The Lake Effect

The morning was a bit warmer than yesterday, though still cool with the increasing wind. The Big Lake had a little more attitude that she had since we arrived...looking more like ocean than lake, lulling us with the sound of crashing waves.  My favorite!

For what it's worth, I tried to take a video but it ended up too big to download to the blog, so imagine if you will, the waves splashing into the shore and make the sound wwwshhhh, wwwshhh, wwwshhh while looking at this picture if you want the full effect.  I always knew blogging was a collaborative practice :)

We ate breakfast this morning at Lutsen Lodge, down the hill from where we were staying this weekend, as we did on the morning we got married.  Quite the weekend of reminiscing!  Terry had the buffet and I went for my eggs benedict, per usual.  It was delicious!

The english muffins were toasted perfectly...and I adore the crispy little shreds on the top of the hash browns!

Here was the view from the table...beautiful stoic oak with the rolling waves of the Big Lake right behind it.  Sheer bliss...I'm telling you!

While we were eating, at the next table there was a couple chatting with one of the employees about the magic of Lake Superior.  Once I realized what they were talking about, I couldn't help but listen in.  The couple were telling the young man who worked there about how they each had fallen in love with the lake.  "Love at first sight," the man had said.

I smiled, thinking, who wouldn't?  Because of course, Terry and I are each connected to the lake in our own unique yet similar ways.

The young man called it, "The Lake Effect"...what the lake, this particular Great Lake, does to people. I wholeheartedly agree -- and of course LOVE hearing other people talking about it!  Wonder, wonder, wonder!

In my experience, the lake enchants people.  Soothes them.  Invites them in to set down their worries and concerns and fears...just set them down and let the water wash them away.  Being in the presence of such gentleness and power fills us with awe and reminds us that we are simultaneously witnessing both exactly who we are at our core and something greater than ourselves. Spending any time in its company is just good for the soul.

It's the exploration of that very mystery that keeps us coming back for more.

And it's true.  Before hearing the other people talking, I was sitting in silence at our breakfast table, waiting for my food to arrive, watching the waves roll in, pull out, roll in again and I told Terry that my heart just felt calm, pure, happy.  The joy and the wonder all jumbled up together in a way that settled me into the complete and utter knowing that all was right with the world.

That's the magic of the Big Lake, if only we quiet enough to hear her song to us.  No need to fret or to busy ourselves or to try.  Just be.

It's enough.//

What's For Dinner Tonight?
We are pretty exhausted after our foray into the North Woods, so after coming home and fetching the dog, we decided something low key was best. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup fit the bill just perfectly...and warmed our bellies as well!

Sleep well, all!