Along the lake

One morning in the mountains, I decided to wander along the shore of the lake, weaving in and out of the trees that grow right up to the edge. Many of the lake-front camps were closed for the season; it’s already pretty cold in the mountains. I didn’t hesitate to walk out on docks or follow paths that led onto private property. I have a back-up plan that I follow whenever I’m caught trespassing: I just introduce myself and ask a million questions, and the next thing you know, I’m deep into a great conversation. I’ve met lots of cool people while I’m out with my camera.

I wandered along little beaches, and across some docks, and around boat houses and cottages, and through little sections of pine woods. Eventually I came to the cluster of buildings run by the YMCA. The main building has a long porch filled with rocking chairs, where local people and visitors can sit in the sun while they look out at the lake. The grounds of the place were quiet – I think some of the cottages were locked up for the season – but there were still hanging baskets of flower on the porch, where an old man in a rocking chair was telling a friend about a fish he’d caught many years ago in this very lake.