[sense of place]
SWALLOWING WATER By Taylor Broby
Nelson Lake in south-central North Dakota is an oddity. It is the only lake in the state that does not freeze in the winter, and in the summer its water is bathtub warm. Viewed from the air, it is shaped like an arctic seal, grown from a stream to a 573-acre lake in the last fifty years. Due to the year-round warm waters of Nelson Lake, bass, crappie, bluegills, and other fish that swim in the lake grow heavier and longer than fish in nearby waters. Leon Rixen caught the state-record largemouth bass there on February 11, 1983. The thought of his eight-pound, eight-ounce bass lodged itself into my mind as a boy. In childhood, Nelson Lake was a fixture for family outings. We just called it “The Lake.” High schoolers partied at the lake; friends went fishing at the lake; parents worked by the lake. The lake, like a family picture, was forever present on the wall of my mind. My grandfather would often take me fishing on the riprap; slowly making our way down large, rough rocks, put in place by machines, to get near the water’s edge. In winter, I imagined Nelson Lake held secrets of ghosts as I watched steam swirl and rise across the lake, impairing my ability to see clearly to the other side. Summer in North Dakota is marked by increasing humidity, with thunderclouds billowing and growing throughout heat-ridden afternoons. In fifth grade a friend, Kyle, had his birthday party in late June at Nelson Lake. Kyle and I shared a love of fishing. Boating, inner-tubing, and splashing about in water were not options for classmates whose birthdays
4
