Lily Bouma

The children would sit on the docs, staring out at the water.

Up on Central Lake is where the children always seem to laugh and play.

The children would run around for hours, stopping only for small snacks and to slurp juice boxes. Times were spent on the water–kayaking, canoeing, or paddle-boating–racing to see who could return to shore the fastest. The leeches never seemed to bother the children, except for the time one was stuck between the toes of one flamboyant little girl.

They would wait in anticipation of the impending adventure. They’d make lists upon lists of things they needed to pack or things that they wanted to do while they were there. They were all so excited, especially for the drive-up. The snacks, candy, and drinks they would get at the stop at the gas station would last only about an hour.

Nights were spent around the campfire, roasting s’mores and playing Ghost in the Graveyard. The kids would play in the dirt, even after just getting clean. Their parents would get mildly upset, but they did not care. All they wanted to do was have fun.

The only time people were inside was when it was time to go to bed or for the unexpected rain, allowing for board games at the table. Everyone would make do with the time spent inside, although they would wait for it to stop to return to the grass.

The kids would play softball on the hill. All four bases were set on a slant, making it hard for the ones with the little legs to get up to first base. Although the situation may not sound ideal, the memories created on that hill would stay with them forever. 

The kids would spend much of their time reading on the falling-apart swingset, getting splinters every time they took a seat. They would be in a constant state of worry about the slabs somehow coming undone, but that did not stop them from staying in the same spot, looking out on the water while enjoying their books.

The families would all come together for one last morning to eat a delicious breakfast together. Each individual family would bring a dish for everyone to enjoy. They would proceed to take a photo together; the photo was a tradition that would be much appreciated for the years to come.

I miss those days up on beautiful Central Lake. 

We would take trips to Charlevoix, spending the whole day shopping. My favorite part of that annual occurrence was stopping at the candy store.  We would all fill a candy basket, just to never finish the pickings. We would all pick out one piece of clothing to represent the weekend, most times from the same store in Charlevoix. 

I will forever ponder the ten Memorial Day weekends I spent in Elsworth. The laughs, smiles, and memories made up in that little village of cabins are cemented into my brain. I am thankful for the times I spent there, even if they had come to an end.