Looking back over the years, there have been many changes in Brookfield, not the least of which have been to Candlewood Lake. When I was a child, the population of Brookfield and other area towns grew when the seasonal people arrived to spend their summer at the lake.
The area around Candlewood Lake has been a residential and recreational area since the 1930s. My maternal great-aunt and uncle were among the first local residents who saw the beauty there and built a house in an area called Sunset Cove. Their “cottage,” as it was always known, was a rustic log cabin with a large screened porch where you could watch the beautiful sunsets over the water. Inside the house, the walls were knotty pine. A huge fireplace dominated one side of the room next to a built-in window seat. The first floor also included the kitchen, a bedroom, and a bath. Up a curving staircase there was an open loft area that served as a second bedroom for my aunt’s sister and her husband, who shared the cottage during the summer.
The cottage was where we would enjoy picnics from Memorial Day to Labor Day and sometimes Thanksgiving dinner. In later years, it was also the site of anniversary parties and even a wedding reception. It was a place of joy and fun. On the Fourth of July, my great-uncle would set off fireworks that could rival more professional displays. His grand finale was always thousands of firecrackers that he spent hours tying together. The noise they made was awesome. When I was small, there were sparklers for me, and when my children were young, he always made sure there were sparklers for them.
It was a wondrous place for a child. I learned to swim there, paddling back and forth between my mother and my uncle. I would practice kicking by holding on to the dock. When you stood in the water, it was so clear you could look down and see your toes and the fish that were swimming around them. In between swimming, we would play croquet and badminton. There was an outdoor fireplace where my great-uncle and my dad would cook the hamburgers and hotdogs.
My great-uncle and my father had motorboats, and we spent hours boating on the lake, sometimes going all the way to New Milford. I always liked to sit in the bow of the boat so I could have the full force of the wind in my face. There were not as many motorized boats as there are now, but I remember many beautiful sailboats, with sails of many designs and colors, which would seem to glide over the water.
Once in a while I would stay overnight at the cottage. Being there early meant I could get to swim earlier. As I grew older, I would often have friends come with me to spend a day at the cottage. We would bring snacks, sandwiches, and sodas and spread out our blankets on the grass nearest the water. We would swim all day, with time out to play badminton or croquet or just to sit and talk.
For years we watched from the boat as new homes and marinas were constructed on the lake’s shore. More and more boats, of all sizes, began to use the lake. When we swam, the lake’s water was less clear; we could no longer see our toes or the fish. More weeds invaded the water; you caught your feet in them when you were swimming.
Change had come to Candlewood Lake. It is not the same lake I remember from my youth. The cottage is also gone, taken down to make way for another grander home. But in my mind and in my photographs I remember the cottage and the special aunts and uncles who lived there and helped to make my childhood special.
