, this year 15 of us, for fun and adventure, for creating family togetherness and making life-long memories.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Lakes are important for many reasons—well beyond swimming, boating, and fishing.

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS AND DVDS

The Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library at Wild Rose have my books and DVDs for sale as a fundraising event.  Phone them at 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering or Email: barnard@wildroselibrary.org.  The address is 500 Division Street, Wild Rose, WI 54984.

For book lovers in western Wisconsin, stop at Ruth’s hometown, Westby and visit Dregne’s.  They have a great selection of my books.  Order them by calling 1-877-634-4414.