Favorite Place Assignment

Photo Information: Perch Lake Beach in Summer.
Source: https://www.vrbo.com/334470

As a "military brat" for the first decade of my life, I had the opportunity to live in many places around  (and once outside of) the U.S. Though I loved the adventure of new locations and different environments, my favorite place is separate from the constant 1-2 year cycle of childhood change. My dad grew up in Michigan, just outside of Ann Arbor, the fourth of five kids in a very Irish family. Rather than spend on big vacations, my grandparents decided to invest in a home away from home: a small property on a lake adjoining an aunt's ramshackle cabin about four hours away. Because hiring construction workers was too expensive, my grandfather decided to have a sort-of "build your own cabin from pre-set foundations" set up, and my dad's family spent the subsequent summer of '72 building what would become their summer getaway. Located on the outskirts of Traverse City, the family cabin has been in use for over four decades now as a place my dad's side of the family goes to spend time and reminisce. Four generations of the family have visited, including I and my siblings over the summer for a week almost every year since 2006 and a few times prior. When there, we go swimming, make s'mores, hang out in the hammock, do puzzles, play games (especially cards), try to fix the many "technical difficulties" found in a forty-six year old structure built in a rush by my inexperienced grampa, or watch one of the endless supply of rom-coms and Sandra Bullock movies my Nana made sure to stock it with. It's a good hour from the city, and for the most part the lake is too small for any big boats or jetskis, so the natural ambiance is unaffected by the sounds of machinery (save the occasional chainsaw clearing up tree debris). Nana's Cabin is the most peaceful place I have ever been and the most constant in my life. It represents good times spent with extended family and some of the most fun I and my siblings (and our dad's before us) have ever had on a vacation. The lake and surrounding woods are gorgeous, and if you get  up early you can watch the sun rise from a listing paddleboat sporting a lopsided shamrock. It is perfection and the perpetual happy place of my past and present: my true favorite place on Earth.

(Image Information: Personal photo of the Family Cabin;
 photo from Perch Lake, MI, July 2017.)

(Image Information: Personal Photo of Perch Lake,
backyard photo from July 2017.)