Sometimes you just have to turn right!

I have driven by Deer Lake, a small town with a lake (and probably deer, although I didn’t see any) innumerable times in my life. It’s just four miles north of my hometown, after all. But I never turned right off the highway and explored the town or even saw the lake.

Tonight as the sun was getting low in the sky, we drove up there, turned right, and headed for the lake. All the little anxieties and unanswered questions that stop you from exploring a New Place (Which road do I turn right on?  Will there be parking? Are there places to walk around?) were swirling around in my head, but one by one, were resolved: It was pretty easy to find the lake; lots of parking along the lake, and yes, it was a wonderful place to walk around.

The lake was small but pretty, in a park-like setting with a dam and waterfall and lots of benches and green space for walkers, fishers and thinkers. There were a few scattered houses around its perimeter as well as the Deer Lake Fire Company headquarters and social club (with a vending machine that sells live bait!  Nightcrawlers–yum!)  The setting sun kept shifting the light on the water, from a rosy pink to a deep charcoal.

What was I thinking never to stop here before!  Now that I know, I will be a more frequent visitor!