Places I Like to Write: Pontoosuc Lake
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PITTSFIELD, Mass.
It's been a long time since I've been to Pontoosuc Lake to spend an afternoon. Back in the day, I often picnicked there with my boys. We grilled hot dogs and hamburgs on the Hibachi, ate homemade potato salad or mac and tuna salad, chips and all kinds of carried-in goodies, along with Cokes, lemonade and iced tea. I then watched them run around and play on their full bellies until the traditional hour was up and they could take a dip. I threw down a blanket close to the water with towels, water toys, and my own very special toys — a pen and pad of paper (no laptop back then!).
My how things have changed.
My friend Debbie and I took Oprah up on her "unthinkKFC" offer and e-mailed for free coupons. Of course, when we went to use them KFC was giving away rainchecks. That was OK. I had other coupons, and for $8.99 we were able to get two meals with two pieces of crispy fried chicken, two sides, and a soda to share.
The warm weather had gotten us to thinking and talking about the lakes in Pittsfield, and we picked Pontoosuc since neither of us had been there in quite some time
After picking up my dog, a small Maltese with a big name — Camelot Love Me Tender (but his friends call him Cammie) — with food in hand we headed to Hancock Road and Pontoosuc Lake for our makeshift picnic. I wanted to check it out after all these years and see if anything had changed, and if it had, what. I was thinking of it as a possible summer place to people-watch. With the lake, the trees and the hills that surround it and all that beauty, I felt I could really get creative and write.
It was a beautiful warm spring day and the shade of the pines set a perfect temperature. We found a picnic table we liked, put Cammie on his lead chain to sniff the area, and then set out our food. Cool breezes drifted through the pines. The sailboats were already out around the bend of the lake; the motor boats revved up at the dock then headed out, as a kayak floated along the edge avoiding the strong wake.
There were other folks out walking with their dogs. A man and his black Lab pup, a couple and their beagle mix. The dogs barked at each other. Was it a greeting or a warning? I choose to think greeting; it was too nice for a warning. Nothing to warn about in my book.
 Photos courtesy Henry Dondi
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 Top, picturesque pines line the banks of Pontoosuc. Right, Saddleback Mountain as viewed from the picnic area. |
After we finished and had fed some leaner bits of chicken to Cammie, we cleaned up our table and walked along the edge of the lake. There were condos across the lake that I don't remember. Debbie, who was born and raised in Pittsfield, described the bathhouse and swimming docks that had originally been there when she was a young girl prior to "two and a half." When funding for lifeguards stopped, the swimming area was closed and no longer available. The boathouse and docks are now gone, torn down long ago.
I was surprised to see the bit of shore that had once been there was gone as well, and a "no swimming" sign posted. I wondered if that was for the whole lake or just for that area. Debbie didn't know. There was only one grill amongst the trees next to a picnic table, and sadly, it had been knocked on its side. Will they put out more for the summer?
I have decided that since I no longer have young children, the lake is a perfect place for me to go and spend an afternoon or an evening when twilight is descending. The grounds seem well kept and, of course, the scenery is awe inspiring with the hills as a backdrop. This time I will be taking my mini HP, and not pen and paper, and I will sit at a table and not on a blanket.
Yes, there's been lots of changes, but that's OK. There is still much to enjoy at this beautiful spot in the Berkshires!
Note: Lanesborough and the city of Pittsfield share Pontoosuc Lake, one of the largest lakes in Berkshire County and a popular recreation area.
Sharon Mack is a member of the Berkshires Writers Room and is working on a mystery novel. This Part 6 of a six-part series about her favorite writing spots.
