Union Lake
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Barefoot, I cross through the grove, wearing only a bikini and a beach towel around my neck. I go in waist-deep and splash my arms to get used to the cold water. When my body has adjusted, I dive in headfirst and swim straight to the sandbar a quarter way across the lake, then back. After doing laps without counting, I flip over on my back for the dead man’s float. My arms move ever so gently, propelling forward and paralleling the man-made beach of misplaced, foreign white sand. When I reach my destination, my arms stop. Each one stretches to its farthest point, keeping me afloat over to where Mrs. Fitch’s boathouse had been.
From UNION LAKE, “Indian Summer”
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About the Book
In Union Lake, Carla Porch explores the enduring notions of home, individuation, and belonging by bringing together seemingly disparate themes: American Indians, samba, Henry Miller, generational interplay, and the decline and rebirth of the natural world.
This lyrical memoir offers a moving glimpse into a coming-of-age journey from a little girl who experiences a seemingly idyllic childhood in southern New Jersey to a mature, urbanized woman in New York City who eventually learns to embrace the joy, sorrow, chaos, and simplicity that have highlighted her growing awareness as a child and daughter, and later on in her developing roles as mother, wife, and artist.
"Barefoot, I cross through the grove, wearing only a bikini and a beach towel around my neck. I go in waist deep and splash my arms to get used to the cold water. … After doing laps without counting, I turn my direction ninety degrees and flip over on my back for the dead man’s float. My arms move ever so gently, propelling forward and paralleling the manmade beach of misplaced, foreign white sand. When I reach my destination, my arms stop. Each one stretches to its farthest point, keeping me afloat over to where Mrs. Fitch’s boathouse had once been."
—from “Indian Summer”
About the Author
Carla Porch was raised on Union Lake in southern New Jersey. In addition to writing, she has spent many years working as a photographer, graphic designer, and art director. She lives in Venice, California.