We’re expecting hail where I live later today, but my thoughts are turning nevertheless to the local pond club, something like a secret society that grows only by word of mouth, as well as our annual summer camping excursions, and a new place we’ll be trying out this year. I am recalling years past with my children at varying stages of readiness for water. The milestone came when my youngest was nine months old and happily sat in the gently lapping waves of the shore of a pond, near Fryeburg, Maine, and splashed all by himself for a good 30 minutes, and I realized I was letting go.
The pond club is a ten-minute drive from home, a tucked-away spot in the city of Springfield known as Bass Pond, where members maintain a handsome beach, many adirondack chairs and picnic tables, charcoal grills, beach toys, paid lifeguards, bathrooms, a changing house with electricity and phone, boating and fishing docks, and oh by the way, a lovely small body of fresh water filled with various fish and wildlife. This spot is such an urban treasure and I was so glad to be invited to join it a while back. Last year was our first as members and I haven’t stopped talking about it since.
As for camping, this year we’ll be visiting Nickerson State Park, which is out on Cape Cod. I heard from a friend that this spot is a delight because you are at the ocean, for one thing, but you’re also right next to a load of small freshwater, spring-fed, “crystal clear” ponds formed by glaciers some time ago. Camping in the pines within reach of the saltwater bay, on the shores of a pond, sounds just about perfect to me. In the past we have trekked to White Lake State Park in New Hampshire to be with family, but the trip is a little too far to feel comfortable doing it every year. Beautiful spot, though.