Living among the trees

When my grandparents built the cabins close to 90 years ago, they chose to build them on a hill overlooking Otter Lake surrounded by dozens of big, beautiful trees. Cedar, pine, maple and birch envelope the area, keeping it shaded, private and protected.

As a kid, I played among these trees, climbed on their limbs, built tree forts, hid among the groves, and found many perfect spots to perch my butt and just observe the world around me. Every tree or cluster of cedars holds memories.

A few of the trees have been removed over the years due to age or disease but the majority remain, some towering a hundred feet over the cabins, creating a stunning canopy as the sunlight filters through.

The breezes off the lake provide a continuous movement of air that is some of the cleanest, most refreshing you’ll ever find. The woody scents of pine, cedar boughs and wildflowers are quite simply…sublime.

Spring is my favorite season as the trees just begin to blossom, erupting in a bright, verdant green against the blue skies, as if someone dabbled paint on each little twig.

How fitting that my fraternal grandmother was Flora, named after the Roman goddess of spring and plants, ranging from tiny wildflowers to towering trees. We’ve all heard the common phrase "flora and fauna,” which covers just about every visible living thing.

As Flora did, it is easy to feel at home here among the trees.