Quiet on Candlewood

Before the leaves change there is always a warm September day when a trip to the lake for lunch is a given. Intentions to return to see the autumn colors are made, promised and hopefully going to actually happen! The "lake" is Candlewood Lake but in my family we reverse the name due to an old map that hangs in our little cottage.

I sort of like our way of saying it...maybe because it means we (or our ancestors) were there before it all changed. Speaking of change, not much has changed up at the lake for us! It remains a glorified camping site with running water pumped from the lake for essentials, no drinking water or shower or hot water. A clunker of a refrigerator and a microwave along with a firepit for cooking outdoors complete the modern amenities. 

So most of life at the lake is spent on or near the dock...

And the September day we visited was gorgeous. 

Reflective beauty in the still water, the calmness of the day and the warmth of the sun was like a day at the spa for me. This is what I need to rejuvenate.

If you have time to look at details and let them soak in, they become important and not taken for granted! A well tied knot, the clarity of water rushing over stones, light bouncing off bubbles, old wood grained surfaces....are all beautiful in their own way.

Even Willie seemed at peace with his fur covered in prickly pods.

 Hoping now to return to see fall color & walk up Sweetcake Mountain,
which lies behind our cottage.

A bit of history to end with....Candlewood was named for the tree of same name whose sapling branches were used as candles by early settlers. In the 1920's the lake was formed by man. CL&P created the first pumped storage hydroelectric facility in the entire U.S. and flooded the valley after buying the lands. Entire farms were flooded, roads and more. This is the view from atop Sweetcake Mountain! Next visit, the colors should be ablaze....can't wait!