My friend and travel buddy is getting married in August, so last week we took advantage of our freedom and headed up to the Laurentians for two days.
“Two?!” you ask, incredulously. “That long drive up the Thruway for only two days’ vacation?” To that I answer, “Absolutely! This place and I go way back. It was worth every minute to see it again.”
We stayed at one of these rental sites (I highly recommend). For two days, we walked, swam, lounged at the water, and otherwise lived in the moment in total serenity. We kept our windows open wide to let in that clean mountain air all day. We sat on the dock and listened to the lake water lap up against the boats. We waded at the water’s edge and ducklings swam up to our toes. We rented a double kayak and I freaked out.
It’s been about ten years since my family spent a summer there. I knew I wanted to go back but was a little nervous about how I’d feel once I got there and saw how things had changed. I also didn’t want to be confronted by ghosts and that feeling of, man, I’m old. But once we got there, I realized, it doesn’t have to be the same to be special. I’m not the same, and neither is it. The warm feelings it evokes are still there and now I get to experience the same place in a new way (like in a rental with a hot tub and sauna). 😉
A thought on visiting a childhood haunt, with a friend — in the past I would have jealously guarded this place. Not wanted to share it with someone outside the inner circle of friends and family who always came here. Can you relate to that feeling? I think that when we’re young, our various “selves” are very compartmentalized in our minds: My school self. My camp self. My bungalow colony self. My family-time self. When someone from one compartment turns up in another, it feels somehow threatening (like meeting a classmate when you’re out with your grandparents). As we mature, we become more fully integrated into one whole. Who I am is who I am, and it’s okay to be in an old setting with new people. The way we see things won’t be damaged by another pair of eyes.
So here’s to idyllic days and nights, childhood memories, long drives and lazy days, and to filling the tank with lake water!
