Visit back to my fairy tale childhood

I just wrote an entry about my visit back "home" to New Jersey where I grew up. I finally uploaded my pictures and so here they are. What a fairy tale I grew up in. In a small lake community, about 500 houses, around 900 acres in a private lake setting, where we could ice skate in the winter right off the backyard; Swim, fish and go on the boats in the summer and ride bikes all around the lake, with our parents never having to worry. We had friends all over the place where we could meet up with at the parks or at each other houses.. and we just had to be home by dark!

The lake has 3 beaches, 2 which people can swim at, and lots of little coves and beautiful peaceful settings around the lake. I never realized how full of color it was until I went home this past visit. During the winter it's soo COLD and GRAY and boring looking there (except around the holidays) but the summer and fall it's just GORGEOUS. I'm so used to the palm trees and sand and flatness around here on the coast so I had brand new eyes when I went back this time. I am soo blessed to have grown up in such a beautiful place. I always felt secure and nurtured there, surrounded by lots of people who knew me and stopped me to chat. My own little glimpse of mayberry.