Findley Lake

“It’s going to be a nice day,” Tracy says, “because mist is rising from the pond.”

We have yet to see many misty mornings here on the outskirts of Findley Lake, but we remain hopeful. It has been a cool, rainy summer for all of New York State, and in this far western edge of Chautauqua County, when the sun comes out, we all rush outdoors. Yesterday, Liz and I sat on the porch of the Main Street Café simply because we could. It was an uneventful afternoon in the village and yet people were about. Strolling, bicycling, boating. Across the street from the café is Findley Lake itself, formed from two ponds in 1815 when Alexander Findley built a dam to power his sawmill.

Driving around the lake – Sunnyside Road runs along the eastern border and Shadyside Road along the west – it’s easy to get a sense of those two original ponds. The road curls easily, dipping in and out around two sections of calm, welcoming water, each centered with a dot of island. At first glance, Findley Lake is a typical tiny summer resort: one short stretch of shops and eateries and lakeside properties that range from one-room cottages to gingerbread Victorians. The locals will tell you stories, however, of how they were drawn to this place, how there is some small magical element to the lay of the land and the lore of its inhabitants that held them here when they thought they were only passing through.

We, too, are charmed, and when the sun goes behind the clouds and we take a last glance at the water, we notice two boys and their boat, one rowing the rippled surface and one swimming alongside. They are Every Boys, spirits from a century ago and today. The very essence of a summer afternoon.