Summers On the Water

Summer is such a wonderful season to spend outdoors and with family and friends.

Though I have never been a fan of hot weather, I am a fan of water. Growing up my family owned a cottage on a little lake in Southern Michigan. We would travel to Michigan almost every weekend, if not every other. Our summer cottage was right on the lake and though small it seemed like the perfect getaway and the best weekend memories were spent in that cabin.

Every summer when we arrived the entire cottage felt dirty and smelled musty, there were mouse droppings all over the place, but despite a lot of dirt and grime, it meant summer had arrived. I loved the time spent in that cottage. The clean up was quick and painless and the memories are lifetime. We would play outside by the waters edge, in the water, on the boat and all over the neighborhood.

My sister and I would search for shells and frogs, fish and laze around all day. We cooked on the grill most evenings and sat by the water in the moonlight. We didn't have a lot of friends in that area during the summer, we just didn't need them. The water offered a host of possibilities for girls with imaginations.

Now as an adult, my family lives on the Lake. Though our house isn't directly on it, we are but five minutes from water anywhere around us.

Our family purchased a boat this summer, our first. It has afforded my children the same blessings of discovery the lake cottage gave me as a child. We spend most weekends and many evenings tooling around the local waters and enjoying the scenery.

We often dock at a small deserted beach to let the kids swim and explore. They collect rocks and shells, marvel at the fish and other wildlife and I smile. It's those memories I know they will cherish when they grow up.

In the summer there is no better place to be than on the water.