Writer's Block: Summer Break
How did you spend summers when you were a kid?
I always remember the lake. right around the time I started kindergarten, the family would move the entire household about thirty miles northeast of town to a large freshwater lake (about five miles long and a couple miles across at the widest). they actually bought a cottage on an island that sat about one-half mile off the west shore and a mile from the south shore. our cottage was in the middle of a cove on the west side. the island had a total of about twenty houses around the perimeter.
it was only livable from spring to early fall (being SW Michigan). we lived out there for the summer. we had boxes and about thirty striped canvas bags to carry things in. early memories included swimming, sailing, skiing, reading, cards, board games, puzzles, building forts in the trees, exploring/playing in the abandoned Rec center in the center of the island (maybe 100 years ago it was a youth/religious camp. I helped put in the dock when I was older. my dad was one of the parents who took care of a raft (about 20-feet square) that was anchored in the cove. I also remember him acting as contractor to add a master bedroom to the ground floor.
when I was twelve I started going to Boy Scout summer camp for one week. and a couple years later I took a series of week to ten day trips with groups of thirty or so Scouts. Philmont Scout Ranch in the Sangre de Christo mountains, the Grand Tetons, Matagammon Adventure Area (another BSA area), the Florida Keys. my troop was large -- about 100 scouts, plus the various assistant scoutmasters. we did an annual 'garage sale' in a skating rink, owned a bus and truck.
I always remember the lake. right around the time I started kindergarten, the family would move the entire household about thirty miles northeast of town to a large freshwater lake (about five miles long and a couple miles across at the widest). they actually bought a cottage on an island that sat about one-half mile off the west shore and a mile from the south shore. our cottage was in the middle of a cove on the west side. the island had a total of about twenty houses around the perimeter.
it was only livable from spring to early fall (being SW Michigan). we lived out there for the summer. we had boxes and about thirty striped canvas bags to carry things in. early memories included swimming, sailing, skiing, reading, cards, board games, puzzles, building forts in the trees, exploring/playing in the abandoned Rec center in the center of the island (maybe 100 years ago it was a youth/religious camp. I helped put in the dock when I was older. my dad was one of the parents who took care of a raft (about 20-feet square) that was anchored in the cove. I also remember him acting as contractor to add a master bedroom to the ground floor.
when I was twelve I started going to Boy Scout summer camp for one week. and a couple years later I took a series of week to ten day trips with groups of thirty or so Scouts. Philmont Scout Ranch in the Sangre de Christo mountains, the Grand Tetons, Matagammon Adventure Area (another BSA area), the Florida Keys. my troop was large -- about 100 scouts, plus the various assistant scoutmasters. we did an annual 'garage sale' in a skating rink, owned a bus and truck.