Snuggle up and get cozy tonight.
You're in for a special treat.
You're listening to The Lake Chalet,
Summer Wishes,
A cozy sleep story set in Vermont along the shores of Lake Reverie.
Return to a place that offers a euphoric sense of nostalgia and a bone-deep sense of comfort within the walls of Martha and Ike's general store.
Your lakeside chalet is nestled among the trees where the scent of pine and cedar the sweetness of summer gardens.
The cool freshness of the lake breeze.
Have created core memories.
Some places are more than destinations.
They become a feeling you carry with you.
Quiet Refuge.
That lives deeply within.
And welcomes you home whenever you return.
Revel in a night on the lake beneath the stars,
Returning to a beloved corner of Vermont for a celebration of love,
Courage.
And a life beautifully lived.
It's time to dream away.
Welcome to Michelle's Sanctuary.
I am a shell.
And as you listen,
Think of me as a dear friend and nightly ally as you celebrate making it through another day.
You have done enough.
Everything else can wait.
For these moments you are safe from the demands of the outside world.
And can give yourself the mental holiday you deserve.
Settle into the sanctuary of your room and mind.
Notice the softness and support beneath you.
The warmth of your bedding surrounding you.
Feel the steady support that's here every night.
The comfort of being in some place familiar.
This is your space to let go.
The air begins to change quite suddenly.
With a promise of what's to come.
As it takes on the essence of a summer evening in Vermont.
Gentle breeze carries the scent of pine trees standing tall along forest paths.
And cedar wood warmed by the afternoon sun.
Freshwater from a lake stretching beneath an open sky.
The familiar comfort of your space remains.
But now it carries the feeling of Lake Reverie.
As you let out a sigh.
And as you inhale,
The air feels a little softer.
Infused with the quiet of nature.
Allow this peaceful air to fill your lungs.
And maybe yawn at the top.
And then exhale in another sigh.
Releasing the thoughts you no longer need to hold.
Inhale the feeling of safety and belonging.
Exhale anything ready to drift away as I count us down.
Bye.
The warmth of this peaceful place reaches your face.
Muscles around your eyes soften.
Your forehead smooths.
And your jaw relaxes.
As the feeling of Lake Reverie.
Settles around you.
Four.
The love and connection found in this community.
Begin to ease your shoulders away from your ears.
The weight of the day grows lighter.
As though you have set everything down beside the path leading to your chalet.
3.
.
.
Your chest rises and falls like the gentle movement of water along the lakeshore.
Steady and peaceful beneath a summer sky.
As your spine and back muscles release.
2.
The feeling of comfort travels through your hips,
Your legs and feet.
You imagine the warmth.
Sun-drenched wood beneath your steps.
The soft grass beside the lake.
And the ease of belonging somewhere beautiful.
One.
Your whole body is soothed.
By the feeling of coming home.
Like floating gently on the warm waters of Lake Reverie.
Beneath a sky full of stars.
You are supported,
At peace and ready to dream.
It's time for our story to begin.
Everyone deserves a summer place.
Even if only visited once.
It lives on in memories.
Heightening the beauty of the season.
The softness of the air.
The yearning for each day to last as long as it can.
And thankfully.
The summer days bring more daylight hours in Vermont.
Giving more opportunities.
Gather around bonfires.
And drift on Lake Reverie.
Beneath a million stars.
But your perfect summer morning begins.
As you make the familiar trek through the woods.
From your Chalet Amelie.
To the general store on the main drive.
Namely,
You venture this morning.
To keep up appearances.
Where today is designed for a great surprise.
The path is soft.
With old rust-hued pine needles.
Sunlight breaking through in patches.
Somewhere off through the branches.
You can hear the highway.
Not very close.
Just a low hum reminding you the rest of the world is still out there.
Leisurely moving through a summer morning.
The woods begin to thin out.
And the road curves.
And there's a little store up ahead.
Sitting where it's always sat.
You ascend the stairs to the porch.
The brass bell above the door announces you.
The way that it always has.
With the gentle screen door closing behind you.
It's just as familiar.
The white gold light.
Of an August morning.
Cascades in around you.
Illuminating the cedar floors.
Worn soft and dark down the center aisle.
The smell hits you first.
Coffee,
Fresh pie.
Sunscreen.
Underneath it all,
Citronella.
Stacked in leaning pyramids by the entrance like they've been there since June and will remain there till September.
Red,
White,
And blue banners,
Beach towels,
And t-shirts.
Leftover from the 4th of July commemorate the 250th anniversary of Independence Day and there is no better place to celebrate it.
Than in this little town that feels like the perfect,
Idyllic,
Small-town America.
Somewhere behind the counter.
A radio is playing something soulful and a little scratchy.
And only during the busy season is one apt to miss Martha and Dyke spontaneously dancing.
Instead,
Ike is near the stock room.
Wearing a festive hat and shirt for his birthday that Martha insisted he wear.
60 some years of this between them.
Celebrations and simple moments that add up to quite a storied union.
A young boy,
Maybe seven,
Sunburned nose,
Smelling of the lake and copper tone.
Stands in his damp swim trunks with a striped towel over his skinny,
Sun-kissed shoulders.
He slides a fist of pennies and nickels across the counter and points at the penny candy jars.
Intent on having enough.
Despite all the inflation in the world.
Martha and Ike insist on ensuring kids can still have the same experience they had at a local five and dime so long ago.
Pennies may be in short supply elsewhere.
But Ike has kept at least three five-gallon jugs of the copper coins over the years.
So he will never be in short supply.
Martha counts it out,
Matching the boy's seriousness.
Offering a bargain with him by throwing in two extra small pieces.
The tension finally breaks.
As his face erupts in a big grin with a tooth missing.
And Martha reminds him.
He better keep up with brushing his teeth if she's going to keep selling him candy.
He reaches out a tiny pinky for a pinky promise.
And Martha reaches out a wrinkled hand,
Sealing the deal.
The boy then bolts out to the parking lot to his mom.
The screen door slapping shut behind him.
Bringing a breeze that carries the scent of freshly cut grass and fallen pine cones.
Ike jokes that at least the kid has all afternoon.
To burn off the sugar.
By swimming in the lake.
You smile and look around.
There's always something new in the general store.
Some recipe one of them has tried.
Martha fixes you a cool drink for the journey back.
As she often does in the summer months.
The radio turns over.
To something even older and scratchier.
And you wish Ike a happy birthday.
He says he doesn't like much attention thrown his way.
But the fact that he's a poster child for birthdays in the themed attire Martha made him wear,
It's been impossible to avoid the fanfare today.
And secretly.
He enjoys the attention and fuss.
But he'd never ask for it.
That's a given.
Martha and the whole family have been planning a surprise for weeks.
Their children are already busy.
Ike Jr.
Is down at the lake cabin getting things ready and Laurel is somewhere coordinating decorations.
Their quiet,
Capable calm.
Melody has come in from her Newport bakery.
With cupcakes and a five-tiered cake.
Everyone is doing their very best to keep Ike in the dark.
And so far remarkably.
It's working.
The celebration was never really about the number of years.
It's about honoring a beautiful life.
One built morning by morning.
Kindness by kindness.
Into something worth gathering around.
The whole lakefront.
Could be filled with thousands of souls.
Who've been positively influenced by this duo.
You're always grateful to be in their company.
As Ike turns to peer out the windows,
Martha gives a conspiratorial wink.
And silently mouths that she'll see you later.
You say your goodbyes.
And follow the familiar woodland path home.
Sunlight filters down through the leaves.
Shifting coins of gold.
Ferns and moss softening every footstep.
Birdsong drifting overhead.
Forest floor yielding beneath you.
The air has a delightful feeling.
Comes between late morning and early afternoon.
Coolness lingering in the earth.
The warmth cascading from above.
The world simply feels good.
Somewhere beyond the trees.
You can hear the faint.
Distant sound of water.
Before long,
Your chalet comes into view.
Your pet is waiting for you indoors.
Sunbathing by the sliding doors that lead to the back deck.
A breeze circulates through the screen.
And you deeply appreciate.
How easy today will unfold.
There's still time.
Before the celebration begins.
And you spend some of it.
Helping prepare something small and thoughtful for Ike.
He's got more than any man needs by his own confession.
But it still feels nice to create something for the party.
A dish to bring for the potluck celebration.
Something easy.
But offering a taste of comfort and summer.
You spend the afternoon preparing.
And then just leisurely sitting on the deck.
Overlooking the water.
Your pet sleeps in a nook beside you.
It feels nice to just be in the chalet.
Constant lapping of the lake,
A soothing sound.
It settles every nerve.
And soon the afternoon deepens.
The slow transformation.
And you rise to feed your pet an early dinner.
Before making your way over to Martha and Ike's cabin.
Sunlight turns from white to gold.
Warm and low across the water.
Gentle breeze moves through the trees.
And long,
Billowy shadows stretch across the path.
As you make your way toward the cabin along the shoreline.
The lake holding the whole sky in its surface.
Being a weekday.
Traffic on the lake.
Is far less than when the weakeners come from New England cities.
As you round a large boulder.
Where loved ones have professed their love.
In artistic graffiti.
The lake comes back into full view.
But you find it's been completely changed.
For the occasion.
Floating striped tubes in an array of retro hues.
Are gathered together.
A bright bobbing cluster near the shore.
Long floating tables.
Hold vibrant trays of food.
Buckets of iced drinks.
Anchored gently against the current.
Candy red canoes.
And royal blue kayaks drift nearby.
Tied loosely to the dock.
Trio of enormous banana-shaped rafts.
Rocks and the rippling lake.
Glowing from lights within.
Lanterns are strung along the lake shore and dock.
Slowly coming to life.
The sky deepens.
Everything is so colorful and eye-catching.
A sight unlike anything you've witnessed on a lake before.
Kind familiar faces.
Spread across the beach.
Their eyes alight with excitement.
For this secret that has been kept all summer.
The gathering is like a floating market.
And the youngest attendees.
Can't wait to hop into the inner tubes.
And for this magical event to begin.
The party is unconventional.
And that's by Martha's Design.
And it certainly was not the easiest affair to pull off.
And it's all come together.
A vital motto of Martha and Ike's lifelong union.
Is to always be open to new experiences.
While Ike is always more sentimental than she is,
She wanted to pay homage to the early days together.
And what became one of his greatest feats.
Later in life.
Learning how to swim.
During the summer,
Martha taught him to swim so long ago.
Ike shared a dream he had.
That he felt safe on the water.
And there is a big colorful party thrown.
Like he'd never experienced before.
A dream of so many lifetimes ago.
And Martha always kept it in mind.
And now it's coming to life.
The tiny bell sounds as a warning.
Soon everyone hides along the shore,
Tucking behind trees and boats and each other.
The kids barely containing their laughter and whispers.
Bit more adventurous in what feels like a game of hide-and-seek.
Step behind a white pine tree.
As at last Ike arrives at the top of the hill.
Expecting nothing more than a quiet evening.
Until the whole group reveals itself at once.
Laughter,
Surprise,
And joy.
Spill out across the water.
Ike stands there a moment.
Taking it all in.
Slowly realizing.
At every bit of this.
Every flute every flower.
Every person gathered on this shore.
Is here to celebrate Him.
He shakes his head in part disbelief.
Tells Martha they are all crazy.
But the scene is so beautiful and colorful and welcoming.
That his eyes well up a bit with happy tears.
The gathering settles into an easy celebration.
An ode to late life and summer.
Everyone finds their spot on the lake.
The shoreline comes alive.
Music plays.
Capturing Songs Martha and Ike been known to dance to.
Inner tubes and every cheerful shade.
Drift beside oversized inflated swans.
Whimsical Banana Rats paddle boards,
Kayaks.
And old restored cedar canoes.
Have carried generations across Lake Reverie.
You remove your shoes and walk slowly into the lake.
Pausing when it's knee deep.
Before a floating table.
And sent down your contribution.
You're quite surprised by the warmth of the water.
It wraps around your legs like silk.
The cool undercurrent.
Creates a delightful contrast.
As you ease onto a float.
The lake supports you completely.
Lifting you with a promise.
That you can completely let go.
Gentle ripples.
Rock everyone together.
Before long.
The gathering stretches across the cold.
Each colorful vessel.
Rising and falling.
In quiet harmony.
The atmosphere.
Feels wonderfully alive.
And bridled laughter.
Drifts across the water.
Easily as the summer breeze.
Someone paddles by in a kayak.
Floating buffet attached.
So you can help yourself.
To the array of food.
Children's splash near the shallows.
For climbing onto oversized rafts.
Their colorful life jackets.
Reflecting the deep orange gold of the Sun.
Everything takes on dreamy liquid gold hue.
Iridescent blue and teal dragonflies.
Skim the glassy surface in a light dance.
Barely leaving a trace behind.
Dwight and Martha enjoy a quick swim together.
And settle in the floats.
Eventually,
They make their way to their paddle boat.
Holding hands and drying off in the sun.
As they take in the beauty of their Vermont community and home.
The cornflower blue sky.
Deepens.
Changes.
With wisps of apricot clouds.
Honey gold hues.
Nature's gift to all.
Is the rich gradient that appears overhead.
And you lie back in the float of your choice.
Take it all in.
Ribbons of clouds fan out like freshly spun cotton candy.
Coral,
Rose,
And lavender.
Like reverie mirrors the beauty.
And even the distant mountain peaks.
Take on the sorbet hues of sunset.
The dreaminess ensues.
As it becomes hard to tell where the sky ends.
And the leg begins.
Weightless.
Delightfully sated by the tastes of summer.
You float in a circle of people.
Who all have shared a deep love of this special place.
And these beautiful souls that you celebrate.
The token grandparents to all.
Are so happy to fulfill that role.
There's a reason.
So many return year after year.
And for those who have never come.
Words often fail to describe it.
Leaving people to say.
You have to see it yourself.
It's just a special place.
It's a place that becomes so woven.
Into the fiber of one's being.
Begins to feel like a part of you.
It's always been there.
The colors of sunset.
Linger long after the sun has slipped beyond the tree line.
Twilight for a brief while.
Warmer before the sky deepens into deep cobalt and sapphire blue.
The air is still lovely as it cools.
The lake water a lukewarm bath.
Has managed to remove any tension in your body.
You can't recall the last time.
You felt this weightless for this long.
The earliest stars freckle the sky.
As the lantern simultaneously.
Brighter in the darkness.
Soon the sky is ablaze with starlight.
The lake glittering in reflections.
Colorful vintage lanterns.
The pearly stars.
Everything glitters.
No one seems eager to leave the water.
But conversations become quieter now.
Softened by the beauty.
Folding overhead.
Floats drift lazily together.
Occasionally separating.
For gently finding one another again.
The smallest ripple.
Elune calls somewhere across the lake.
Haunting song lingering in the warm evening air.
Fireflies appear along the shoreline.
Ike Jr.
Brings the fire pit to life.
Luring guests slowly out of the lake.
The golden flames.
Leap upward beacon of orange gold sparks rises toward the sky.
Every soothing crackle and pop.
The dry splintered logs.
Cooked sugar fills the air.
Its marshmallows slowly caramelize over the fire.
The sweetness mingles.
The cool mineral scent of the lake.
And the resin is pine.
Carried on the evening breeze.
You inhale deeply.
Savoring everything.
About this magical night.
One by one.
People paddle toward the shore.
Their floats nudging softly against the dock.
Laughter rises once more around the fire.
Children compare perfectly toasted marshmallows.
Others proudly display those as charred as charcoal.
A cake is lit.
And melody carefully brings it toward I.
With more candles than anyone dares count.
She carefully shelters the tiny flames with her palm,
Bringing it to ice.
Everyone sings.
Martha tells her husband.
To make a wish.
Now it would have taken a few tries.
For him to blow them all out.
Magically.
Night breeze off the lake.
Comes in with perfect timing.
To help extinguish every last one.
Agra Marks It's hard to make a new wish.
When all the wishes He never even knew he had.
Have come true tonight.
You watch Martha and Ike together as they have always been.
Sharing a quiet smile.
They settle on the swing on the pebbled beach with their cake.
Once they're finished.
They reach instinctively for one another's hands.
Making sure everyone has enough.
Before thinking of themselves.
They have spent a lifetime proving.
At steadfast love.
Made from thousands of small kindnesses.
Moments of forgiveness.
Love is built through ordinary days.
Threaded together over time.
To something extraordinary and rare.
Like the steady light.
From the lanterns around the lake.
Their love has illuminated.
The lives of everyone.
Who has walked through their lives.
In a sleepy Vermont town.
Looking around at their children,
Grandchildren.
Old friends and new ones.
You realize this is the legacy they have created.
Blazing fire settles into glowing magenta embers and the conversation grows softer.
You take one last look across the lake.
As the floats and boats are reeled in and stow.
The lake resembles polished blue glass.
It's the sweetest of summer nights.
To linger in the darkest winter days of Vermont.
Gentle reminder.
Nothing lasts infinitely.
You walk over to Ike and Martha.
Thanking them for this beautiful night.
They both show signs of sleepiness as well.
And with the party now wrapped up.
You say your goodbyes.
Allowing their embrace to linger a little longer.
You make your way along the woodland path.
The sounds of the gathering fade gently behind you,
Replaced by crickets and frogs.
Succerating leaves.
The soft ripples of the lapping lake.
When you return.
Your pet is waiting at the cabin door.
Delighted as ever to see you.
And you let them out.
The cool night air.
One last time.
The lake is quiet now.
Your pet chases after a few fireflies.
One final burst of energy.
Before returning to your side.
They peer up with a softly pleading look in their eyes.
It's a ritualistic invitation.
To go to bed.
The moon rises over the lake.
As you stretch your arms overhead.
Feeling the tiredness settle.
You return to the chalet.
Rising the stairs to the law.
Enjoying a steamy shower.
As the residue of the lake is cleansed.
With handmade soap.
Containing the petals of summer.
Clean pajamas.
You settle into bed.
The lake sounds drifting gently.
Through the open window.
Summer breeze.
Moving through the trees outside.
Crisp cotton sheets welcome you.
And your pet settles into a familiar spot.
Sleep arrives gently.
Laughing like the waves.
Bringing a heady sense of pleasure.
Your mind wanders to wishes.
Before you fully surrender to slumber.
Some wishes or mere moments.
Some wishes stir in the night.
Coming to life in dreams.
Some wishes become an entire lifetime.
But everyone brings an infusion of hope.
The promise of what may be possible.
A sprinkle of magic.
To the most mundane.
Your own summer wishes keep you tonight.
As you give in to the allure.
Deep healing rest.
Finding peace.
Finding bliss.
Finding sleep.
It's time to dream away.
