Not many people own a lake. Well, our daddy built, owned and operated a fishing lake. Sometime in the early to mid-1950s, he decided to construct a lake just below the intersection of two small branches a short distance from the house.

A local contractor was hired to build the earthen dam. He had an old Caterpillar dozer that he used for such things. I remember he and Daddy talking about finding the right type of dirt for the core. The core is probably the most important part of the dam, because it prevents seepage. Generally, clay soil is used because clay particles are very fine and the water almost never flows through them. Well, they must have found the right type of clay soil directly below the old barn, because the dam has never leaked. When completed, the lake encompassed slightly more than an acre.

This pond was a young boy’s natural attraction. When I was not working, I could be found in, on or at least near the water. Strange as it might seem, I even enjoyed cutting the weeds from around the waterline with a sling blade or the old scythe. Daddy had

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