My Watermark is Anstruther Lake, Ontario.

Every summer we go to our cottage and spend many days on Anstruther Lake. It's been my summer home for almost three decades. We go swimming, kayaking, canoeing, and sometimes motor-boating with family and friends. A lot of memories are formed there.

One morning, I remember getting up early and going down to the lake. The water was quite still and it was misty. It was stunning. The reflections on the water were perfect. It was so beautiful and so serene. I went kayaking, piercing though the water. I remember watching the little waves behind me. I felt so connected to nature. And to life. There was a deep sense of peace and calm.

When I think of Anstruther I think of freedom. It's mostly a place I associate with summer (although we do go there in the winter too). Summer is a time of being free and out of school. I'm a school teacher now, so I still have the same association. It's quite relaxing. Sometimes I'm with family and friends, sometimes I'm on my own... Especially on those early mornings when everything is so still. Everything seems to be yours to explore.

Now I say that, but I don't actually like to go in the water by myself. I don't mind kayaking alone but never swimming. It's dark water and I've always had a fear of monsters or something lurking in the water. There are big trees in there and I have this idea that something can grab me - it's weird. Maybe my sister said something when we were kids and it just stuck. If I had to swim alone in that lake, I feel scared. Trepidatious. It's quite ironic.