WINTER IN TOWER LAKES

Sometimes the lake would freeze without any snow and over a few windless days.  The dark surface would be punctuated by circles that seemed like large eyes looking up from the depths-- well only about fifteen to twenty feet at the most.  The "eyes' were from the springs.    Stepping off the backyard onto the ice with skates on was tricky because of the low rock wall, but once on the glassy surface, we could glide and race all over.

We could go hand over hand under the big suspension bridge and we only had to be very careful down by the dam where the running water kept the ice thinner.  Lady Bird fell into the icy water once when Mom and Dad were taking her for a walk and Dad laid down on the ice and saved her.

A sweet liver and white springer spaniel/Irish setter mix, Lady loved to roll in the snow and never minded how cold it was.  Little snow balls would affix themselves to the edges of her fringe under her tummy and long white tail.

Sometimes we went out with just a few sweaters, mittens, scarves and a knit hat.  We imagined ourselves Hans Brinker or Peggy Fleming.

We had a cat who loved to dance and jump on the snow-less ice in the moonlight, and the lovely muted tones of Christmas lights shone very differently on crusty ice-glazed snow, on piled up blizzardy snow and on the snow-less ice.

The little suspension bridge between Beach Island and Rest Island had lights as did the huge pine trees on Rest Island, lights suggesting a stylized tree connected to the flagpole, and lights on both wooden bridges.

The lake full of snow was always the best place to make angels and wow! Did we ever have fun when the snow was wettest and heaviest and at that temperature when it was still warm enough to be able to form into bricks for snow forts and for snow people.

The toboggan slide was across the lake from our house.  Boy Scouts helped to build it.  In the months that were not winter you could see that the steps up were made with wooden boards against the packed earth, held in place by long metal staves.  But once the snow and ice covered them, they just looked like an elegant white staircase.

We clumped, clumped, clumped up the steps dragging the toboggan behind us and got in line.  There was a fine tuning to the seating assignments.  The slide itself was packed with snow and ice and after the weather had been between 10 above zero and ten below zero for a while -- and then a light snow having fallen in the night . . . that was the BEST.  The person sitting up in the front looked like he or she was flocked with a fine coating of cold dust.  We had contests to see which ride would go the longest.

When there was three inches to ten inches of snow after the ice on lake had been over twelve inches thick and we had heard that the caretaker had driven his truck on it, we were free to make an ice rink and that was the easiest.  The boys often got hockey sticks and pucks for Christmas and often some of the dads would join in, too.

Cheeks and noses all red . . . coming back into the house with the smells of the fire in the fire place, hot cider and hot chocolate added to all of the sensations as warmed up and enjoyed the beauty then of looking out on the lake.  The huge stately weeping willow on the edge of the neighbor's yard, hanging over the lake was the most beautiful when each delicate branch was encased in ice and then dusted with snow.

I miss it so much.