"Shades of Union Lake"

That is a "Knappism" for anything that reminds my family of the warm summer days we spent at our family cottage.

We have lots of "Knappisms" and someday I am going to write a book or a blog about them but for now, I am starting with just this one.

Union Lake is the place where we had a family cottage and would go every weekend all summer long. On the 4th we would watch the neighbors get drunk and water ski dressed up in a Santa suit for their Christmas in July party.

Yesterday hanging out at Torch Lake brought back lots of memories of sunburn, Aunt Di's Town Club bottled pop, fishing with my dad and the yellow bucket, a very heavily waxed Sunfish sailboat that tipped over sometimes, SUPER LOUD cigarette boats, the Paul Bunyan parade, my grandma being AMAZED that I actually went in the shower to wash and brush my own hair, having an MSU and UofM toilet seat to pick from and sharing a room with my 2 sisters and all of the posters we got from book orders including the white cat standing in the field of yellow sunflowers and of course, Andy Gibb.

I don't remember my Grandma making margaritas, or vodka tonics and she didn't even like garlic but there is nothing like building on a family tradition.

xo --- b.m.