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.

Cause of Climate Change?

Last year my area had one of the wettest winters on record and this year seems to be one of the driest, but other areas have had opposite extremes of weather. Everyone is talking about climate change.

There are lots of explanations for climate change. It could be caused by chemical pollution of the air and the air quality has certainly changed for the worse. Perhaps it's simply a natural change that happens every few thousand years. I've read there was a mild ice age during the middle ages.

But I have the true explanation. It's the skateboarders. They jump up and down so much that they've tipped the planet. ;-)

Okay, I'm being silly.

Whatever the real cause, I guess we'll have to figure out how to adapt and cope with it.