Growing up, I've always dreamed of being able to have the luxury of traveling to places like Hawaii, California and the Caribbean just to relax on the beach or lazily float in the water under the hot sun. My great aunt and uncle were fortunate enough to visit places such as Mexico, Barbados, Jamaica, Bermuda and other beautiful places in the Caribbean. They would sit around and tell me stories from their trips, and I enjoyed listening as I looked at the pictures, putting it together as if I were there. Little did I know I had my dream of paradise nearly in my back yard.
In Columbia County Georiga, lies J. Strom Thurmond Lake, the largest lake and dam east of the Mississippi River. It's one of my favorite places, and Georgia's best kept treasures. There are thousands of acres of beach, fishing docks, marinas, picnic shelters, log cabins and at the edge of it lies the start of teh famous Savannah River. This is the place I dream of, the place I long to be and where I spend my sumers; the place I call home.
I remember my last trip to the lake, which was unforgettable. It was a family picnic and everyone was there. I remember arriving to the smell of bar-b-que ribs, baked beans, potato salad, macaroni & cheese, collard greens, hot dogs, cakes, lemonade and sweet tea. It was extremely hot, but a cool breeze from the mountains cooled us down as we enjoyed each others company.
"So Danelia, how's Maryland?" my cousin Zondra asked me, with a smile of southern hospitality.
"Not bad, they don't have places like this though." I replied, giving her a bear hug. I havent seen her in months. After talking and gonig around catching up with all my cousins, we decided to walk down to the water and go for a swim. The walk was quiet as we listened to birds chirping and the leaves and brances rustling together in the wind. After about a minute, we could hear splashing as we grew closer to the beach. In the clearing, we saw water so blue, we didn't know where it begain and the sky ended. All of us took off running and jumped in the water.
After about 30 minutes, as I sat on my rubber raft, floating in the water under the sun, relaxing, I realized I was living my dream for a moment. I closed my eyes and took a whiff of the fresh summer air. My dream was interrupted as my cousins called me and asked me if I wanted to go boating. Without hesitation, I grabbed my raft and left.
On the boat, I watched the sun set over the water. It was very beautiful, reminiscent or an artist's pain tray, the orange mixing with the yellow and lavender.
"Did you have fun today?" my cousin asked me, with a huge smile.
"I had a lot of fun. Today was amazing. Tomorrow, we're going fishing." I said, waiting for the sun to fully set so tomorrow's day can start and i can be able to visit the lake again.