Reflections of Welch Island

Most of the summer places were handed down from generation to generation so most everyone on the island grew up together. Now, there were 65 families with cottage houses on the lake. We stayed in the Pioneer house, the oldest of them all.

Lake Winnipesaukee was formed somewhere back in time during the ice age. It is a crater formed lake continually fed by springs which makes the water cold and so clear you can see the giant sized boulders underneath the surface. The deepest part of the lake is located on the West side of Welch island. At that point it is over 200 feet deep. Folks on the island could drink straight from the lake until 1989 when the water became somewhat polluted. Now you boiled the water for 20 minutes before using it as cooking or drinking water. The beauty is still there - - deep, clear and very frigid waters.

In winter the lake freezes over enough to pull little fishing houses onto the surface. Trucks have been transporting materials to the islands for building reasons or heavy furniture, stoves, etc. during that freeze time. People close up their cottages about Labor day, you can't stay in the cottages in the winter. You would probably freeze to death after a few days. Once the spring sun begins to thaw the ice and if you have left your little fishing house there, the rippling, sparkling diamonds of the lake come through, and the houses sink and splinter, later washing up on the shores of the island.

The weather is a comfortable 56 degrees on an August night and around 76 during the day. However, while there it did rise to around 80 degrees and was plenty hot but tolerable, and one always has the option of taking a dip in the cold water to cool off. Very refreshing!

The highlight of my trip that summer of '97 was the many personalities intertwined with the lake. People dropped by each day - - all sorts of people from many different walks of life: Writers to blue collar workers - - all very diversified and talented. They for the most part are captured in my memory and journal: Phyllis, Jim, Kathy, Melissa, Ann, Lauren, Flip, Doris, Dick, Norma and family, Babe and family, the people from New Jersey, and many others whose names escape me, but they are written in my journal.

The cove was a lovely serene place to rest, surrounded by blueberry bushes just ripe for the picking, but mostly left for the deer and the birds to nibble. We played in the water and felt the fine shifting white sands under our feet while tiny little fishes flirted with the nail polish on our toes.

In the middle of the island were the tallest, straightest, hemlock trees I had ever seen other than in framed pictures. I looked up and could only see the blue, blue sky and the tree tops. I felt close to God and thanked him for the many beautiful things he has allowed us to enjoy and see. He gave us beauty that can never be replicated by man.

Television and the acid producing news of the world were totally non-existent. Classical music trickled from the radio in the cabin along with the lapping of the lake against the rocks - - the sound so sleep inducing. The next day's weather is always a surprise hence no news. Time was not a factor; life was good.

One night as I was sitting on the dock gazing up into the big, wide, beautiful heavens,
I noticed a streak that was like something I had seen years ago before pollution. It was the Milky Way. There were no security lights, no city lights - - it was dark and the view was spectacular. Again, thank you God. Who needs television?

By day 10 though I was beginning to miss the rat race of the city, my family, the paper, news and even television. For 10 days I had had a reprieve from the rat race, but now I was needing a rat race fix.

We came home 16 days later. After being home 4 days I began to yearn again for the solace of the island, but no matter how many times I viewed the videos, looked at the photo's and read my journal I couldn't recapture the magic - - the summer magic was gone, a memory in time. An elusive dream you woke from....

Texas Heat

It happened! The Texas heat is here - - started in the middle of August because it could feel fall coming and didn't want to go. The temperatures climbed, the grass turned brown, the leaves on plants and trees went limp, the birds moved into the water fountains, the ground cracked, every metal object under the sun turned into a danger zone...little rays of heat visibly rising from their red hot surfaces. People scurried from the house to the car trying to keep out of the suffocating heat. Thoughts turned to moving to Alaska or Canada, or perhaps Maine. Sweat took the make up off women's faces, attempted to fry construction crews as they worked, gave everyone more underarm activity, but wait I believe there is going to be a cool front, yes, a cool front!

The wind started blowing, the chimes were flailing, the leaves were churning, the limbs were reaching, reaching, trying to catch a feel of fall, of rain. People slowed down and turned their faces to the breezes. Then, it happened. We could feel it. The temperature went down -- 4 degrees! Fall has her toes in the door. Hurray!

Angels All Around Us

There was a terrible crash on a day in July 2002 that nearly took the life of our little 2 year old, blonde, curly haired grandson. We played with him that morning and fed him his oatmeal while he made a happy bowl (empty bowl) and then let him go to his great grandmothers house while Chick ran his mail route. I went to work and everything was status quo that morning.

I was in a meeting when Margaret came and told me I had an emergency phone call. I imagined it was something to do with Chick because of his ill health. I walked briskly to the telephone and heard, "I have some bad news for you". My ears strained to hear the news, my eyes blurred out of focus, and my heart beat like a hummingbirds wings. My mind was screaming, "Get it out". Chick said Micah and Holly had been in a bad car wreck and Micah was being rushed to Children's hospital. He was calm as he told me but his voice broke when he said the extent of Micah's injuries were not known. His head was stapled on the side and the back and he possibly had a broken neck or back, and some internal injuries. I heard myself say, "I'll be right there". Margaret had my purse ready for me and I grabbed it and rushed out to the parking lot on trembling, weak knees that I hoped would carry me to the car. Margaret had offered to drive me to the hospital but I wanted to be alone with my thoughts and prayers as I sped towards the hospital in Allen, Texas. It was raining. I drove down central expressway with my windshield wipers methodically sweeping away the huge raindrops that splattered the windshield as I prayed for God to protect my little one and my daughter whom I knew was under the influence of pain pills or some type of drug.

She had been driving to the hospital to get some pain pills instead of going to her meeting with the pastor for counseling. She talked my mom into letting her take Micah with her because he wanted to be with his mommy. On their way a big SUV drove right into the side where Micah sat in his carseat slinging him out of the seat onto something, either a stroller that was in the floor or something else. We heard he was thrown from the car, but the story was never straight. The glass shattered all over his little body and he was covered in it. Out of the blue someone appeared and scooped Micah up running with him to the Emergency Room of the Presbyterian Hospital where our daughter had been heading for her own needs.

We were grateful to this person. Later I asked the girl at the desk in the ER if she knew who it was so we could offer our thanks to him and she said, "No, he ran into the hospital ER and handed Micah to the medical crew and left never giving his name. No one seems to remember who he was, what he looked like, or how he got there or even if he was driving a car. To this day we don't know. We think maybe Micah has a guardian angel who came and went. Somewhere out there is an angel who came to Micah's rescue that day. He may have saved Micah's life, only God knows how close he was to death. Kisses, hugs and loads of thanks to you Angel! And...keep watching over Micah and his little brother Logan. :)

What's that you say?

I had been thinking about getting some Port wine for months and we passed a Centennial Liquor store in Dallas so I suggested to Chick we stop and get some Port Wine. Chick is a tee-totaler so he stayed in the car and laid the seat back to rest while I ran into the liquor store to make my purchase. I had been wanting this wine for some time, since October when I had a glass of it at my bosses 60th birthday party. It tasted so warm and good I asked what it was. Fran said, "It's Dow port wine, but you can't buy it in McKinney, you'll have to go to Lewisville or Dallas because it has a higher alcohol content than they are allowed to sell in smaller towns. Now it's July and I'm finally in Dallas. I remember it is Dow Port Wine so I as I walk into the store there is one customer - - me! Both people behind the counter want to help me.

The gentleman asks what he can do for me, and I say, "Dow Port Wine please"! He leads me to a shelf and stands there gazing at the top of the shelves. Below this lone bottle of Dow Port Wine is a label on the shelf that has 289.00. I think to myself, "Oh, they forgot to remove the cost of the shelving from the unit". Then I look below the shelf and see different tags that have $89.00; $49.00, $35.00, 69.00, and I think this must be expensive shelving, but why didn't they charge the same for all of the shelves? I then realize the prices are the bottles of wine and not the shelving. I look over at the gentleman on my right and say, "I drink Reunite Kool-aid wines", and he peers over his little spectacles at me like he didn't hear correctly. I said, "I only have a glass of wine at bedtime - - small", and he looks at me again. I say, "I need something less expensive, but in Port". I'm thinking the ladies I was at the party with surely didn't spend this kind of money. I say, "Sir, don't you have a port in a little less expensive brand"? He says to the woman behind the counter, "Where are our cheap wines"? ...And she says, "Look behind the door"! Geez!!!!

We look down the row of expensive wines to the end of the row and here we go walking and walking, and walking some more to the cheap dusty bottles of wines. I say, "I don't want vinegar". I don't like the looks of these cheap wines so I am still bargaining with them. I then decide I'll take a bottle of Tokay Wine, but it is $35.00 a bottle. I said, "Why is wine so expensive"? The gentleman replies, "It's the aging of the grape". He then proceeds to explain all about grapes and the reasons they are different prices. I interrupt and tell him, "Someday I'll come back when I have time for a grape education, but right now I just want a good, reasonable port wine. He recommends one, I take it and pay and leave, fully ignorant about wines. When I get in the car I hand Chick the bottle of wine and say, "I got it". He looks at the price tag, $12.99 and says, "It's pricey". I say, "Yeah, I know".