taken on 110625
Dearest Lake,
Upon your sugar shoulders I’ve toddled,
chased minnows in your shallows, dug
for clams with growing, waterlogged feet.
I’ve squealed, held on on you in ski-boat
donuts. My friend had a keep-dry wrap;
her hand healing from a barb wired fence.
Never far from you, with innumerable rides,
drives, innertubes, sailboats; your exhales
casting fishy seaweed stench into our noses,
that wrinkle them as they fill laughing lungs.
Whatever the vehicle, we meander home,
our feet, blankets, bags, swimsuits carry
some of you with us. Memories most.
You’ve been a lifetime love of me and mine.
Thank you, my friend, for the good times.
Yours,
taken on 110625.
you can see a red and white marker to the left,
which starts the channel leading into Lake Michigan
Tao Talk 
I have never had the pleasure to live in the vicinity of a lake like this, Lisa. It looks and sounds so welcoming. A fitting tribute to a location which obviously is near…and dear…to you.😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lake and summer are intertwined here, and summer is so short. Thanks, Bruce.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lisa, Mrs. B is a summer person also, and she has been trying to extend it as long as possible this year (as usual!). She feels the same…summer too short!🌞
LikeLiked by 1 person
:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
A beautiful poem Li.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sadje, thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome
LikeLiked by 1 person
Remembrance and reverence, signed, sealed and delivered!
LikeLiked by 1 person
:) Thanks, Brendan!
LikeLike
I had a lovely visit to your lake many years ago with my husband, who grew up in Royal Oaks, Michigan. I’m about to depart for a month on Lake Bacalar in Quintana Roo–far from your lake of lovely memories, but hope to make a few of my own. Thanks for sharing your memories, Lisa.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I went to a Cake concert in Royal Oak many moons ago now. Nice, friendly community.
Just looked at a map of where you are going. Another paradise! How far is that from Lake Chapala? Hoping you share pics and stories of your adventures there.
Happy to share the memories.
LikeLike
About 1,200 miles.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m fairly sure I’ll share pics, Lisa…ha.
LikeLiked by 1 person
:)
LikeLike
I had to keep remembering that this was a freshwater lake and not the sea, Li – but your evocative descriptions show that a beach is a beach whether the water is fresh or salty…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed, Andrew.
LikeLike
This really hit me Lisa… we used to go to Panama City every summer and your poem really tells it all… loved the first line “Upon your sugar shoulders I’ve toddled”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy it brought back those memories for you, Max. I think we are all Water Babies housed in bags of skin.
LikeLiked by 1 person
lol…yes we are!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the memories. From early June camping with no running water as a young child, when a bath meant in the lake, to teen years spent either skiing (if I could afford gas) or just using the boat as a raft in the middle of the lake. I guess I should put on my jacket and go for a walk along the lakeshore now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome, Steve. Water, the giver of life and fun in the sun. Rustic camping breeds character, I think. One thing my fam wasn’t into, probably because we camped near the water in our homes. My grandparents lived in home cobbled together from 7 small cabins that were hauled up the hill from Mona Lake. A home like theirs will never be again.
Yes, I think you should.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lisa, the first [beautiful] line of this love letter set the tone for what followed … Sighs all the way round from my corner of the world.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Helen, thanks so much. I’m sure you have beautiful lakes around where you live also.
LikeLike
I am a fan of Lake Michigan and I love this tribute to “a lifetime love” of yours. I loved reading about your happy times ✨🩵✨
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lisa, so glad you did and that you are a fan of Lake MI.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a lovely, memory-laden poem, Lisa. I can tell the lake is important to you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Steve. Couldn’t imagine living away from fresh water lakes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome. Being near water is good for the soul.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautifully written, Lisa. What great memories you carried home with you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks much, Dwight. Yes, indeed. Memories to cherish in a childhood that often wasn’t very happy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is wonderful, Lisa. I can feel your love of the beach and water through every line.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Dale. I know you can relate to this, where you live.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed… Mind you, a river is different from a lake/beach but still.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Question: is the water in the river fresh or salt? Isn’t it the St. Lawrence Seaway? I’ve always wondered about that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Where I am, there is no salt but as you go down to Quebec City and further it gets saltier and saltier until it empties into the ocean.
LikeLiked by 1 person
OK, good to know. One more question and I promise I’ll stop. Is this river part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and if so, do you see a lot of people traveling it on sail or other types of boats? A guy I used to work with and his wife did some kind of circuit where they traveled the seaway and ended up in FL.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t be shy. I love that you are curious!
I actually supply the guides for the cruises that come up the seaway to the Great Lakes (when they stop in Toronto. And yes, the seaway flows into the St-Lawrence which flows into the sea. We have Victory Cruise Lines as well as two ships from Viking (they are the ones I supply the guides for). Sometimes ships coming into Montreal come through the Seaway and are delayed at the locks. Fun stuff.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Dale, thank you for educating me on it. Maybe one day I will get to visit the fair city of Montreal. I visited Toronto once, back in 2001, and was agog at it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you do, you must let me know. I’m a pretty good tour guide, I’ve been told!
LikeLiked by 1 person
:) <3
LikeLiked by 1 person
💞
LikeLiked by 1 person
The water calls to us. So much happiness in these words. (K)
LikeLiked by 1 person
You didn’t make it to the beach this past summer with your family did you?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes we did. And we’re already planning for next summer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry, my memory isn’t what it used to be. Happy to hear it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s always a welcome break.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I enjoyed your letter to a lake, Lisa, the internal rhyme of ‘minnows in your shallows’, and the many ways the lake has kept you amused.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks much, Kim, glad you enjoyed it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome, Lisa.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can see why this lake deserves an ode. Lovely words, Lisa 🤍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nina, thanks so much <3
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome, Lisa!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is a beautiful body of water. It looks so peaceful. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is fairly peaceful, you’re right. It can get choppy at times but not bad. Lake Michigan, that it connects to, is another story. I prefer this lake for watercraft.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve heard things about Lake Michigan, so I believe you. 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
A beautiful ode to the Lake I hope you may long enjoy it
LikeLiked by 1 person
Marja, I surely hope so. Thank you.
LikeLike
A lake is so much all the activities it invites you to do… good to see your address to it… (the ending made me think that it is a farewell, which i hope it is not)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it is. It’s a blank slate of beauty that invites you in. I don’t foresee leaving this place beyond an occasional vacation, but with the political mayhem…
LikeLike