The lake that I frequented throughout my childhood is called Sylvan Lake. It is about an hour's drive away from my house. It is where I have felt most at peace with myself.
The lake itself is no different than any other. It is a natural, fresh water lake that hosts a summer camp along with public and private beaches. My family had a bungalow in a community on one of the private beaches.
Artificial, white sand was put down every year at the shore in order to give the lake a more "beachy" atmosphere. Lots of young children including myself and my brother built sand castles and dug holes in that soft, smooth sand. The adults would sit under huge weeping willows trees that grew beautifully by the water.
The swimming area was divided into two sections. There was a deep section and a shallow section separated by a steel dock with green, felt padding covering it. As I grew older, the deep side became my favorite section because of its floating dock.
The floating dock was about a lap away from the steel dock that separated the two swimming sections, allowing it to float in deep water. I loved swimming out to the wooden, floating dock to sunbathe. It was a private place that I could get to by myself, which became more and more important as I grew older.
Sometimes I think about the floating dock and the lake and wonder if they look the same as they do in my memories. I've considered driving up to my lake many times to look but have never done it. I am afraid it might be too much of a blow to my happy memories.
The lake itself is no different than any other. It is a natural, fresh water lake that hosts a summer camp along with public and private beaches. My family had a bungalow in a community on one of the private beaches.
Artificial, white sand was put down every year at the shore in order to give the lake a more "beachy" atmosphere. Lots of young children including myself and my brother built sand castles and dug holes in that soft, smooth sand. The adults would sit under huge weeping willows trees that grew beautifully by the water.
The swimming area was divided into two sections. There was a deep section and a shallow section separated by a steel dock with green, felt padding covering it. As I grew older, the deep side became my favorite section because of its floating dock.
The floating dock was about a lap away from the steel dock that separated the two swimming sections, allowing it to float in deep water. I loved swimming out to the wooden, floating dock to sunbathe. It was a private place that I could get to by myself, which became more and more important as I grew older.
Sometimes I think about the floating dock and the lake and wonder if they look the same as they do in my memories. I've considered driving up to my lake many times to look but have never done it. I am afraid it might be too much of a blow to my happy memories.
