The lake. A place, that, until you come and visit or have a place to 'get away' in your own life, you just don't get it. For the past 15 summers, my family and I have been fortunate to be able to spend a number of weeks every summer in N.E. Indiana, relatively close to where I grew up. It's where my husband and our boys and I have always been able to go and just get away and "be". Things are slower, quieter and just plain simpler there. When the boys were little, we would leave our home in Louisville the day after school let out and return the day before it was to start back up. None of their friends could wrap their heads around the fact that we did that. "What do you DO all summer?", they would ask...and then they would come visit for a few days, and then they "got it".
There's just something about being around water that has always been a happy place for me. I am so lucky to live around water and such beauty both in Alaska and at our little lake place. I hope that has been ingrained in our boys and they will continue to try to make it back to spend time as they begin their busy adult lives in the next few short years. These days, the boys come up from school, the dogs and I pack up and fly down from Alaska, and we all converge on Lake George to start our summer! Upon arriving, usually in early to mid June, there is always a lot of work to do to get everything opened up and ready to go. Once all of that is finished, it is time to play, ski, tube, chill out, read, go for a run or a lazy pontoon cruise. Cook outs and cornhole tournaments are the most "planned" activities for the most part. We have a lot of friends on the lake who our kids have grown up with over the years. It is so bittersweet to watch them all growing up and becoming adults themselves. One of the best things is that they all still seem to enjoy being kids and riding bikes to each other's houses and hanging out together.
As my kids are beginning to do "grown up" stuff - internships, studying abroad, etc., I have had way more time on my hands and many more opportunities to get out with my camera and actually take my time to explore and seek out things that catch my eye or to go check out things I may have seen at another time that looked interesting. It will always be a special place full of fond memories and hopefully many more will continue to unfold.
The Serenity Project is a collaborative photography project featuring words and images from several amazing artists that in some way, bring them encouragement or a sense of peace and calm and it is our hope that the feeling is conveyed and passed on to you. Please continue the circle by going to Lori McLellan, Calgary, Alberta Photographer's page to find out what she has to share this month.