#hamphire

[ericgoyer]

[Mont Washington] J'ai été FRAPPÉ par cette visite, c'était INCROYABLE. (#172)

[various-art-by-tom]

Romsey #photography #hamphire #romsey #plants #nature #naturegram #walking #canon #canon_uk #Mycanon #ukpotd #ukphotographer #england #britain #uk #variousartbytom (at Romsey)

[various-art-by-tom]

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Rain storm #photography #southampton #tuesday #garden #rain #storm #england #britain #hamphire #uk #bitternepark #garden #video #samsung #variousartbytom (at Southampton)

[constemplation]

Summer Recap Series Part 8: Lake House(s)

You may be wondering what, if anything, I learned this summer amid the (somewhat) organized chaos that I’ve been telling you about.  The least thought-provoking answer to that question is the following: It is very advantageous to have friends that allow for travel opportunities.  That is, of course, no way to go about choosing your friends—traits (or adjectives) such as trustworthy, honest, and caring should always take precedence.  But when you can get traits like those AND still have some travel opportunities?  Well…jackpot.

Having such friends this summer, for me, meant trips to Nantucket, Jackson Hole (Wyoming), and lake houses—specifically in the Adirondack Mountains (New York) and Lake Sunapee (New Hampshire).

When I was in first grade, the guidance counselors at my elementary school placed a new student from the U.K. in my class, hypothesizing that we might make a good companionship.  Seventeen years (and countless memories and jokes) later, that ol’ Brit is my best friend, and his parents and sister my second family.  That, of course, has nothing to do with the fact that their family has a camp in the Adirondacks, where I was fortunate enough to visit this summer for the first time since the summer after graduating high school, six long years ago.

It was at their camp, where the combination of the prohibition of motorboats and the remoteness of the lake make for a peacefulness nearly impossible to replicate, that I spent an all-too-short weekend in August.  I participated in the annual lake Olympics, complete with events the likes of which you’ve never seen, bringing home two silver medals and a bronze (i.e. a beer glass, a wine glass, and a cocktail glass, all emblazoned with the club logo— #swag).  I had toddy time on their screened-in porch overlooking the lake, sipping champagne and eating brie cheese while conversing with my friend and his family about life and all its intricacies.  And I spent that Saturday evening sipping whiskey-gingers on the dock of the lake as the sun slowly fell behind the tree-line, painting the sky with streaks of the most brilliant colors, laughing and reminiscing all the while.

A couple of weeks later, Lake Sunapee served as a reunion of sorts, as my college roommate had a few of us up to his family’s house for the weekend.  There was boating (we spent most of Saturday on their boat), two great meals compliments of our generous hosts (his parents), and many a great story from the glory days recalled and laughed about.  Despite living only two or three hours away from most of my college friends, it’s surprisingly difficult to visit Connecticut as often as I might like.  Because of that, it makes weekends like this one at the lake all the more memorable, since I was fortunate enough to meet people in college that I’ll be friends with for the rest of my life.

I spent the first twelve summers of my life on Cape Cod, as my grandmother lived about a mile from the beach in West Hyannisport, so I am definitely partial to the ocean when it comes to being near large bodies of water.  That said, the distance between ocean and lake went from wide to very narrow this summer, due largely to these two trips as well as my summer’s greatest adventure: Jackson, Wyoming.