Sunday, March 15, 2009

Escape to Witch Mountain, aka: Johnson Lake

So... an hour and a half from Hastings is Johnson Lake. A great hidden getaway from the perils of the world... atleast from phones, computers and people who know us. S and I took off on Friday morning to the lake, to stay at my aunt/uncle's cabin for 24 hours... to get away and see what else this great state has to offer us. Plus, how often do we really go to a lake cabin in the winter? Not enough would be my answer... the solitude, the serenity of the birds flying north; and the semi-frozen lake were totally worth it.
The cabin... let me try to describe it to you... Imagine your grandparents house in the 50s... ok, so yeah, for some of us, they still have the same furniture as then... goldenrod couches that have the occasional design that's way too classic... beauty over comfort was the motto then, combined with "oak" panelling throughout the entire house... carpeted bathroom, complete with the pink tub. And the decor was a walk back in time, that you could learn a thing or two by looking at the pictures, seeing the lineage of the family, and reading amazing things. It was fantastic. Nothing flashy, just sensible, comfortable and that right at home feeling; where you expect your grandmother to appear any minute.
We took books, movies, and our sense of adventure. We never got to the movies; watched a bit of NBC TV, as that was the only station that decided to come in; and we read like mad... did some bird watching, some mid-morning napping... it's exhausting being lazy; and ate here and there. Met a few neighbors, peeked into a few houses for sale and walked the neighborhood... and dreamed of our return visit when the weather is warmer, the water is melted and ready for swimming/boating; and gleefully and well-rested, we returned to the city...
Everyone needs these places... places to just 'be.' Places that God clearly has dominion over... ok, I know it's a man-made lake; but the flocking of the birds in their migratory patterns, the ducks wandering around the lake; the squirrells running like mad; and the serenity of the sun appearing over the lakeshore in it's daily accent into the sky. It's a marvelous beauty to behold. Does it compare to Lake Michigan or many of the other great lakes we've experienced in our lives? No... but who said I was comparing?
On the "Ides of March", I hope you do not approach them with trepidation, but with excitement to find your "Witch Mountain" or whatever you call yoru escape for R&R.

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