Walloon lake shimmers under the hot summer sun during a perfect day in mid-July. The skies are blue and the water is the perfect temperature; just warm enough to swim and just cold enough to cool you down. I pedal my feet as quickly as I can through the water to soak up every last bit of the fresh abyss. The afternoon is young and the surface of the lake whispers with small ripples and waves. We pull the boat around to a peaceful area undisturbed by boats or nearby jet-skiers. I throw the board in and buckle on my lifejacket, leaving the boat with nothing but a splash of water on my way out. I go under and get used to the temperature once again before I prepare for take of. Placing my feet shoulder width apart I call out, “Pull slack!”. The driver, a close family friend who we’ve known for years, starts the boat and begins to pull away. I grip the rope as it tightens with tension. “Ready?” he calls out. “GO!” I yell over the loud sound of the rumbling engine. My feet push down on the board and I pull myself up. Before I know it, I’m riding the waves as my friends watch me surf. It's one of the most freeing feelings in the whole world, being able to stand on the wave and breathe in the crisp lake air with the warm sun beaming down on my skin. This is what summer means to me. Spending long days on the boat and enjoying the relaxing day of peace in between the chaos of camps, traveling, and work. Although wake surfing may be a new hobby of mine, I can’t wait for summer to come around so that I can continue to practice and improve. Hopefully this summer I’ll be riding the wave without the rope, on my own, just like the near future of college and the reality of real-life without the safety rope of my sheltered, small town high school. Walloon lake shimmers under the hot summer sun and I'm awaken by the suttle drifting snow on a frigid February morning. I wake up with goosebumps all over, remembering days on the lake as nothing but a distant dream.