The Whole Ball of Wax
The short circular driveway leading to our new cottage was alongside a paved road on the east side of the lake. Another road off the same US highway headed to cottages along the western shore. Across the lake a half mile away and in full view from our property, the most elaborate cottage sat on top of a hill surrounded by a manicured lawn nearly the size of a baseball field. In the early to mid 1900’s, the owners had been able to secure a 100-year lease on the small island a couple dozen yards off the coastline of their property. The man’s name had been Medio, but he’d died about the time I’d been born. His wife and family had survived him and superbly maintained the property. Medio had designed and landscaped narrow causeways with a walkway bridge to the island where he’d added an impressive tennis court. The estate included a two-story double stall boat house with a magnificently enclosed party room on the floor above. Besides the tennis court, Medio had set up an engineering college scholarship which I would eventually earn.
Stephen Lewis, author of:
‘From Iowa State University to Chenéqua Country Club’
‘The Irrevocable Chenéquan’
‘The Road to Rochelle’ (AKA: From Iowa to Chenéqua),
‘The Road to Rochelle’ by Harry X. Winfield,
and (the recalled) ‘From Iowa to Chenéqua’ by Lewbuddy