Lunch at the lake

The snow is gone, green is bursting out everywhere, and the sun was shining, so my parents and I drove to out to the lake, to the bar/restaurant where we often eat lunch. It’s the same building where my husband and I had our wedding reception, more than 25 years ago. We’ve got lots of lakes in Snowstorm Region, but this lake is the largest one that’s entirely in the state. It’s 21 miles long and five miles wide. The native people in the area called it White Water Lake, and as we drove along the shoreline, it was easy to see why. A strong wind swept across the lake, kicking up whitecaps.

We stopped at a marina that isn’t open for the season yet so that I could walk out onto the piers and take some pictures. My mother reminisced about the time we were all sailing on the lake, my family and Picnic Family, four adults and six small kids on a small sailboat, and we got caught in some rough weather. I was pretty young, and I don’t even remember the incident. But my mother remembers it vividly. “We were planning out who would grab which kids if we capsized. It was terrifying.”

The restaurant on White Water Lake has big windows that look out over the lake, so we sat in the sun, safely sheltered from the wind and enjoyed our meal. I always think of my father’s friend, Drumming Grandfather, when we’re at this restaurant because one time we all ate here together while they celebrated their birthdays. They’re both 79, with birthdays the same week in February, and they’ve been friends since high school. My mother told me the latest news about Drumming Grandfather. A widower, he’s been reunited with a high school friend, and they’re dating, together after 60 years apart.

We talked lazily as we watched a boat out on the lake try to make its way up the lake, bouncing up and crashing down onto big waves. “It makes me seasick just watching,” I said. I don’t get seasick on sailboats and canoes, but motorboats are a different story. My father and I reminisced about the many times we’d gone sailing on White Water Lake. We used to bring Kindergarten Friend sometimes or Outdoor Girl.

The wind was dying down a bit as we left. The sunshine was warm as we got back into the car, me carrying my leftovers, and drove back to my parents’ house, with my father pointing out landmarks from his childhood as we went.