My Watermark is Lake Erie, Ontario.

I grew up near the shores of Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario. My formative teenage years were spent on the beaches either in the village of Erieau or at Rondeau Park. Swimming was a large part of my youth. We would make the hour-long cycle from my little town, past the corn and tobacco fields, to the shores of the lake.

The summer days were hot and that great freshwater inland sea was the best thing to keep us cool after a long day of working in the fields, and it kept us fit on a lazy Saturday. The evenings were meditative: listening to the waves wash upon the shore, staring at the stars, and digging my feet in the cool sand. Lake Erie, like all lakes, is dynamic; it provided me with food, leisure, and therapy.

I feel connected to that water. It’s a part of me.