From the age of eight until I left home for university when I was 18, I lived with my parents in a home overlooking the North shore of Lake Erie. The high, sandy bank behind the beach was topped with huge white poplars and cottonwoods, so the road where we lived was called Poplar Bluff.
The lake's quality improved remarkably during the time I lived there, due to international efforts at water conservation which you may read about in my essay, Erie's resurrection.
On summer nights, I could hear the relaxing sound of waves through my bedroom window. Erie is a shallow lake, heating quickly in the summer, so it's great for swimming now that the pollution problems have improved. It also made our climate as hot and humid as you will find anywhere in Ontario. The woods and gardens of Poplar Bluff were lush, and the flowering trees bloomed early.
My parents still live there, and whenever visiting I marvel at the privilege I had, growing up in such a beautiful place. To this day, I am most at peace when I'm near water.
All written material and images are ©1997-2001 Van Waffle. This page updated Apr. 8, 2002.
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