For the Gazette
For a Dutchman, being near water is almost a life’s necessity. After selling my house in Hancock, I rented a home on the shores of Portage Lake; just outside of the Houghton city limits. It was a beautiful setting and I truly enjoyed watching nature’s diversity. Each day and night differed from the ones before. The lake was almost a mile wide at that point and seemed to echo life itself. There were times of angry waves pounding the shore seeking to demolish whatever stood in its path; and at other times, when the lake, its anger spent, was at peace with itself; and in the moonlight the tranquility gods smiled.