What first drew you to Winni?
 

I thought this post might be interesting. I'm curious what specific thing made you decide to buy/rent here time and time again?

And the second question being, over the years you've been here what has transpired that you really dislike about the area?

CZ

How I got here
 

I grew up in Connecticut and for as long as I can remember; my parents would rent a camp on Lake Resue in Ludlow Vermont for a couple of weeks each summer. My early childhood memories were of trout fishing with my father and swimming in the cold Vermont lake. My parents wanted a change of pace so they started renting a cabin at Lake Winnipesaukee. This was how I was introduced to the Lake Region. My parents stopped going up north and I started vacationing in Cape Cod trading the lake for the ocean. About 13 years ago, my in-laws brought a camp on Hermit Lake in Sanbornton. They fixed it up and introduced us to the camp. Three years ago, my wife and I took over the camp – and well that is the story. We like the lake because it so beautiful and peaceful. The development and traffic that transpired in the last 10 years is the main thing we dislike about the area. If only this area would stop growing – but you cannot stop progress.

I love the rural lifestye.....the mountains & the lakes. What concerns me is the growth. The towns must become more pro-active about growth issues.
________
Honda WOW history

Camping
 

My brother and his wife did island tent camping at Lake George, NY and my future (now present) wife and I visited there ... a beautiful lake. Some of their camping friends had heard of a land subdivision on Cow Island (this was in the late 60's) and they purchased a lot. Most of our neighbors (at that time) did tent camping while they built their camps. Over time, we became the owners and have raised our 3 kids there in happy summer days.
There are a few things that I've come to dislike. The cost of living has become enormous for islanders via taxes and the cost of keeping a boat on the mainland. The huge "stinkpot" cruisers that motor by leaving enormous wakes is bothersome. And small things like the replacement of the attractive old wooden buoys with those plastic sticks is a visual loss.
On a positive note, owners of the big-engined cigarette-style boats seem to be conforming to the decibel law.

JTA,

Are the taxes the same whether you are waterfront on the mainland or waterfront on an island?

And your comment about the buoys; when I come up to Winni after boating on Long Island Sound, I miss the "big" green and red cans. Trying to spot those small red and black sticks can be difficult at times. Do you think they'll ever go to the bigger ones?

Thanks great-granddad
 

My great-grandfather purchased property on the lake in the late 1800's. My grandmother willed a small portion to each of her grandchildren, so I owned two blades of grass and three grains of sand. After a while, it became unwise from a financial standpoint to keep it, but it was fun while it lasted, and I still cherish going up there even if it's "just" renting.

The lakeshore development is very disappointing. I remember being able to look toward Rattlesnake and not seeing many lights. Frequently, it looked like campfires twinkling over there.

The most beautiful place in the world
 

As a child, I have the best memories of my uncle's boat on the Great South Bay off Long Island NY (and big markers) About 16 years ago we began renting a cottage in Alton Bay, We fell in love with the beauty of the area, the peace that we felt when we crossed the Massachusetts border, and the people we met. Since then we bought a house on the lake and I continue to pinch myself every day that i am here. Just today we cruised to Meredith and enjoyed the magnificent views. (Only saw a few dangerous stunts)I accept the high taxes as a cost of being here. The only thing that makes me crazy is having to pay a non resident fee for my fishing liscense. And since I am the worst fisherman...the state is way ahead of me.

In high school, one of my classmates had a family camp in Wolfboro. We used to come up and go sailing on the lake. I vowed that if I ever had enough money, that I would buy a house in the lakes region. When my startup was acquired, I did.

What do I dislike?

The WOW trail
Boaters that don't know or care about the navigational rules
Restaurants that don't care about service or product

All in all, it is still an amazing place.

Jetskier:cool:

Agree !
 

Very Similar JS,

Grew up in Saugus Ma... came to the lake the year I graduated from HS..( :rolleye1: 1969) Fell in love with the area.

We moved here in 1986, and love everything about the lake. Great place to raise a family. I completely agree about the boaters that simply can't seem to get the rules.

Unlike some other posters, I'm not all that worried about the growth of the area. Seems to me that it's fairly well managed. But I'm watching it closely!:)

My parents started coming here in 1953. I loved the clear water.

What I hate? Whiners and complainers:rolleye1: :rolleye2:

1969 - I was introduced to that grand lake!
 

My family has had property at a number of lakes throughout the lakes region and in VT on Champlain. I have been fortunate to have been visiting the region since I can remember - dating back for me to 1969 - but the family has been up there since the 1930's and on Champlain in VT since 1940's.

Though the family properties have all been sold off, except for three of us - Winni, Province Lake and Champlain - we feel very fortunate to have memories of pumping water from the well pump by hand - rowing out and dropping the ater lines into the lake, sleeping up in the treehouse - even during the big thunderboomers (they seem to have been far worse and louder back in the 60's and 70's!) Driving up and never locking the cars, camp doors, etc... Having huge family reunions on the lake - learning to waterski, canoe trips, (my first big trip from Center Harbor to Rattlesnake Isaland - camping on the island then returning home the next morning when I was 10!), taking the wheel of the boat for the first time in 1974 on Paugus Bay! Taking the old alumnimum boat across the wakes of the Sophie C and Doris! Spending four weeks at Camp Lawrence on Bear Island and having my family boat by and make a scene on a few occassions in 1976! Snorkling the Steamboat Belknap wreck off Steamboat island! Swimming all the way around Bear Island - THAT WAS EXHAUSTING!! Going to college and finding out my roommate also had a place on Winni - and boating around with his family (on a DONZI!!) in the summer of 1986! I could go on and on!

So many great memories!!

What I dislike - folks who do not respect the past, the history and the nostalgia of this great lake - and the McMansionization of the lake is sad, but life goes on and more families will hopefully have the same experiences as many of us did as kids growing up on the lake!

1943 My First Summer at Lake Shore Park
 

My dad purchased a tent platform for $50 in the summer of 1943 when I was four months old. The family summered at LSP for years, eventually moving up to Laconia in 1961 when they purchased the Golden Gate Cottages on the Weirs Boulevard.

What doe I hate about it now? The Lakes Region is a three hour drive from my home in Norwich, CT, and I am not able to get up to the Lake as much as I would like.

My father's parent bought our camp in the 1920's and everyone came (my mom's family, friends, etc) every summer thereafter. So, it is just where we go and I wouldn't trade it for any place on earth.

I wouldn't change it either although there have been lots of changes. Things just happen. We are in Alton. McGrath's store blew up - happens. The pavilion went under and then, sadly, burned to the ground. These things are unavoidable. However, there is now a proposal to put a public beach on Echo Point. They would have to widen the road and several camps/cottages would be taken over by the town and destroyed. It would ruin Echo Point for the dozens of homeowners and hundreds of visitors each summer.

That is the sort of change that doesn't just happen and it should be stopped.

Jersey Girl

Change: Inevitable?
 

Q: What first drew you to Winni?

A: My parents, who "drew" me to my grandparent's place—by my diaper! :emb:

Q: What do you really dislike about the area?

A: It depends on the year: :confused:

1) Ten years ago, weekend air quality was like the New Jersey Turnpike.
Except for increased noise, the air is much better now.

2) Three years ago, I sent photos to NHDES of localized mudflow into the lake. The mud was caused by three spec-builders associated with local real estate—and one 130-acre developer. (Who isn't finished by a long shot). Erosion controls were failing at dozens of sites.

3) Two years ago, I couldn't find my mooring in 15 feet of water.

4) Yesterday, I couldn't even see my waterpipe in just six feet of water. (Thoroughly-churned water).

Well, skee-yooz me after you've seen what I'm seeing! :rolleye1: :rolleye2:

BTW: Seaplane Pilot's "Wakes-Up No, Wakes Down" thread is nearing 10,000 reads! A record?

1892
 

I really had no choice in the matter as to coming up to the lake. Our family built the cottage in 1892 and has been there ever since. As for what I don't like about it, is that I'm too old to be able to play a decent game of Kick the Can anymore.:laugh:

I started coming to the lake in 1974,a friends family owned Rocky Ledge Shores Motel.Fell in love with the lake.My family has a house on the beach in York ME. and I hated the ice cold ocean(never saw any enjoyment in sticking your toes in the water and your leg turning blue to the knee) so I bought a used Glastron GT 170 and have been boating and enjoying the lake ever since and now get to share it with my wife and daughter.

Started coming up in the mid-70s when my parents bought a cabin cruiser and docked it in Robert's Cove Basin.

Can't think of much to dislike, most of the changes I've noticed are for the better, but I'm an optimist.

What first drew you to Winni?
 

We started coming to Winni in the late 70's or around 1980. My kids were young then and we stayed in Center Harbor at the Lake Shore cottages for a few years then over in Melvin Village for several years. I live in Ct., but have always been pulled towards this area and had visited the White Mountains and Newfound Lake many times. Lots of changes occured in my life, including a divorce and the loss of my son at age 21 from leukemia. It was after he passed that I started coming up to the lake several times a year by myself, usually staying in the Meredith area. I love the beauty of the lakes and mountains and there is a special energy here that I find very grounding and healing. I am now looking for a piece of land in this area.
What I don't like? well, I just think it's kind of sad that there are so many "mansions" replacing the more modest family cottages and camps. I think that leaves less opportunities for people who aren't too wealthy and I also have concerns for the environment and what happens to the watershed when you have huge, manicured lawns and the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Change happens...it's inevitable. I have seen a lot of changes in the Meredith area in the last 10 years. But I think Rusty has done a wonderful job with the Inns (where I usually stay) and he does seem sensitive to the needs of the community.

My Dad was born in Lynn Mass lived in the Boston area as a kid and would go to the camp run by the Boston YMCA on Sandy Island. He then moved to NJ and married my Mom. While reading the NYTimes on a Sunday he noticed cottages for rent in Meredith. He wanted us kids to see the lake so rented a cottage on Pinnacle Park Road. That was in 1950 and we continued to rent that cottage in Meredith for the month of August every year until I graduated high school in 1966. A couple of years ago we found that same cottage still for rent and the whole family took Dad, then 90 years old, to the lake once again. Got him on the Sophie C so he could visit Sandy Island. That was in July and the following January Dad died. We're sooooo thankful we were able to get him to his beloved lake one more time.

that's a nice story

LadyJane you nailed it
 

I wonder what the "locals" thought of my great great grandfather when he built his place on Mltnbro 1st neck. It was a 6 bedroom non heated no bathroom cottage in 1892. Improvements made: Added a 1/2 bath in 1935, 3x3 shower in 1990. It was way over the top 115 years ago, but he had a big family that doubled up in most of the bedrooms. I'm not critizing your post at all, I just wonder whether people back then felt the same as we do today. BTW, I feel the same; That fertilized lawns are one of the most detrimental things that someone can do to the health of this lake, and those usually go hand and hand with McMansions

You pointed out the main differences....
 

The difference between the adirondack camps and lake houses that popped up around Winni back in the day (sounds like what your grandfather built) were that they worked WITH THE LAKE AND LAND! Not building OVER IT! Out houses, outdoor showers, well pumps!! All part of the lake experience!

The nice part about visiting the family camp was that is was natural - you felt like you were "in the woods" and "on the lake" rather than in the suburbs which happen to have a lake on the side yards! The biggest difference - the GREEN LAWNS that roll from the homes to the lake - have replaced the pine needles and sandy beaches, created naturally, that ran from the camps to the waterfront.

Those days are gone I am afraid - and it's sad. :(

Wildwoodfam
 

Can't tell where the well was, but picture show it was a bucket brigade that brought water in, lake water is still pumped in for household water. The Outhouse is still there! I try to use it once, every year. :laugh: Thanks.

Even in campgrounds
 

We rented one season at Arcadia, and were amazed by the number of people who had bought their campsite and promptly put in a lawn, which they had to mow every weekend...not what we consider camping. To me, going to the lake is about getting away from it all, not going to the same thing in a different location.

Thank you all for your replies. What a great group of stories. Those of you in your 50's and 60's seem to have the best stories due to the abundance of change in technology over the years. Stories of "simpler times".

LadyJane, I'm sorry for the loss of your son. Thank you for sharing your story.

And Janet, thanks for sharing yours. What a wonderful memory for you and I'm sure it was one of the best trips your Dad ever had.

My best,

Dana

The Change in us
 

We love the difference in our family when we are at the lake. The shared outdoor activities during the day. The card and board games we would never take the time for back home. The many nights we forget to turn the TV on. Joking with the kids and girlfriends in the limited space of the "camp".

What we dislike most is closing day when we have to mark the time for what seems an eternity.

RG, that's what I love about the Lake, too. Our experience at the island is very simple. We fish, we play cards, we enjoy the water, we relax, but mostly we are together. I am more than 1/2 way through my annual jigsaw puzzle and I have played - and enjoyed - more games of Clue than I thought possible. And you'd never know how competitive (and long) a game of Trouble could be until you've played with my kids on a cool night in front of the woodstove.

Board games at home? Unlikely. A puzzle? No time. We've been at home for a few days and my kids have whined and cried about the television, something they never even mention at the Lake.

There's little that I "hate" about the Lake. I used to hate jetskis when they first came out, but I've gotten over it. I really don't like those loud, fast boats but maybe I'll get over that, too. If only they were quieter . . .

we always went to the Cape but after sitting in traffic we decided to try Winni in early 1980's and spent two weeks on vacation bought a house sold it when we moved to California came back a few years later and built a house then moved to waterfront so effectively we have been here for ~ 22 years and will stay. Only negative to me( i don't deal with) is the winter as we spend that time in Phoenix

mcmansions
 

The green lawns are bad enough - but have you noticed? So many of those big houses are hardly ever used! At least if they were still someone's camp, they'd be loved and enjoyed.

My grandparents bought a small cottage in Meredith in the 40's, which the whole family would spend the summer at. My grandparents passed away in the late 60's and early 70's, but the house stayed in the family until the mid 80's before it had to be sold. Before that we would spend the summers at the house, usually there would be 15 - 20 of us at the house for most weekends. There was no TV all of the Aunts, Uncles, and cousins would play games, tell stories, and just hang out. I spent many summers after that working at the camps on Bear Island, and now my parents live in Meredith. So the lake has been my home (atleast for part of the year) fro my whole life. The only thing I don't like is that I can't afford to live up there permanently.

I'm sure Winnipesaukee means heaven
 

Mom, sometime before she married Dad, had come up to the lake with her friends that had a camp on Jolly Isl. It impressed her a lot and suggested it as a vacation spot for Mom, Dad and I (4 months old) in 1953 for a 2 week period during the shutdown period where Dad was employed. That was the beginning of a wonderful yearly trek for the family. Another island family allowed us to rent their cabin for a 2 week period the next year and it was the beginning of a wonderful family tradition as well as a vacation and a permanent mental image of peace, tranquility, beauty, and happiness.

Island life then was an experience that started a month before the vacation. Planning the 3 meals a day, making the shopping lists, selecting the clothes, and a few toys for us (now) 3 kids. The car trip was partially highway and a lot of secondary roads. The trip would take about 7 hours to get up to Laconia where we would spend a couple more hours buying the groceries we needed for the 2 weeks meals. You see, this kindly old fellow Ernest Abbot would ferry us and our 3 big boxes of clothes, and 27 bags of groceries at his customary 6 mph out of Glendale docks out to the island not to return for 2 weeks. Back then the lifestyle was interesting. The iceman brought the blocks of ice for the icebox every 3 or 4 days in his boat (Archer or Arrow utility flat bottom). The gas cylinders were ordered by postcard and a boat would just pull in and drop them off. The postcard was mailed by the US Mailboat the Uncle Sam which also brought bread, milk and eggs to the residents of the islands it stopped at twice a day and once on Sundays. Meals and after meal cleanup had to be done during the daylight hours. Days consisted of waking early for a canoe ride around the island to hear the bugle record at the Camp Larwence boys camp on Bear Island drifting across the water. Looking down to see the rig scary rocks, those eerie fallen trees, the clams in the sand, some fish, mink or muskrat scooping up those clams and those buoy poles that went all the way to the bottom and pushed so easily. Back for breakfast, then maybe a rowboat ride. After the mandatory 1 hour after a meal, it was swimming time. the old inner tubes came out and kickboards. And with mask and fins it was exploring time, age appropriate depths of course. Do you know how deep a 6 yr old can go with one of those orange life jackets? NOT. The laundry was done in a big pan with scrub board and air dried with that wonderful breeze. Lunches were followed by reading time (at least one hour) and then jeez! swimming time again. Rain or shine, swimming time!. Mail boat time in the afternoon meant ice cream and jumpoing off the dock into the propwash as it left. Then diving to the bottom and getting a hand full of the clay nestled in the sand. bring it up and play with it, or coat ourselves, then jump in and rinse off. Running through the woods on marked trails that cut through the island center or through the neighbors yards along the shore. Maybe a little fishing in the evening. All by rowboat because we didn't have our own power boat.

We would canoe over to other islands. Around little Camp boy do you have to watch out for the rocks. Over to the foot bridge at Birch/Steamboat. The indian head on the rock at Bear Island painted before the water level was raised and now is half underwater at summer high water mark.

You get to know the people on the island and even as renters we were always welcomed and remembered by the permanent residents. And everyone looks out for one another. Those big storms that spring up. We would run to check up on a few of the senior folk that stayed on the island. One dark and story night (sorry but it really was) I had to be taken to Laconia Hospital. We went to the neighbor who volunteered to drive us to town. The 16 ft aluminum boat with the 35 hp motor pounded all the way across to Glendale to walk to the car in that upper parking lot then the quick trip to the hospital. I don't remember if there was thunder and lightning but that was one scary scary ride and Mom and her friend Estelle were real troopers that nite.

The storms were another form of enjoyment. The old Dory row boat was great for riding the 3 and 4 ft waves just off shore. Dad would take us with our orange life jackets and we would take turns sitting in the bow as it went way up high and sloshed down and then again. But the best part was when we came back to shore, the bow slid into the sand and the waves kept a coming. CRSPLASH into the stern and over soaking anyone who was still back there.

Evenings and nightimes were spent sitting on the porch in chairs just looking out over the water and talking. Listening to the water against the rocks just 4 ft away. The bats flitting over the water. The Mt Washington on its nightly cruise all lit up as it headed down the Broads towars Rattlesnake and Alton Bay. All the stars in the sky because there was no light pollution, the moon rising. The otherwise dark island shores because of non-development. If the wind was right, taps could be heard from Camp Lawrence even on our side of the island.

We didn't get a boat until 1965 and that started a whole bunch of new stories and adventures. Family day trips to the different tourist sites; Polar Caves, the Flume, Mt. Washington. The island teenagers would meet up at the mailboat dock in the evenings sometimes horsing around. Maybe a guitar and some songs. then there was the dances at the Weirs, and big named groups would come and play. Us island kids would take the boat out during the day and cruise other islands. If we saw someone on the beach we might like, we would pull in, introduce ourselves and invite to the dance. As we couldn't drive cars, this was the best of everything. At the dance, the keys were left in the boat so if a situation presented itself, then well, just get back and pick everyone else up on time... Water skiing and cruising the lake because gas was 0.32 / gal. we could always bum a couple of quarters and get gas.

Mom's 2 grandchildren got to experience the lake. Things had changed a lot, but not really. Electricity and phone were brought out to the cabin maybe 20 yrs ago? but our rule was no tv. minimal lights. And the hand pump in th kitchen is still there. If you need something to do, collect wood for the fireplace. Bring ashes out to the outhouse. Pick up the stuff you left on the beach. Put the boats away. Put the dishes away. And there is always a game of horseshoes. Nothing sounds better than the clink of shoe against pole. Or rock for those less accurate tosses!

I'm sure you will agree, reading this there a bunch of things that are not allowed anymore or at least seriously restricted, but the experiences we had and the memories and pictures we have and the things we learned in those 2 week vacations each year for 51 years are priceless.

We had to stop coming up to the lake a few years ago due to health and financial setbacks but the photos, stories and family talks still went on. Mom's short term memory was failing rapidly but oh could she remember and talk about the lake..

We will say goodbye to my Mom on Thursday and I wanted this to be my tribute and special thanks to her and the friends that invited her up that first summer and helped our family to build these wonderful memories.

Thank you,
Jay

I've included this obituary link and if you remember Mom, I know Dad will appreciate the thoughts.
http://www.legacy.com/StamfordAdvoca...sonId=91319336

Captain Zipper
 

Thanks for your kind words Dana. It was a special trip as we would sit each night and listen to Dad's stories of when he was a boy on Sandy Island. He loved that island and the lake soooo much. My family feels very grateful, especially to my brother-in-law who paid for the trip, to have had this special time with Dad.

Jay - what a special tribute to your Mom. Dad's love of the lake was also mentioned at his memorial service.

Going on vacation with Sister and Brother-in-law brought us to the lake. What kept bringing us back was the good times we had on the family friendly lake. What I don't like is the rents being raised, the disrespect for each other on the lake and duck itch!!!!

did not see that ending coming...
 

JayDV
Thank you for that story. Really, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
It brought back so many memories of when I first went to the lake (although my memories didn't start until 1974). As I read along, hanging on your every word, the story stirred me with such emotion thinking of "where the hell did the years go?" And your ending brought me to tears.
Families just don't vacation like they used to, and we are all a little "poorer" because of it.
I wish you and your family comfort as you work thru what must be a difficult time.

Jay, I gotta say, that's one of the best posts I have ever read here. Thanks!

Jay
 

I'm so sorry for your loss - but thank you for sharing such wonderful memories with us.

What drew you to Winni ?
 

I originate out of the Lewiston/Auburn, Me area. My parents were frequent tenters at Sebago Lake State Park. It was a yearly experience with many relatives coordinating their vacations together to enjoy the time together.

I came to college in Manchester, NH and just never left the area. In the early 70's bought a friend of mine's boat, as he said I was using it more than him and he figured he could borrow it from me when he wanted to use it.

Bought my first piece of lake property on Highland Lake in Stoddard, NH. My wife and I camped out there for many years. But the lake was small and shallow. Not very good for water skiing.

Bought my next property in North Windham, Me on Thomas Pond, which runs into Sebago Lake. Brought back many memories of my childhood experiences camping with my parents. After several years, again found the lake to be rather small.

We sold the property and started looking for a new location to visit. Tried Lake Champlain, Moosehead, Sebago, Sunape, Winnisquam, and Winnipesaukee. We live in Pembroke, NH and the travel to most of these lakes took quite a bit of time, where Winnipesaukee was almost in our back yard.

In 1994 my mother in law offered to rent a slip for a summer as a birthday gift to me. We talked with Paul Blizzard at Lakeport Landing and he offered me a slip in the boathouse. A deal I couldn't refuse, we still have the same slip today.

So, the combination of the proximity to where we live, (easy to take a quick ride up to the lake after work and just go for a boat ride,) the beauty of the area, (we now have a 100 year old cottage on Weirs Boulevard surrounded by woods,) and being able to spend a whole day on the lake while visiting multiple ports and friends by boat.

The only thing I would like to change is my wife's dislike of riding thru the channel mid day on a weekend during July and August. She feels its like playing bumper cars.

We hope to retire up here in the not too distant future. Time will tell.
Thanks,
Bill

WOW!!
JayDV,that was a spectacular post.You have a great gift in conveying memories to typed words.You brought me right back to my childhood growing up at our lake in S.NH.Congratulations!WOW!

Thank you Jay
 

Thank you for sharing your rich and vivid memories with us. I am very sorry for your loss.

uuummmm...
 

Siksukr...
Congratulations???!!!! Did you read the end of the post? It was a great post, but I find the word "congratulations" to be a slight misfit...in light of the way it ended.

Ya,sorry.That didn't sound right.What I meant was congrats for a well written piece.

Congratulations was properly placed....
 

SA Meredith - you should re read the post - siksukr congratulated on the well written tribute to Jay's mom. Thats how I understood it to read.

:rolleye1:

it feels more like home than home....
 

My Grandparents vacationed at the Lake...My parents honeymooned here...They brought my brothers and myself to the Lake every summer for vacation...I honeymooned with my 1st husband up here.....Took a couple of yrs off to have children...got divorced...got remarried and have been coming up here with my husband & daughters ever since.

Why do I continue the tradition?? I love it here!

The changes up here have been numerous.....For the most part, the cottages are gone except for a few. When I was a child..we always stayed on Paugus Bay, more specifically at the Doll House Cottages....I hated crossing the road there as a young girl...took forever to get across and of course you're standing at the edge of a busy road in your bathing suit by yourself because Mom and Grandma were still doing the lunch dishes and Pop was napping and you couldn't wait any longer to go swimming.......but I digress...good memories though..fishing with my brothers and wondering when the house on the little island would fall in and then it dissappeared finally...I think there was a house or something rebuilt there in later years..

Doll House Cottages turned into Remeber Me Cottages..I think we stayed there a couple of times when the original owners still had it. Then we moved to the Broads...

We've stayed at the Belknap Point Motel which is lovely and in a beautiful area..but sadly not large enough for the family in the summer as the kids get older (but I always take my girls up myself the weekend after Thanksgiving to stay there)

We stayed at the Ellacoya for many years and through different owners...we were very saddened 3 yrs ago when the owners sold and didn't even bother to let anyone know who had reservations for the summer...total shock..and then to find out that the motel was to be torn down for a private residence..
I remember sitting on the dock with an elderly couple from CT that we had been up there the same week vacationing with for several yrs and they were just so sad..It really broke my heart...I guess the cottages are still being rented ...but we stopped going there.....

We stayed by the Weirs in a Townhouse for the last (2) years...but were displaced again as the owners stopped renting it out....

So this year...in less than 2 weeks..we are staying in Meredith in a waterfront cottage for the very first time...and I am very excited. I don't care where we stay on the Lake..as long as I still can go!

No matter what the changes are..I will still want to spend my summer vacation on Lake Winnipesaukee. I get all the "New Jersey" out of me when I come up here. When I take my morning walks, I say hello to folks I pass instead of keeping my head down. I leave the makeup off and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors instead of worrying about what I look like...I don't know what it is...but I can't wait to get up there and be at home again...

[QUOTE=When I take my morning walks, I say hello to folks I pass instead of keeping my head down.[/QUOTE]

I find it funny that you say that. I'm from CT. and it is amazing the number of people that walk out of the YMCA or where ever and they don't look up at oncoming people. Everyone is so intimidated.......or something.

What makes the difference when your up there?

One thing I notice in Ct. is that all boaters wave to one another while passing...........I found it a much less frequent thing at Winnie.

Used to be everyone waved! Not anymore....
 

I can remember - not too many years ago everyone waved at everyone passing by....maybe we don't now because everyone seems angry toward one another when boating.

One minute you waving the next blowing your horn because your closer than 150 feet. I dont know. But I agree - Winnie has gotten to be far less friendly than it used to be. Sad...:(

My family has a long history in the Lakes Region - my dad built a lot of the camps around the Alton Bay area in the 1940's and 1950's. I just felt drawn to the place. (I was brought up in Maine.) I swear that the first time I drove through Alton, a little voice said, "You're gonna live here someday." No kidding. Call me crazy - it was just I *knew* it would happen. Seven years later, after I had married and we were expecting our first son, we found a great little house in our price range - in ALTON.

Can't imagine ever moving.

Dislikes: The rabid soccer moms and Stepford wives - but that's everwhere. Also not crazy about the Pavilion being turned into condos - but maybe that will change for me once the project is finished.


Cool thread - thank you for starting this!

I was born and brought up here. I have seen the entire area change over the years

Thank you all
 

Thank you all so much for reading the post and taking the time to Reply and PM to me. They were as much fun to read as my post was to recall and write. I hope everyone who lives at or visits the Lake takes home and holds onto the memories inspired by Lake Winnipesaukee. And jot them down on the forum so we can all enjoy them.

I slowed down this week and the roses smell great, and coffee tastes wonderful just like they do on the island.

Jay

smell the roses
 

I think one of the reasons that folks love their trips to the Lake is because they get out of their usual routines and DO take the time to smell the roses. It's all about being in the moment. So I hope that wherever you all are today, when you get a chance, turn off the t.v., go outside, sit quietly, play a game or take a walk with a family member, talk with them and REALLY listen, or find some other way to be here, undistracted, aware and in the moment.

For how long?
 

My family has been coming to the Lake for 46 years. My dad always referred to it as “God’s Country”. Winnipesaukee used to be the working man’s vacation spot, all the rich folks from Mass when to the Cape. Now many working men are struggling to hold on to their family camps. I for one don’t know how much longer I can hold onto mine. While changes are inevitable some are for the better. As a teenager I remember the prop wash from our boat being brown as we got down into Alton Bay. It’s much cleaner now thanks to stricter septic requirements. Guess I’ll keep buying those lottery tickets.

Not drawn driven!
 

My first trip to the Lake was in a new '59 Chevy, you know the big fin job. There were 7 people in the car 4 adults and 3 kids. eek: For some unexplained reason the family keeps coming back. We have made and lost friends at the lake. Learned to swim and ski. Dad bought the first boat at Downings in '66. We Loved that like Jetstar.

Two things I don't like is the long drive up:( and the building going on around the lake.

Sammy, I have to disagree with you, since people like the Marriott's, JCPenney, Dr Scholls etc. all came here many years ago.

The quiet and rest
 

While we still rest when we are "at the lake", the quiet is gone except at the ends of the seasons. Dad and Mom were Cape Cod vacation folks until a neighbor invited them up for a fall weekend and pointed out an island for sale. That was 60 years ago. When I was growing up, there were only 6 motorboats in the area and everyone "knew" who was out just by the sound of the engine. That is long gone.
Don't miss the long drive (thanks to the highways) and the open slow boats that we got very wet in during the rain storms (being an island, there were times when you "had" to travel in the rain.
Do NOT like the amount of boaters that have a lack of care about the next person. Just this weekend, I slowed to pass two kayakers and about 30 seconds later two jet skiers passed between us throwing a big wake. :(
It is still the best place to be.:) :) :)
Jay, thank you for your beautiful written story. I have lost both parents, but the great memories live forever. Thanks again for sharing.

I have enjoyed all of the stories of what brought people to the lake. Mine is similar to a few, started by vacationing with my parents and family friends from the neighborhood, we first stayed at the Lazy E. My parents purchased in the 80's I was about 10. We would spend the entire summers up at the lake fishing, skiing, swimming. About 7 years ago I was visiting my parents for the 4th of July and their neighbors son was visiting and we began dating, purchased the lot next to my parents about 1 year later. We have been married 4 months and owe alot to the lake, long friendships, memories.

I started to go to the Weirs back in 1980 before I was born lol, my parents and me have been going since 1988, We used to stay at B mae's when it was the old owners that had the restaurant buffet in the morning, then in the early 2000's we did the tour de Weirs lol staying at Lake Winni Motel, Baytop,Belknap, Grand View, Half Moon, Bear Tree Lodge, a 1 night stay at the Lazy E and now at Weirs Beach Motel for the last 2 yrs and this is our 3rd year there. What brings me to the Lake is, the friendlieness of the people, the area is cleaner than NYC and the lake is clean, the restaurants are good, there are alot of activities to do and sooooooooo much more. :D

I dont like the fact that the prices are going up each year which is going to keep people away and there are way too many condos at the Lake now which is ruining the hotel industry.

Many years, many memories
 

I first came to know the Big Lake as a young teen from Pennsylvania, spending two seasons at the late, lamented Camp DeWitt in Wolfeboro. What a special time that was, learning how to sail, canoe, and play tennis...all activities that were important in my life for years to come.

Then, it was 12 years of growing up, going to college, and moving to Boston to start my career...a busy part of life, with no time for the Lake. But as fate would have it, in 1973 I met and fell in love with a girl at work...whose parents had owned a camp in Moultonboro for many years. So as my relationship with my spouse-to-be blossomed, she started taking me up there for weekends.

I don't know exactly when the old family camp was built, but my wife's grandparents were the ones who bought the property, and my father-in-law helped build the cabin as a young man, perhaps 70-odd years ago.

There followed many great summers there with our growing family. Our two boys spent every summer at the old house, swimming, catching frogs, playing games, and relaxing with their 6 cousins. There are probably enough stories from those yaars to fill a book.

Eventually, my spouse and I started thinking about retirement. We reluctantly concluded that we couldn't retire to the old place. So we set about finding a spot of our own. We were lucky enough to come across a quiet spot on Moultonboro Neck, and we had a new home built on it six years ago.

Some of you might our modern new place with modern amenities. But to us, it's a place that we can live in comfortably as we get older, and one that isn't constantly threatening to fall down around our ears. We're looking forward to creating a new generation of Lake memories there, with our sons and their families as they come along.

all these great posts...
 

Am I the only one that reads this thread, and get way too emotional about "days gone by"? God, to be young again...

Just think...
 

SA, think of the possibility that this digital archive will survive and folks will read these memories a hundred years from now. What a powerful record of sight and thought this site is. Heres to hoping our relatives are still enjoying the lake.

These days will be the good old days
 

SA,,

The great thing about getting older is we can remember the old days. We also can make certain that our kids remember these days as the best. I think these posts both remind us of the past and also celebrate our present. I bet there has never been a gathering of people who so love this lake region as there is on this forum....

Love the past... love the present .. and get ready for the future!!!!