February Create: Learning the Ways of the Sea
Created | Updated Feb 24, 2013
Another personal story for February's Create Challenge. This one is nautical.
Learning the Ways of the Sea
In this photo I am rowing my older brother across the lake.
Central New York State has about a dozen long, narrow, lakes. They all run in a north – south direction. Although the Native American tradition is that they were left when the Great Creator ran his hand across the land he had formed to show how pleased he was with it, scientists say they are just the scars left by the last retreating glacier from the 'Ice Age'.
While I was growing up my family would take our summer vacation at Honeoye Lake (the name is derived from a Seneca Indian term meaning 'Lying finger', or 'where the finger lies') in central New York State1. The second smallest of the 'Finger Lakes', its shoreline is crowded by fishing camps and private homes, the slopes above are primarily farming properties.
It was here, during our brief escape from the city, I first learned the joy and independence of being on the water. At first I was only allowed to row for a few minutes at a time between the piers. Eventually I was allowed to venture into the lake itself if I had a supervisor on the boat with me. My brother, who was four years older, was considered qualified for this task.
We had many adventures at the lake, including catching 'crabs' (actually crawdads) and conducting races. Every night we would have a bonfire. My Mother taught us to look into the embers and find the 'face', if you look closely enough into the embers of a fire, and have enough imagination, you can always find a face.
In later years, fully grown and having been in command of much larger vessels, I still remember the lessons learned so long ago.
'Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.'
– Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
