Why

Look, it’s apparent by now that I write in the genre generously called “memoir”, which saves me a whole lot of time: no research needed (well, hardly any), I just write what I remember! But it also seems to be the case that I write about vacation (all I ever wanted, as the Go-Gos said). I think my parents taught all of us kids the value of a good vacation, an annual getaway. But there’s natural history in here, and also some science, and in the end it comes down to climate change, as do most environmental issues these days. Couldn’t let that pass.

Synopsis

When is a family vacation more than a family vacation? As much a natural history as a memoir, Lake Effect delves beneath the surface of a rather ordinary lake – a reservoir, really – to examine the region’s origins, and its unclear future. Viewed through the lens of classic, family cabin vacations at California’s Lake Almanor, the book explores the genesis of the lake and region, focusing on the shock-and-awe geologic force of volcanism, evident at nearby Lassen Peak (the volcano on the horizon); the natural history that wraps itself around the geology; and the inexorable advance of human civilization, economic interest, and resource extraction. Included in the latter is a Chinatown-like subterfuge to grab water rights, and maybe even a little arson. Overlying this is the new kid on the block, catastrophic fire exacerbated by climate change, a force that threatens the character of the lake vacation itself, if not the very existence of the lake. How long can the lake be a refuge, a respite from the world? Maybe you can’t go home again, or at least back to the lake. On the other hand, life finds a way, and perhaps humans can exhibit an adaptiveness, a resilience, like some of the area’s furred and feathered residents. Lake Effect, then, allows readers a look at climate change at a local level, in changes seen in our lifetime - it brings climate change home (or at least to the lake cabin).

Try it.

Lake Effect was published in 2023 by Deer Run Press;  click here if you’d like to read the first chapter. It’s about trees. If it piques your interest, if you want more about trees and volcanos and wolves and drinks on the Dock, click below to buy the book from Amazon, or alternatively, you can buy it from me. Drop me a line at the email below and I’ll send a copy your way. Might even include a discount!

Buy it.