Family Vacation!!!

My family has always come up to the Adirondacks in the summertime, that's probably the reason that I live here now. Every year my family comes up...generally my parents are here for a couple of weeks to a month, and my sister and brother come for a couple of days...generally around the 4th of July. It's always a great time, in that slightly stressful way that family getting together once you're grown up can be.



This year, and hopefully in the years to come, they have rented a camp on Upper Saranac Lake. We have a bunch of boats, great swimming, nightly cookouts, and superb lakeviews to enjoy from comfy seats all over the place.



We're at the northern end of the lake, with great mountains in the distance, and beautiful mountains within easy paddling distance.



We try to go paddling every day, and always bring picnic lunches. There are so many ponds and lakes in the immediate area that it is almost as much water as land when looking at a topo-map.



My dad is nuts about kayaks, and can be seen above taking Ben out for a ride in a new collapsible kayak. Ben enjoys riding in canoes and kayaks, and we hope to try him out in his own next summer.



Here you can see the lunch crew putting the final touches on the picnic du jour on a tiny island at the north end of Follensby Clear Pond.



From left to right, Muz, Ben, Gail, and Marcy enjoy the lunch/view/company.



Muz and D have been paddling on these waters for 42 years...with Marcy for 14!!!



Anti-Sarah (my sister) and Anti-Cynthia (her Partner) are up for a few days, and will also be visitng us when we go to Maine in August...a super treat for Ben!



Ben's Uncle Brad comes up every year with the aim of a couple of quiet days by the lake, and is always peer-pressured into almost constant activities.



Gail and Ben are an awesome paddling team, alternating between bursts of near-light-speed and hugging the shore to look for cool stuff.



Brad and I built a ramp for Marcy, who will be 15 in September, and still loves to swim and canoe, although she is stiffer getting in and out of the water/boat every summer (who isn't?).



The entire top of the boathouse is roofed and railed and filled with comfy chairs for hanging out...safe from the mid-day sun, a lashing rain, or a mild evening.



There's also a dock with capabilities to facilitate launching and lunching and lounging...whichever you're in the mood for...



I had to end with a cool picture of Ben enjoying himself while eating a post-trip cookie because whatever else the house on the lake is about...it's about family and fun and spending time together away from NYC or LPCSD or PSC or FCI or DOH. We all get a chance to connect and unwind and eat beast-flesh grilled to perfection {{{if I do say so myself}}} for a couple of perfect days or weeks. Having a great house makes everything a bit easier, but it's the people and the Place (note the capital "P" in place, meaning the ADKs) that make it so special.