10 Things I Love about Summers in Conneaut Lake

I adore summers in Conneaut Lake. In no particular order, here my ten favorite things.

1) Midway Beach - Accessibly only to cottage owners and renters in the Midway Beach area, this small beach is reminiscent of the 1950's. We've spent many hours here over the years. Little has changed from the postcard in my blog header.
2) Family - It's all about family here. In the picture below my son is teaching his little cousin to blow up water balloons. I love this daily interaction between cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

3) My Cottage
4) Tradition - So much of our time at the lake is built on tradition. Traditions that we've started as well as traditions that have continued for years and generations.
5) Warm Nights, Fireflies, and Thunderstorms
6) Sunsets - Each one is more spectacular than the next

7) The Spillway at Pymatuning - You really have to see it to believe it.
8) Hanks - The best Frozen Custard ever!
9) Antiquing - I've found the best treasures around here.
10) Amish - I love seeing them shopping in the grocery store, selling baked goods in roadside stands and hanging their clothes out to dry.


If you also spend summers in Conneaut Lake, what do you love most about the lake? If you spend summers elsewhere, where do you go, and what do you love about your special summer spot?

Hank's Frozen Custard in Conneaut Lake

We go to Hank's far more than I care to admit. A Conneaut Lake institution, Hank's has been serving frozen custard for 60 years. You can read more about Hank's from my post in 2008, or my post in 2009. Frozen custard is basically soft serve ice cream. Below, my dad is placing his order. 

Girls work at the windows, take orders and fill the orders. They never write down an order. And, I mean never. You might order for 20 people and they'll remember it all correctly. It's still a little (or, a lot) old fashioned at Hank's. While the girls are at the counter, the guys man the cranky old custard machines. These machines, already used when Hank's set up shop 60 years ago, require constant attention. Below, one of the young guys checks the machine and custard.

Below - the counter at Hank's.

My aunt and my cousin's daughter, below.