August 21, Reflections on a Summer Visit

Dewitt would often visit the summer homes of his brothers on Interlaken Beach. Lem and Pete had a cottage right on the lake, while Myron’s summer home was on the bank above the beach.

Myron had married Mary Helen Creech in 1951. Helen, and her sister Jane King, were often visited by others from their family. One of those visitors was their sister, Mae Dunn. After one such visit to the lake Mae wrote a poem, “By Cayuga’s Bright Blue Waters.” In recording Mae’s death on November 2, 1960, the Interlaken Review also published the following poem written in 1953.

By Cayuga’s Bright Blue Waters

On the banks of Lake Cayuga, one morn at break of day;
I watched the sun in all its beauty, rise above the little bay.
Saw it send its warming radiance, out across the rippling foam,
Where the white caps breaking, skipping, like playful children racing home.

Then the sail boats gliding, dipping, came into my wandering gaze,
Like some graceful maiden dancing to the music of the waves.
Heard the motors roaring, popping, as they raced across the lake;
Leaving behind a path of breakers, with skiers in their way.

I watched the sky grow dark and hazy, clouds obscured the sun’s bright face,
Boats began to hasten homeward, the lake became an empty place.
Soon the storm in all its furry, lightning, thunder, wind and rain,
Made the waves come dashing, mourning like some beast in awful pain.

After this the calm that follows,
Griefs and storms in every life,
Just as peace, and love and gladness,
Take the place of war and strife.

Soon my thoughts began to wander to the time long, long ago;
When the Indians used to wander up and down this rocky shore;
Hunting with his bow and arrow, fishing in the clear cool lake;
This fertile land gave in abundance food and clothes were theirs to take.
Up and down this land they wandered, finding nature ever new;
Riding on the bright, blue, waters in a little birch canoe.

Saw the moon across the waters,
Shed its path of rippling gold,
Telling tales of youth and romance,
And loves sweet story that’s never old.

Then the white man came and progress made the redman further roam;
And where once were many wigwams, you find the white man’s summer homes,
In this lovely lakeside country where cultivated farms are found,
Was once a dense and lovely forest, the redman’s happy hunting ground.
Now the long-forgotten Indians, nothing remains the same;
But sun, and moon, and falls and rivers.
And the lakes that bear their names.

Written by Mae Dunn [sister to Mary Helen Bassette and Jane King]

October 1, 1953

Dewitt’s Diary, Tuesday, August 21, 1951

Cloudy, warm. Trying to rain all the morning. Leland and I got some minnows for fishing this morning.

We fixed some fence this afternoon.

Took our supper down to Lem’s this evening.

High south wind all day,

Thursday, August 21, 1952

Cloudy south wind and mild. Began raining at mid-morning. Bob Aikens was over this morning. We went to the lake and got some bait for fishing.