Lake childhood memories

[Grant]

My family had a place in Melvin Village, just south of the old Wawbeek, from 1945 to 2012. So I spent every summer from birth (1961) until the day before the property changed hands (10/8/12) right there.

As kids, my cousin (same age) and I would spend hours harvesting mussels from the sands around our dock, then making hand lines to lure and catch hornpout from under the dock using the mussels. When we had any decent-sized ones, our grandmother would cook them up for us for breakfast. Over the years, the same held true for and yellow perch or smallmouth bass we would land. We'd spend hours snorkeling along the shore, pulling up rocks to find crayfish, helgremites, leeches, and countless other creatures.

The attached photo is from '66 or '67.

[dippasan]

I grew up in Melrose Mass. and lived there until 1986 when I was 24 which is when I got hired with the company I'm still with now and moved to Hooksett.

Being from Mass, my family vacationed in Brewster (Cape Cod) every summer which provided another whole set of countless memories.

When I was 19, lightning struck and I began dating a girl that lived next to my best friend. Her parents, (Paul and Helen), her uncles and family friends all vacationed in Laconia (Hilliard Road) every summer, and they were big into motorcycling.
They invited me to come up for Motorcycle weekend and because I loved dirt biking and motorcycles also...I couldn't say yes fast enough. That was my first exposure to Winnipesaukee and Weirs Beach.
Yup...Bike weekend was my intro and it was madness and wonderful at 19.

Kellerhaus, Brickyard Ski Area, Jade Island Chinese Restaurant, Gunstock, The Weirs strip and believe it or not...jumping off the Weirs Bridge, and so many more memories, are all etched in my brain from that time and the years that followed.

I woke up early that Sunday morning of my first Bike Weekend, got in my 66 Mustang coupe (paid $300 for it) said goodbye to my girlfriend and made the long drive from Hilliard Road to Brewster Cape Cod to spend time with my family who were vacationing. To this day when I hear the song "South City Midnight Lady by the Doobie Brothers, I'm teleported back to the front seat of my Mustang to that beautiful June morning drive from Laconia to the Cape thinking about my new girlfriend (Wife now) and Winnipesaukee the whoooooole way.

My wifes parents (RIP) eventually built a house and lived in Blackey Cove year round where we vacationed often and created countless memories as we raised our 3 boys.

We now have a camp on Sleepers Island. We cherish every moment and memory that we create and share with family and friends all with Lake Winnipesaukees help!

Thanks for reading. I enjoyed the reflection.