Editor's Letter
F
ote! Vote! Vote! V Time’s almost up! Vote in our “Best of…” contest. Vote online at lakelifemagazine.com. Results print in the next issue! ay THANKS to someone S for being an amazing human. Send your person’s name (no need to explain why) to sue@lakelifemagazine.com. e ‘Dog Days’ issue Th will be a ‘treat!’ Send your pooch pics today. sue@lakelifemagazine.com
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LAKElife Magazine July 2022
rom flippy-flapping pinwheels in the breeze to twirling, sizzling sparklers, it’s small details that create moments we remember. It’s proof that celebrating life’s simplicity requires no extensive preparation, nor does it necessitate extravagant expenditures. Just take a deep breath. Step outside. And see the world. The joys of July mean outdoor adventures, summertime fun, warm evenings, apple pie, potato salad, all items red-white-and-blue, and brilliant fireworks. It’s about American memories in the making. And for many of us, our best memories are made at the lake. As a pigtailed pipsqueak, it was my family's lake cabin in Michigan where I first fell in love with water and lake life. It was a time for sparklers, canoe voyages, sailboat excursions with my cousins, and underwater exploration seeking tiny shells. The sun was brilliant, the trees’ shade was a comfort, and sandy dunes were a short car ride away. Life seemed magical back then. Because it was. When the day’s activities concluded and my cousins and I had stuffed our bellies with the world’s best smoked salmon, I’d sit quietly at the end of the long white pier, staring at a starlit sky. Yet through adult eyes, I believe the water holds us even more captive. During a solo trip to San Juan, I sat atop a boulder, staring at the ocean surrounding me. My body was still; my mind active, fully engaged with sensory awareness. I’d achieved relaxation at its finest, and it took the water (and a jet) to take me there. Then a crab’s long legs bolted like Usain—directly at me, obliterating said Zenlike state. The fortunate part? No one witnessed my freak-out-scramble from the boulder. The tragic part? I spilled my Mojito. My point? The effects of a warm-weather-and-water combo enrich us at a deep, meaningful level—whether the body of water is an ocean, a Kosciusko County lake, or a river. Water emits peace and tranquility; it’s a powerful lure of family and friends, and a magical call for balance of both togetherness and solitude. So with the chirp of crickets, lapping water against shorelines, splashes off the dock, or popsicle drips on tiny chins, we have much to celebrate. As we gaze at this year’s fireworks above a reflective, still lake, may we nod reverent thanks to military personnel of present and past. May apple pie, hot dogs, picnics, water fun, and celebrating our area’s rich history only enhance this month of summer. Family. Friends. And embracing the lake life we love. Right here, in LAKELife Country—where I’ve yet to be chased off by a crabby crustacean. Happy Birthday, America. And, enjoy this July issue, made just for you.
Sue Executive-Editor-Who-Got-A-Mojito-Refill
