Throwback Thursday: Lake Winnipesaukee

Dear Em,
Most of my childhood summers were spent at Lake Winnipesaukee. When my aunt & uncle were first building a house there, we stayed in trailers & sheds. I remember being put to work during the building process, staining the house & helping in other ways (thinking about it now, I think my my & aunt were just trying to find ways to occupy three small children & still get work done). In those days, we showered at a nearby campground & washed dishes with a hose.

By the time my aunt & uncle's house was built, it was practically a castle to us. It felt so good to do things like use an indoor bathroom & shower without worrying that the water would run out before we had rinsed the shampoo from our heads. I remember working on Christmas crafts (my Aunt was a planner), putting on fashion shows & performances with my sisters (which were unfortunately video taped), rocking my newly born brothers to sleep, going blueberry picking in the woods next to the house, boating, swimming, & most of all, the rock.

My aunt & uncle had a motor boat & later a couple Sea Doos, but the row boat was more my mother's speed (& with 3-5 small children & a dog to look after, I'm understanding more & more why). She rowed us kids on the lake. I dipped my hands in the cool water, yearning to jump in. We would row out to an island, & tie up next to a large rock that acted like a beach. There we would spend the majority of the day swimming & sunning & eating & splashing. Through the years I began to look at it as my rock.

I left for college & stopped spending my summers at Lake Winnipesaukee, but this past weekend I got to return for the first time in ten years. I couldn't wait to share some of my favorite spots from my childhood with you. So much was exactly the same as I had left it, but there were a lot of changes too.

For instance, we never got around on a golf cart when I was growing up.

Mostly, everything was exactly as I remembered it. There was still a gang of people...& dogs.

There were peaceful walks (except when they involved me & my cousin Michaela competing to get the most steps).

There were plenty of toys to play with.

There was dessert.

There were Sea Doo rides with Uncle Mike.

Life jackets were still uncomfortable to swim in.

And there was my rock.

We spent amazing afternoons swimming & sunning & splashing. On our last day, you called it your rock. It made my heart unbelievably happy.

I love you so,

Mommy