Summer days in my Second Home

       For the past couple of days, my mother, brother, and I have been visiting my aunt and grandparents in the small town of Waldershof.  

â–º  QUARTER FINALIST 2012 TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP

We had decided to spend our beautiful summer day at a charming lake, called the Untreusee. It was here that the tall trees reach for the sky and the cool, fresh water draws families from near and  far. One can hear children laughing as they tumble on the playground, and adults sit at the café, enjoying a marvelous view. And it was here, that they built a little wooden labyrinth, in which I now found myself with my brother, grandmother, and my little cousin. We had been walking for an hour, the sun slowly burning on our skin. Yet we found so much joy in each other's company, that the heat didn't matter. We were all having fun, but still it was clear my grandmother was getting older. She had reached the age, where she thought she couldn't do much, and believed that she was too boring for her grandchildren. It took a great amount of convincing, to sway her to join us in the labyrinth. My grandmother, having been raised during World War II, didn't like spending money on herself. Even the small fee for the labyrinth was too much. In the labyrinth, we walked a bit slower  so my grandmother could keep up. We believed my grandmother was a lucky woman, having survived many perils in her life. Thus we had her lead the way, counting on her luck to lead us out. When that didn't work, we found a little observation tower. My brother went on the tower and told me which direction to go."Take a right, then a left, another right, right again, make a u-turn . . ." he went on. Suddenly, where I stood looked oddly familiar. My brother broke out in laughter! He had lead me in a circle through the labyrinth! That day, was also the day we discovered my grandmother's great sense of humor. We found ourselves laughing about everything. We found humor in the fact that I needed to use the bathroom. Laughed for we had walked in a circle at least five times. There was nothing left spared from my grandmother's great sense of humor.

       After one and a half hours, we left the labyrinth with grins of success on our faces. My grandmother had found the way, once more proving how lucky she is.  As a prize for our participation and success, each of us was allowed to choose a marble. My little cousin chose a marble pink as a new rose. My brother's was hues of blues, like the lake and sky intertwined. Mine was a blend of greens and browns, the colors of the forest and the rich earth. My grandmother's marble, was a soft pearl white. A reminder to us, of the value of moments such as these, when our family  discovers the joy of warm summer days spent together.