My Watermark is Lake Michigan, Michigan.

I am the Executive Director of FLOW (For the Love of Water) in Traverse City, Michigan. I live in Grand Traverse Bay and one of my favourite places is Lake Michigan. I fell in love with Lake Michigan on the western shores just south of Sleeping Bear Dunes. It is hard to believe that you can be almost at the 45th parallel and you’re swimming in water that looks like the Caribbean – it’s absolutely magical! Especially when you go out on a stand-up paddle board you can see the clarity of the water and the white sand on the bottom, and then as you start going further away from the shore it gets darker. Everyday it changes out on the lake and it’s a tapestry that’s constantly changing. It’s very magical.

I love watching my children jump into Lake Michigan at all times of the year practically, except December they haven’t gone. On October 7th, 2017 my daughter and my son just jumped in without any trepidation. The way that they (jump in) is my favourite: they don’t have one toe in and say “oh it’s cold,” they just run into the water like there’s no stopping them. It’s really awesome to watch them enjoy the lake.