Black Lake, Cheboygan County, Michigan
Investing in Family Memories
As you consider the investment that you are about to make in a boat, I would like to give you an idea of what else you are investing in. You are investing in family memories that will last a lifetime and if you have small children, all the better. I am soon to be fifty years old, yet I remember the family vacations at Black Lake in northern Michigan vividly.
At only four years old, Black Lake dominates my childhood conversations. Our family only spent a couple weeks there a year but for me this was my home away from home.
They call it “Black Lake”. It is not exactly synonymous with its name. It is a beautiful lake hidden amongst evergreen trees, dirt roads and sand dunes. The water is so clear you can see the rocks on the bottom.
The wood frame cottage dubbed “Dun Roven”, is as quaint inside as it is on the outside. The inside of our cottage is complete with creaky wooden floors. The furniture is hand-hewn pine. Out the kitchen window, you can see the lake through the blue gingham curtains. In the morning, we wake up to the smell of our mom making blueberry pancakes. For me, it is just another great day of adventure at the lake.
I can smell the pine needles breaking beneath my little feet as I walk to the old wood dock. They are loading the boats, preparing for the day’s fun of boating and skiing on Black Lake. Mom, Dad and Kids board the boat. The engine revs up. We’re off for another great day on the lake. To this day when I catch the scent of gasoline mixed with water it takes me back to these times.
When we get to the appointed swimming spot, I jump right off the boat in to the lake. After swim time and watching my dad ski we head back to the cabin. The sound of the boats motor makes me sleepy. I crawl up in to the bow of the boat and fall asleep on top of a pile of orange life jackets.
As the sun goes down, we gather in the dark, cool night around the fire surrounded by blacken rocks. We roast marshmallows in the fire's amber chambers. Judy teaches us a fun song about Goldilocks and the three bears. Children giggle for a while but then get quiet as the activities of the day catch up with their small bodies. The popping of the fire, light conversation and the lapping of the lake water along the shore are the sounds of the night. I drift off to sleep in my mother's arms.
For me, this all seems like another time and a world away but... your time is now. Invest in it.
