One of the best parts of living in New Hampshire has been how close we live to water. It is no problem to wake up early on a Sunday morning and travel to Hampton Beach to spend a few hours soaking in the sun. However, New Hampshire’s shoreline is only 30 miles long. Though the beach is a popular attraction a much larger water feature is the lakes region. The largest of the lakes is Winnipesaukee. It and the half dozen other sister lakes draw countless visitors and campers throughout the summer months. It is not uncommon to see bumper to bumper traffic on I-93 on Friday nights heading to the lakes.

On the banks of Winnipesaukee lies the beautiful town of Meredith. Each year my technology director colleagues have a conference at Church Landing at Mills Falls. This year our board also held their summer retreat here. At lunch, I took the opportunity to photograph the grounds, the lake, and the sculpture walk along its shores. This arm of the lake is but a small portion, but it’s obvious to see why so many spend weeks and often the entire summer here.

Janet’s brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Kim have been frequenting Silver Lake for years and finally chose to invest into a permanent camping location. We were invited to visit a few times throughout the summer and easily saw why so many are drawn to the area. While there is no such thing as a warm body of water in New England, this lake is shallow enough to allow the temperature to rise enough to be comfortable to swim. Lilee, their youngest, has literally become a mermaid and spends most of her days splashing around, standing on her hands, and making friends with anyone who will swim with her.

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Upstream and around the bend is lake Winnisquam. Much larger than Silver Lake it is most known for the town of Laconia that sits upon its shores. Our friends Pat and Diane have a cottage and boat on Winnisquam. On a beautiful day in September they invited us and other friends to join them for a day of good food, boating, and roasting marshmallows around the campfire.

We have found a new place to relax and enjoy the wonders of the area. The lakes region is another one of those special things that make all New Englanders feel like tourists!