We Are Going Back In September
We had the best week in a long time on Mirror Lake in a rustic cabin tucked up under the tall forest trees facing the water. I had not been to a camp since childhood, and this was my husband’s first time ever. The trip was over an hours drive through some dicey country roads no thanks to our GPS. We spent our first night in one cabin but it had plumbing issues so we were moved to another the next morning that we loved even better. The view was fantastic and it brought memories flooding back of summer visits to my great grandmothers camp on Sebago Lake in Maine. The owners had even hung a cute hand written sign by the entrance wishing us a Happy Anniversary. More images of our trip can be found on my Instagram.
The second cabin was better than our first. It had a full basic kitchen, living area, two bedrooms, a bathroom with a shower, and a wonderful window porch with a breathtaking view of Mirror Lake. We unknowingly had booked the cabin during one of the hottest weeks and the camps do not have air conditioning, but were supplied with more than one fan which helped at night. As much as we both love the hot weather, I have a difficult time breathing in high humidity.
Our first order of business was to check out the lake dock and canoe we had access to. To our surprise it was filled to the brim with water but after bailing it out and inspecting it for leaks it was decided it was rainwater from recent storms. One of the reasons I had looked forward to going was to get some photography shots exploring the lake in the canoe. There were other nearby cabins and a larger dock equipped with kayaks, paddle boards, another canoe and a row boat.
My spouse is an avid freshwater fisherman but over the last few years has not had the opportunity between work and daily life to go. The town we live in has a few places residents fish but it gets a bit boring revisiting them. This trip he came fully prepared with an overflowing tackle box and three fishing rods. I normally ride along when he goes out fishing, then once there we separate and I go off exploring with my camera. When home packing I had questioned myself briefly if I should bring my dslr camera or leave it home, that question got answered in full the day we arrived.
One of the people I photograph the most is my husband, so he is used to my puttering around him with one of my three older cameras. On this day I’d put a wide angle lens on my Nikon and then made my way down the embankment to him at the dock. Unfortunately for me while looking through the viewfinder at him to set up the above shot I lost my footing. In the next instant myself and camera gear went over the side of the dock and face planted into the water and lake bottom. In shock my first thought underwater was “I hope I didn’t break a bone,” and secondly “get the camera OUT of the water you idiot.” My husband was also in shock watching it play out and came running to pull me out. Falling down at age 63 hits much different than younger years, things break easy and take longer to heal.
After making our way up the hill to the cabin, a shower to get the lake gravel out of my ear and hair, I slowly bounced back. The fall left me noticeably bruised on my left side from shoulder to thigh, along with bruising my self confidence. I did not get into the water the rest of our trip. I spent it either lakeside or in the canoe. I dissembled and dried out the camera and lens as best I could, leaving it alone the rest of our trip on the table. Any photos you see here were taken with a phone.
Our 24th wedding anniversary had come and gone in March forgotten by both of us as there was so much going on that month. Of course it’s not normal to forget such an important day yet we did it. At least it was a mutual “Oh damn” and neither of us were to blame. In the end we both were surprised and laughed about it, this vacation was a gift to ourselves. We also needed time away from work and the ever unfolding chaos of daily house hunting. Being at camp we put everything else aside. No television, spotty internet, and little to no cell signal brought us both back to the life we remembered. Few people know that we met online by accident in the 1990’s when the internet was young and so were we. We became best friends and back then he was living abroad. After he came to visit a few times we went from there.
The odd thing about the two of us is how like minded we are. We like the same clothing, the same furnishings, food, we even got the same exact scores more than once in games of mini golf. Has our relationship been a fairy tail oh hell no, but it’s been a series of adventures and ongoing discovery. Now here we are both still healthy (knocking wood) and living our senior years together. I think what gets us through our stressful times is our ability to find humor in it. As we have aged our filters have fallen off and it’s made life much more simple in many ways. The saying “judge less, understand more” best describes our essence.
We took many trips out on Mirror lake exploring and fishing. The lake itself is quite small in comparison to others in the state and I was surprised it’s not very deep. Where I grew up we would call it a pond. Nonetheless it’s a beautiful location. Three of the trips around one side of the waterfront we were escorted by a curious loon who would dive under to hunt fish and pop up in close proximity tagging along. It was the only bird we saw the entire time at camp. Speaking of birds, the whole area was devoid of any bird and wildlife noise day or night. We didn’t even hear crickets at night, it was a bit creepy. By day five it was mentioned by others staying at the cabins and nearby motel. It’s the loudest quiet place I have ever been.
Of the two of us I was surprised to see my husband get into the water first. In our life together I saw him swim once and that may have been his first year in America. I had to capture this moment of him out on the float in case he never swam again, he was so proud of himself. I am big on swimming and have always been drawn to water, I was always one to swim out so far nobody could find me in it. I’d just float along and eventually make my way back to shore. My children are also swimmers.
The kayak was a first try for us both and once again my husband excelled in his newfound ride. There were three and one morning he decided oh what the hell and out he went. He didn’t do too bad at all but later decided the canoe was less tippy. Kayaks and myself do not get along, I just tip over like a floating tree stump. It was good fun watching others make use of them.
Having had enough time on the water we set out in the car later in the week a couple days to find something new to experience. One trip took us an hour around Lake Winnipesaukee, the largest lake in New Hampshire. The main destination people flock to on “Lake Winnie” is Weirs beach for locals and tourists. With the summer in full swing along with traffic it was impossible to get near it so we chose to bypass it and ended up in the closer town of Wolfeboro. It was easy on the feet and eyes, had some nice downtown gift shops and lake activities including water plane rides. Our favorite thing to do is visit the WWII and other area museums.
I know during tourist season attractions mark up their items for sale, but I was absolutely taken back by the ridiculousness of it. Basic pull over the head Champion brand sweatshirts sold at Walmart were at a 70$ price point, souvenir shot glasses were going for 45$. In our life travels in the USA we had always purchased one shot glass in the state we traveled to and have many. Somehow we don’t have one from the state of New Hampshire so we were checking them out.
Regardless of the prices it’s always good fun poking through little store shops with so much to see. In the end my husband bought a ball cap discounted to 10$ for himself and practical me decided on a fugly colored pair of reading glasses. On a normal tourist trip we would be looking for odd decor to add to our home, being we are in a limbo home hunting we don’t want to do that until we find “home.” The current high prices and lack of properties here in New England are anxiety inducing.
It was nice to be in the cabin on the lake, nice to escape the barrage of mainstream rhetoric. The rat race that is life can still be minimized by shutting it off or finding a safe healthy space to go to. Being here felt that way and without devices and people and all else it’s comforting to get back to the basics. We both agreed we didn’t miss any of it and could have stayed away forever. Experiences like this are important to know the difference and that even when life has you by the neck we still can have choices. We decided to return in September for the fall foliage season, my absolute favorite time of year in New England. I’m happy to report it’s day 8, my camera and lens both survived their swim in the lake.
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