Gone-Away Lake

California is having a major drought and many of our lakes are shrinking and may even go completely dry. That's probably why I was drawn to re-read the book, Gone-Away Lake when I noticed the title in one of my bookcases.

Elizabeth Enright wrote the book back in the 1950s when I was a kid. It's about some children who wander into the woods near their summer home and discover a village of dilapidated old houses next to what is now a swamp, but was once a lake. And the houses aren't completely deserted.

The kids become friends with the aged people who live there, learn a lot about the past, and one of them even has a terrifying encounter with quicksand. The book is fun, educational, and heartwarming.

Of course this story could never happen today; children are not allowed to go outside without adult supervision (in some places allowing that is considered child abuse) and they certainly wouldn't talk to strangers or wander off alone into the woods.

But it's not impossible that summer cabins on the shores of lakes that dry up may become deserted and dilapidated. I hope our lakes don't become gone-away.