A global pandemic is suddenly sweeping across the world, and the last few weeks have felt so strange and disrupted that it’s often been hard to concentrate on my writing. When I need breaks, I’ve been working on a back-burner project that I’ve found extremely calming: a compilation of video and imagery from Lake Monona, the setting of Ron’s and my Madison life for four years.
In the years that we lived on the lake, it was as though we had a third roommate in our home. The lake was always there through the giant picture windows. It filled them, so that we couldn’t even see the shore unless we stood close to the windows. We joked that we lived in the lake.
When friends walked in for the first time, they would always exclaim at the view. “Holy wow!” said one, making us laugh.
Knowing we couldn’t live in this small, rented space forever, we spent many long hours gazing out the windows. Since leaving Madison, I’ve had recurring dreams of returning to visit. This apartment—or some dream approximation—is always in the dreams.
I miss the light on the water. I miss watching the moon rise and watching the clouds march silently across the night sky. And nothing could beat being able to slip our canoe right into the water from the backyard or ski across the frozen lake in winter.
I took lots of pictures and videos. For years, I’ve wanted to compile all my imagery into a little film for ourselves and our friends, but life has gotten in the way. Now, as the coronavirus pandemic has slowly encapsulated us in our home, it has been the perfect time to escape back into these scenes of expansiveness and calm.
Watching the film soothes my soul. I have no idea whether anyone else will enjoy it, but I hope it brings joy and peace to others as well!
(If you’d like to expand this film to full size, you can watch it on YouTube here.)
