We’re back at Deep Creek Lake, the sixth year in a row we’ve come here as a family. This year’s rental house is in a different location. It’s the replica of the familiar cabin we’ve booked the last four years but situated closer to the lake.

I’m getting used to this new venue, to how the light falls in the morning, to the waves in the lake. Will there be enough calm water to kayak? We’re looking into it.

We didn’t pull off the first swim we attempted (at a smaller, more kid-friendly lake) due to an e-coli outbreak. The bugs are everywhere these days, it seems. But we will avoid that lake (along with iceberg lettuce) and make the best of it. An ironic statement, of course, because as you can see from the photo above that’s not hard to do around here.