The tires

The “tires” are a set of four large tractor tires that my dad placed on the lakeshore at the cabins in the 1970s. The tires jutted out about 30 feet into the lake, acting as a jetty to protect the sandy shoreline, but also offering a fun spot for kids to play on the beach.

When I was a wee one, I fondly remember the challenge of walking on the tires in a figure-eight pattern, carefully balancing and jumping from tire to tire, which all had slightly different tread patterns. The tire closest to shore was different than the others, more of an innertube-style, offering a bouncy ride.

My friends and I would wade around the tires following the paths of clams and snails in the sand. When we were a little older we’d hang out on the tires for hours, watching boats go by and sunning ourselves between swims. Cooking in the sun all day, the black tires were very warm on our bare feet and were a perfect springboard to jumping in the lake!

I think my dad saw the tires as a bit of fun for kids, maybe because he himself used to play on the tires on the family farm. And being a Depression-era kid, it was always about reusing and recycling what you had available rather than buying something new.

Over the winter the ice on the lake would displace the tires a bit and my dad would have to use his tractor to reposition them each spring. He took such care with everything at the cabins, building a place where people could enjoy the outdoors with friends and family and just be themselves without the need for any fancy extravagances.

The tires remain on the shore all these years later, still offering simple charm and fun for those who want to hop on or get their toes wet.

The tires in 1985. Photo by Clay Dobrovolec.