boat

I have fond memories of family time at the lake from my childhood.  As I may have mentioned, my great-grandfather had small cottage in the Village and a dock across from Cranberry Bog which we would visit for family get-togethers. Hubert Renee’ Gobert, my great-grandfather, always struck me as a kind and gentle man, a Belgian immigrant, standing no more than 5’5”, a soft-spoken, glass blower by trade. He would welcome the invasion of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to his home every summer. Looking back, I can’t begin to fathom how we all fit into that small cottage, but we did, and we enjoyed every minute of it.

I fondly remember riding the “bicycle-built-for-two” that lived in his garage around the lake with my cousins, the well pump on the corner of his block that us kids stole drinks from and cooled down in (which was so foreign to me as Columbus suburbanite), the coolness of his concrete porch and tile floors on my bare feet, the tire swing in the tree in the front yard, and fish fries in the evening from that days catch.  Not so fond is the memory of what seemed to be larger-than-life "lake" spiders that enjoyed the coolness of the home as well. I seemed to be perpetually tormented by them.

Here I learned to bait my own hook with a worm, make “Wheaties” balls to use as bait, take a catfish off a hook without getting stung, and how to swim. Swimming and playing around the dock with my cousins was by far my favorite pastime, not to be outdone by piling into Hubert’s little metal fishing boat, donning my bright orange life vest with pride, and trolling around Cranberry Bog. Boy did I think we had gone big time! This was a huge treat to me and I cherished every moment of what was a 20 minute ride at the time. 

Sadly enough, my great-grandfather passed away when I was merely five, leading to what would be my first funeral experience and the end of our family visits to the lake. What I am left with is a quaint sampler hanging on my wall,created by my great-grandmother's sister as a child in Belgium, that hung in my great-grandfather's home, and of course the fond memories of those childhood visits. Pleasant reminders of times when life seemed simpler, the days were carefree, and Buckeye Lake was a “child suburbanite’s” dream. 

Thirty some years later, I am living that dream and making it a point to share and build upon those great memories with my own children. Lunch time visits to the waterfront eateries, picnics at the beach, fireworks festivities, and slow boat rides around the Bog. I strongly encourage other families to take advantage of all the lake has to offer and allow the lake to help create your child's dreams. Nothing can bring you together like a “bicycle-built-for-two”, a simple tire swing , or even a little metal fishing boat and an orange life vest.