Anne Goodwin

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courtesy Anne Goodwin

Anne Goodwin

media release: “It doesn’t matter if you are familiar with cottage lake life or not, the book brings a quietude for all to enjoy. Some see the book’s cover and immediately relate to cottages and lakes, and others simply cherish the calming feeling they get from the messages in the book. What I’ve learned is that we can all be ‘Lake People.’” --Anne Goodwin

Have you ever wished you could kick back, get away from the frenzied pace around you, and watch the world go by from the shores of a beautiful Wisconsin lake?

Not everyone has access to a lake, but there’s another way around that.

You can enjoy similar feelings of wanderlust as author Anne Goodwin draws you into the spirit of Wisconsin lake life in her award-winning book, Come to the Lake-Reflections on a Cottage Life.

Goodwin will be speaking at the Deforest Area Community & Senior Center on May 9, 12:15 following the ‘Post-Mother’s Day Lunch’ at 11:30 a.m.

Lunch attendees need to make a reservation by noon Friday, May 6. (608-846-9469-ex 1610) Otherwise, no reservation is required to attend Anne Goodwin’s program.

“I became a Pleasant Lake girl 40 years ago. The rite of passage is simple: One must truly love life at the lake. That means swimming across it, searching for sunbeams as you glide under its fresh water surface and charting long hours in sailboats, canoes and kayaks. It also requires being immersed in the rhythm of the lake, which means opening books instead of pushing buttons, said Goodwin.

She has been featured on National Public Radio sharing with audiences what she's learned about intentionally living a more 'analog' life. “This introspection opens up possibilities for becoming closer to family and friends and our natural environment,” she said.

In her book, as she paddles across the lake to her heart's content, ride along. As you read, the metaphor offers a chance to choose to disconnect from the whirl of everyday life.

Back Story

Come to The Lake evolved as a book after 18 years of note-taking by the author

Goodwin’s family has been going to the same original lake cottage for decades. Her writing distinctly highlights a throwback life at one of the state’s most magical, historic cottages along with stories about generations of family members who have grown up here. 

The author is an intrepid note taker which serves her readers well. She has lived what she writes about cherishing summer lake life in one of the last remaining summer cottages standing on the shores of Pleasant Lake in southeastern Wisconsin.  Her book is sketched with absorbing lake experiences along with meticulously recorded moments of raising a gaggle of boys at the lake.

About the Cottage

Kathryn (Anne’s mother in-law and dear friend, aka Kayo) was the original Pleasant Lake girl.  She blazed the path to full lake-living.

Goodwin said, “She was a grown woman with five young children, and she led the way that still reverberates with family life here.”

She explained the 1920s one-room getaway (with boy and girl sleeping coveys), was bought for a sizable eight-thousand dollar chunk of hard-earned 1950's cash. Kathryn packed the station wagon the day school let out and checked her brood into the new (old) family cottage, christened The Shelter, by the name etched on the worn out ring buoy hanging above the wooden door frame.

For photography buffs, the beautifully crafted book includes mesmerizing images of Wisconsin cottage life. And as an additional bonus, it’s punctuated with family pleasing recipes. 

Immerse yourself in Come To The Lake; it’s a magical journey where you can make yourself at home.