Here in Maine, there's this thing called "camp." Basically, if you live here long enough (or if you're from out of state but close enough) you have a cottage somewhere. They are not typically not 4-season homes, but sometimes they are. The best ones are on a lake somewhere -- there is no shortage of lakes here in Maine -- and traditional camps are not McMansions (or even McCabins). They are small homes, furnished with hand-me-down furniture. They are rustic, but there's electricity and running water, and besides: the point is to be outside.
One of the partners at my law firm has a camp not too far from where we live. It has been in his family since the mid-1980s, and sits right on a lake. They host a mostly-annual* company outing every-ish summer, and this year's outing was yesterday.
Mick couldn't attend, but the kids and I went. Here are some of the cell phone snapshots I captured.
We don't have a camp (yet), but Mick has wanted one since forever. If this is what summer is like, and the memories our kids will make, I am all in. Where do I sign?
--Jen
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My brave girl didn't take long to get comfortable enough to jump from the back of the pontoon boat! |
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...again and again! |
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The kids had never been in a kayak before in their lives. They mastered it. WHM kayaked on his own for well over an hour. |
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The water was clear and warm and shallow for a good bit. The lake's topology is basically shallow around the perimeter for about 100 feet (well, give-or-take) into the center, and then drops off in the middle like a canyon. It's a giant lake, and the shallow perimeter makes for ample safe swimming areas that don't ever get old. |
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Clear across from "our" camp is a private beach owned by an elderly lady. For years, it has been marked on a giant boulder "Keep off Beach," but historically she hasn't policed it except for rowdy groups. We let the kids play for a few minutes and then headed to the middle for jumping. |
* in three summers of the firm's existence, there have been two summer outings. Last summer we didn't have one because schedules got too crazy.