For the love of lakes

A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.

~Henry David Thoreau





A bad day of fishing is better than a good day of work. ~Author Unknown



Seems like the summer is going by so fast! Didn't it just get here? Long hours at work and school stuff has made me a dull girl but never fear....I have my escape planned. Next weekend we are heading to the cabin and having a family party. One thing I am most looking forward to is sitting in my adirondack chair and looking at my lake. Also....seeing Greg try to take Scout for a walk again.....ha,ha!

Things I never tire of at the log cabin...

Some of the things I never tire of at the log cabin....

Kayaking on a calm lake...





Seeing my favorite Loons and hearing their haunting calls....






Humilating my animals by putting them in a ridiculous dress and entering them into a doggy parade......but that's another story....

Lake Responsibility

In front of our log home, you can see we have some marshland before we are able to reach the lake. One of our friends asked "how will you reach the lake?" This is a good question. When our log home was being constructed, the builder had to put up tarping around the perimeter to prevent erosion of the shore. This marshland supports a great variety of wildlife which I want to continue to preserve. As I look around the lake, I notice about 50% of the homes have a nice green lawn in front. I am hoping they don't fertilize that lawn as that will run off into the lake and stimulate algae growth. There are a couple cottages that appear to have some "trimming" of the marsh area so their dock has a clean shot into the lake. What's funny is when the city sent someone out to check on our construction and they were telling me in no uncertain terms what I could do and not do with my lake shore and they had a clear view of a few of my neighbors who clearly did not follow the rules. Perhaps they were grandfathered in? Regardless, I do believe in a responsibility to the lake. We are looking into an elevated dock that will go above the plants and hopefully preserve the area well enough. I am also calling the DEQ today for additional suggestions and hope to share with you soon. (And likewise, if you have any experiences and suggestion based on above, please share them - thank you!)

Also, here's a link to 'Great Lakes Blogger' who discusses the environmental issues with the Great Lakes. Well worth a visit! http://daviddempsey.typepad.com/

History of Our Log Cabin Site

I love historical photos and was especially interested to know the history of the town where our log cabin is being built. We are technically in the city of Waters, but have a Gaylord address. In the late 1800's, the town was originally established as Bradford Lake. It was later renamed Waters. The White Pines and hardwoods of Bradford Lake attracted the numerous lumber mills that were established in the city in the late 1800's. The pictures above depict the lumber workers and log cabins from this area. I had the Otsego County Historical museum scan some old photos for me from this era. I am going to frame and hang them in our log cabin as a history reminder.