Eternal Summer #1 - The Lake

Woman Lake, 1980, Photo by T. Rummelhoff

"Going to the lake" is a summer ritual here in Minnesota, land of 10,000. Whether it is a short trip to one of the Minneapolis lakes or a week long expedition to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness along the Canadian border, summer and water are inextricably bound together here- making up for the lack of an ocean (although Lake Superior is pretty big.) Even when we were young and poor we usually managed a getaway, if only for the week-end. Yes, there was drinking, but the stronger drug was the lake itself, the smell of the fresh water and the spell of the hypnotic waves, taking us far away from the city and its lurid excitements.

This year, for various reasons, I've missed out (although if we get much more rain, the lake will come to me.) There still is a chance, maybe in October; no swimming then, but still very attractive in its own way.