Six generations return to Lake Winnipesaukee for a century-old tradition

Rep ese tative
image

Fo
o e
family,
summe
has
always
mea t
Lake
Wi ipesaukee
i
New
Hampshi e.
Ove
six
ge e atio s,
the
lake
has
bee
the
backd op
fo
childhood
swims,
boat
ides,
family
meals
a d
cou tless
eu io s.
Today,
eve
though
ma y
membe s
live
o ly
a
hou
away,
they
still
spe d
thousa ds
of
dolla s
each
summe
to
keep
the
t aditio
alive.The
decisio
is
ot
pu ely
fi a cial.
It
is
ooted
i
ostalgia,
ide tity
a d
the
desi e
to
p ese ve
a
sha ed
se se
of
belo gi g.
Fo
this
family,
the
lake
is
ot
just
a
desti atio .
It
is
a
place
whe e
thei
histo y
has
bee
w itte ,
o e
summe
at
a
time.Kelly
Bu ch
w ote
about
he
family’s
sto y
o
Busi ess
I side .
He e’s
what
she
sha ed:A
t aditio
that
bega
ge e atio s
agoThe
family’s
co ectio
to
Lake
Wi ipesaukee
st etches
back
mo e
tha
a
ce tu y.
Thei
a cesto s
fi st
sta ted
vacatio i g
i
the
same
cove,
e ti g
o
stayi g
i
ea by
homes
as
the
lake
became
a
popula
summe
et eat
i
New
E gla d.Ove
time,
as
child e
g ew
up
a d
had
thei
ow
families,
the
t aditio
expa ded.
Cousi s,
au ts,
u cles
a d
g a dpa e ts
all
etu ed
to
the
same
a ea
each
yea .
Some
b a ches
of
the
family
eve tually
bought
thei
ow
p ope ties
a ou d
the
lake,
while
othe s
co ti ued
e ti g
i
the
same
eighbou hood,
Bu ch
sha ed.

The
esult
is
a
multige e atio al
etwo k
that
still
gathe s
i
the
same
cove
thei
a cesto s
o ce
visited.
Eve
whe
the
exact
house
cha ges,
the
locatio
emai s
mea i gful.
The
lake
itself
becomes
a
co sta t
i
a
wo ld
whe e
so
much
else
shifts.

Why
they
keep
etu i g,
eve
whe
it’s
expe siveBut
mai tai i g
a
summe
t aditio
at
a
popula
lake
is
ot
cheap,
Bu ch
said.
Re tal
p ices
a ou d
Lake
Wi ipesaukee
ca
u
i to
the
thousa ds
of
dolla s
pe
week,
especially
du i g
peak
seaso .
Add
i
boat
e tals,
g oce ies,
activities
a d
meals
out,
a d
the
total
cost
of
a
summe
t ip
ca
be
substa tial.Yet
fo
this
family,
the
expe se
is
justified
by
the
value
of
the
expe ie ce.
They
have
t ied
vacatio i g
i
ew
places,
but
othi g
has
matched
the
emotio al
eso a ce
of
etu i g
to
the
lake.
The
familia ity
of
the
wate ,
the
sho eli e
a d
the
su ou di g
tow s
c eates
a
se se
of
co ti uity
that
is
difficult
to
eplicate
elsewhe e.Nostalgia
plays
a
powe ful
ole.
Adults
who
spe t
thei
ow
childhood
summe s
at
Wi ipesaukee
wa t
thei
child e
a d
g a dchild e
to
have
simila
memo ies.
They
wa t
the
ext
ge e atio
to
k ow
the
same
coves,
beaches
a d
boat
outes
that
shaped
thei
ow
summe s.I
that
se se,
the
mo ey
spe t
is
ot
just
o
accommodatio
a d
activities.
It
is
a
i vestme t
i
family
ide tity
a d
sha ed
histo y,
she
said.The
pull
of
a
familia
placeLake
Wi ipesaukee
is
New
Hampshi e’s
la gest
lake,
with
mo e
tha
70
miles
of
sho eli e,
ume ous
isla ds
a d
a
lo g
histo y
as
a
summe
desti atio .
Tow s
a ou d
the
lake,
such
as
Wolfebo o,
Me edith
a d
Laco ia,
have
cate ed
to
vacatio e s
fo
ge e atio s.Fo
families
with
deep
oots
i
the
a ea,
the
lake
offe s
mo e
tha
sce e y.
It
gives
st uctu e
to
ituals:
mo i g
swims,
eve i g
boat
ides,
favou ite
ice
c eam
spots,
yea ly
meeti gs
a d
k ow
paths
a ou d
the
wate .These
small
t aditio s
accumulate
ove
time.
A
pa ticula
be ch
whe e
the
family
eats
pizza,
a
specific
spot
whe e
they
watch
fi ewo ks,
a
outi e
mo i g
paddle
befo e
the
est
of
the
g oup
wakes
up,
all
of
these
become
pa t
of
the
family
sto y.Retu i g
to
the
same
place
makes
it
easie
to
mai tai
those
ituals.
The e
is
o
eed
to
elea
the
a ea
o
discove
ew
favou ite
spots.
I stead,
each
summe
builds
o
the
last.Memo ies
of
the
maki g
ac oss
ge e atio sFo
the
kids,
the
lake
is
whe e
cousi s
become
best
f ie ds,
whe e
summe
is
measu ed
i
wate
play
a d
sha ed
expe ie ces.
Fo
adults,
it’s
a
oppo tu ity
to
meet
with
b othe s
a d
siste s,
pa e ts
a d
exte ded
family
i
a
elaxed
setti g.Olde
ge e atio s
may
emembe
the
lake
f om
decades
ago,
while
you ge
membe s
expe ie ce
the
lake
th ough
mode -day
activities
such
as
paddleboa di g,
kayaki g
a d
wate skii g.
But
the
ce t al
expe ie ce
is
still
the
same:
time
togethe
outside
the
daily
outi e.Ma y
families
at
Wi ipesaukee
c eate
thei
ow
ve sio
of
this
patte .
Some
stay
at
lo g-sta di g
eso ts
whe e
multiple
ge e atio s
have
etu ed
fo
decades.
Othe s
e t
homes
i
the
same
eighbou hoods
yea
afte
yea .
A
few
ow
cottages
that
have
bee
passed
dow
th ough
the
family.What
u ites
them
is
the
desi e
to
keep
a
sha ed
summe
t aditio
alive,
eve
as
life
becomes
busie
a d
mo e
dispe sed.The
difficulty
of
keepi g
up
t aditio sIt
is
ot
always
easy
to
keep
a
multige e atio al
t aditio
alive.
Schedules
become
mo e
complex
as
families
g ow.
Wo k,
school
schedules,
spo ts
a d
othe
activities
ca
make
it
tough
to
coo di ate
a
la ge
g oup.A othe
co side atio
is
cost.
Lake
Wi ipesaukee
is
a
popula
desti atio
with
high
dema d
fo
lake
e tals
boats
a d
di i g
d ivi g
up
p ices.
Fo
some
families,
the
o ly
way
to
e su e
a
etu
eve y
yea
is
to
buy
p ope ty.
Fo
some
people,
e ti g
is
still
the
most
flexible,
eve
if
it
is
expe sive.A d
the
the e’s
the
questio
whethe
the
you ge
ge e atio s
wa t
to
keep
the
t aditio
goi g.
Some
might
p efe
othe
ki ds
of
holidays,
o
be
less
attached
to
the
lake
tha
thei
pa e ts
a d
g a dpa e ts.Families
that
succeed
ofte
adapt.
They
may
sho te
the
le gth
of
the
t ip,
adjust
the
timi g,
o
allow
diffe e t
b a ches
of
the
family
to
visit
at
slightly
diffe e t
times
while
still
mai tai i g
the
co e
co ectio
to
the
lake.Why
the
lake
still
matte sFo
the
family
that
has
spe t
six
summe s
at
Wi ipesaukee
ac oss
ge e atio s,
the
lake
ep ese ts
mo e
tha
a
vacatio
spot.
It
is
a
place
whe e
thei
sto y
took
place.
This
is
whe e
g a dpa e ts
o ce
ocked
babies
who
a e
ow
g ow ,
whe e
cousi s
lea ed
to
swim
togethe
a d
whe e
family
milesto es
have
bee
ma ked.That
histo y
is
ho ou ed
is
a
way
of
etu i g
each
summe .
It
is
also
a
way
to
make
su e
that
the
ext
ge e atio
has
a
place
of
its
ow
i
the
family
sto y.I
a
wo ld
of
e dless
t avel
choices
a d
ew
desti atio s
appea i g
all
the
time,
it
might
seem
st a ge
to
pick
the
same
lake
yea
afte
yea .
But
familia ity
is
the
thi g
with
this
family.
This
lake
is
mo e
tha
a
place
they
go
to.
It’s
pa t
of
who
they
a e.

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