I love summer

Enders State Park

Today is the first offical day of summer. Yippee!
I love summer. Even when it's 100 degrees.
This is a picture of a waterfall in Enders State Park, located in West Granby, CT. Enders was a destination in Granby on summer days. Located way out of town, at the top of long hill, it was a bear to ride a bike to. It was also tough to catch a ride to.
To be more accurate, Enders was an inherited destination. I was turned on to Enders by my older brother. He and his friends found this was a great place to party, and he shared it with me. I was probably about 12 or 13.
When I got a little older, I would head there with a friend or two myself.
It is a very quiet place, with the ground covered with years of discarded hemlock needles. The brook is in a gorge, surrounded by forest, so you can't hear the sound of the traffic on the not-so-busy state road above. The only sound is from the falls.
There are actually 7 waterfalls along the short length of the park, each tuned to its own song. After a while, you could tell which fall you were hearing when you closed your eyes. This was very helpful when you there in the dark, although actually the park closed at dark.
This picture was taken a few years ago. This was the most popular place in the park. The area to the right of the photo is a deep pool, perfect for a refreshing dip on a hot, steamy New England afternoon.
But time changes everything, even those things you think never would. In my younger days, the best way to get into the water was to slide in from the upper left. There was a bit of a pucker factor doing it that way, but that was our ritualistic Bar Mitzvah, seperating the men from the boys. THAT was when you knew you were grown-up- when you went in off the slide. I couldn't wait to show my daughters this when I took them a couple years ago.
Alas, water is relentless and spoiled, seeking its own way. Sometime in the last twenty years, it has found an easier way to get down and there is rarely enough water going down the slide to be able to use it.
Sigh.
Just another example of a parent having to let his (her) children find their own childhood memories because you can't give them yours. No matter how much you want to.