The Ferry

That could be me in the red bathing cap on the dock. When I spent summers at Chautauqua Lake in the 1970s the greatest thing was the ferry.

Our cottage was right down the street and we'd pay - what? a quarter? to ride the ferry over to the Casino - the big building in the background.

There was no gambling at the Casino but it did have greasy fries and pinball machines. We played innumerable rounds of shuffle bowling and bought penny candy.

The ferry is still there, but just for show. A huge bridge and highway now crosses the middle of the lake. When they were building it, my cousins would ride their motor boat by the pilings and throw firecrackers at them. I loved that.

The bridge isn't right. The ferry is the spirit of the place.