Sagatagan Forest
My parents live in an area of Minnesota now that is also known as Collegeville or the Avon Hills. It is nestled in the forest and hills outside of St. Johns University and Monastery. There is a lake there called Sagatagan that I have walked around many times from boyhood to now everytime I visit my family. I have also spent a lot of time SUPing or swimming across the lake, bald eagles overhead and turtles underneath. The forest has always reminded me of a fairytale world, a world where elves, gnomes and sprites live. There are no motors allowed, so it is very quiet. Halfway around the lake, there is a chapel dedicated to Stella Maris, which is Latin for "Star of the Sea" and sometimes is an ancient name for the Virgin Mary. In the chapel, there is a statue of a pregnant Mary and a story about how she watches over sailors. There, so far from the ocean, the star of the sea watches and protects as frogs croak, birds sing, crickets chirp and fantastic creatures play.
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