My siblings, three younger sisters and a girl cousin who was indistinguishable from a sister and me, the lone boy, all grew up in Chicago.  Six in my family, lived in a two bedroom apartment, in a typical twelve flat brick building on the city’s north side.  Our parents had a bedroom.  My sisters shared the other. I lived in the dining room.  Our cousin was raised by our grandparents. They lived in the same building.  The two apartments were connected by an old wooden back porch that served as a highway between the chaos of our place and the warm Scandinavian quiet of Mor Mor’s  (Swedish for mother’s mother).  We were not poor but my folks lived pretty much paycheck to paycheck.  We had one collective extravagance.

We loved Chicago, but from the mid 50s to early 70s we lived for an annual, two sometimes three week, trip to the lakes.  My dad, a telephone equipment installer for Western Electric, year after year, invested his entire vacation on the same getaway to Waupaca Wisconsin’s, Chain O Lakes.
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Canoeing, Campfires & Camaraderie
Castle History at Waupaca, Wisconsin and The Chain ‘O Lakes
This is one of the non-fiction short stories written in Encouraging the Soul
By Charles H. Castle

      I remember my father, Howard P. Castle, telling me about Castle Point and the history of the Castle family going to Waupaca. Dad said his father, Howard P. Castle, Sr. and another man were deeded many acres of Chain ‘O Lakes property to satisfy a debt in 1919. My grandfather was a partner in a law firm in the Chamber of Commerce Building in downtown Chicago and took the train to and from their home in Barrington, a suburb northwest of Chicago.

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Last summer, I took a trip to Waupaca with my girlfriend, Amber.  I grew up in Waupaca, but haven’t lived there since 2002.  Amber had been to Waupaca for Holiday celebrations.  This trip was different.  I wanted to show Amber all Waupaca has to offer.

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I’ve always enjoyed the times I’ve spent in Waupaca; tubing and skiing on the beautiful Chain O’ Lakes, swimming at Whispering Pines, and just relaxing at Brainard’s Bridge Park. I grew up there, saw many different faces every summer as the tourists began filling the cottages, and even though I’ve since moved away, I bring my children back every year to experience the joys I had when I was younger.

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Driving down Otter Drive, I not only noticed the magnificent, towering pine trees, I experienced the pleasing pine scent that reminds me that I am in central Wisconsin.   I remember smiling, taking a deep breath, and feeling relaxed and refreshed by my surroundings.

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