A walk with my dog

By Kitty Lapin Agile on June 19, 2012 • ( 3 )

I’m lucky enough to own a “camp”. In the New England area, as well as parts of the Mid West, families often own “camps”. It’s usually a bare bones type of cabin, usually near a lake. Often the camps don’t have heat, certainly don’t have air conditioning, and are filled with second hand furniture. Some have indoor toilets and some don’t. It’s where you go on a nice weekend, during the far too short summers we have in the North. It’s one step up from camping, but then again, has all the pleasures of being able to shut a door on rain and bugs.

Sadly, the camp is a dying tradition for the blue collar and middle class. Popular lakes in New Hampshire have camps bought out, only to be torn down and mega lake homes built in their place. Out of state owners, think Mitt Romney, occasionally visit but have no real close ties to the area. Lake Franklin Pierce has had a few camps torn down, and seen a rise in mega lake mansions. Happily, Lake Franklin Pierce has only had a few of these. Lake Franklin Pierce and other local lakes, including Emerald Lake, still has reasonably priced camps for sale that the middle class can afford.

My children are all grown, so I am often at the cabin alone. Except for my dog, Dingo. Dingo looks nothing like a real dingo. He was given the name as a puppy, and when we got him refused to answer to any other name. He’s good company at the cabin. He’s the perfect walking partner for me as he has very crooked legs. This makes him rather slow. I have a sadly crooked back from an injury. This makes me rather slow walking also. We hobble along together, simply enjoying being outside and if we are lucky, meeting no one at all. Here is our walk, with just a few of the highlights…

Time to walk!

The haunted camp, no one has been here for over 10 years

Cars sometimes drive here, about 1/3 of the roads are dirt

view from near where the beavers live

The road to our camp, only friendly neighbors here!

Dingo shows he is good for more than walks. He loves boats.
Here he is in a photo taken from the “front” of the cabin (lake side), with my daughter and son in law.