Free!Issue 4

Serving The Creative Communities From Chicago To Milwaukee

“Spring wears stilettos on winter’s back” -- Josie Rodriguez

Alex Mandli Burning Man

From Texas To The MidwestBy Brent Mitchell

Confessions of a Crazy Collector chris deguire

The larger movements of the natural landscape often are depicted in art as aesthetic notations for pastoral, sublime or utopian ideals of human projection. The more immediate sensations of touch, smell, sound, and taste revive a specificity of place in the paintings and drawings of internationally known and award winning artists Judith Geichman (Chicago) and Octaviano Rangel (Mexico). Also featured are the sculpture installations of emerging artist Jessica O’Hearn (Milwaukee). The works in this exhibit contain large gestures, pools of color, striations of gray, and layers of form that contribute to a poetics of ebb and flow.

Ebb and Flow: Judith Geichman, Jessica O’Hearn, and Octaviano Rangel

Saturday, March 8, 2014, 1-4 p.m.Opening Reception:

Exhibit Runs: February 6 to March 21, 2014

Comic Landslide, 60” x 60”, Acrylic, enamel on canvas, 2013

Caged, H 10 x W 15” x D 9”, Wire and felt, 2013

Untitled, 11” x 14”, Acrylic on paper, 2004

April 1 – May 3, 2014Opening Reception: Thursday, April 10th, 4:30- 7:30pm

Chance Aesthetics: Clarence Morgan and Zack Wirsum

April 1 – May 3, 2014Opening Reception: Thursday, April 10th 4:30- 7:30pm

Clarence Morgan’s and Zack Wirsum’s shared interest in the language of abstraction is also the starting point for their different approaches. Complex systems of patterns, geometric relationships and layering of line are employed by both artists. While a “chance aesthetics “ or randomness and unpredictability, as Clarence Morgan writes about his work, demarcates how the works are both viewed and interpreted, the figures entangled in Zack Wirsum’s work open the possibility for free association within the specific visual cues of abstraction. Clarence Morgan is a Professor of Art at the Regis Center for Art at the University of Minnesota. Internationally renown, Morgan has received numerous grants and fellowships from the Bush Foundation Grant, The Jerome Foundation and The McKnight Foundation. Zack Wirsum is a Chicago artist with regional, national and international exhibits. His work is represented by Jean Albano Gallery in Chicago.

Gallery hours: Tuesday – Friday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. • Thursday Evening 6 – 8 p.m. • Saturday 1 – 4 p.m.

For more information on upcoming events, visit www.carthage.edu/artgalleryChance Aesthetics: Clarence Morgan and Zack Wirsum • April 1 – May 3, 2014

Comic Landslide courtesy of Judith Geichman and Carrie Secrist Gallery, Chicago • Caged courtesy of Jessica O’Hearn and Packer Schopf Gallery, Chicago • Untitled courtesy of Octaviano Rangel

EbbFlowAD_LeftoftheLake_Final.pdf 1 1/8/14 3:41 PM

4  A Message From The Publisher / Left of The Lake

Congratulations! The muse called and you hadthe courage to answer.Whether you respondedwith paints, words, chords or choreography isirrelevant – the important thing is that youare creating. You are a creative. Go ahead andwear that badge proudly.

Membership comes with a myriad of benefitsincluding doubt, disappointment, massive peerego, rejection and failure. But you knew that.Yet, you press on.

So there you are, toiling away, making stuff,preparing to share your genius with the rest ofthe world, and it hits. The cruelest side effectof all, chasing better.

You adjust your black beret, stroke your goatee,and down your cup of black coffee. “Man,”you say, “this town’s a drag. If I could just getinto a cool Milwaukee gallery, life would begreat.” So you work hard, you apply, and landa good Milwaukee gallery.

It doesn’t take long before that impatient voicereturns. “Man, Milwaukee is bummin’me out.It would be so much better if I could get intoa cool Chicago gallery.”

And so it begins.

This isn’t about artistic aspiration or vigorouslypursuing your dreams; it has to do with theculture of failure that is pervasive in the artistcommunity. It has to do with what happensnext: we become focused on that chasing bet-ter. We forget how much we love drawing,writing or playing the guitar. It becomes aboutmoney and fame and no longer about the reallygood, important stuff; community, fulfillmentand happiness.

I’ve spoken with scores of artists who’ve ex-pressed regret over never “making it”. Theyare surprised to learn just how important theyare to their communities and how influentialtheir work is to the next generation of artists.I’m humbly suggesting that you not lose sightof how marvelous a lifetime of art making is,and that it can be created right here in yourown backyard.

You dig?

A Message From The PublisherBy Chet Griffith

Left of the Lake is:Publisher: Chet Griffith Graphics: Joshua Frazer Edits: Lisa Adamowicz Kless& Peg Rousar-ThompsonOrganization: John BlonerContact Us At:editor@leftofthelake.com

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I Have A Bad Feeling About ThisBurning ManComicsDennis Bayuzick / GenesisCrowd FundingExpect More From Your DécorChet Griffith / The MessageNot To Say Naked Is FreeIn The StudioJessica Z Schafer / Threshold2FL: IntriguerBailey Shaye / RavenKim Guisti / AppleSubmission Information

06 From Texas To The Midwest

Cover: Stephen Alcala“Immersion”Prismacolor

2014 14’’ x 21’’

*Items in Red DenoteArtist Features

Left of the LakeIssue 4

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Stephen Alcala is a fledgling hyper-realist. Having established a name for himself in his hometown of Houston, he has set out to broaden his artistic horizons in the Midwest, creating new pieces that conceptualize his view of personal identity. 

6  From Texas To The Midwest / Left of The Lake

Is there something in the waters of the RioGrande, as it runs from the San Juan Moun-tains to the Gulf of Mexico, which helps Texassinger-songwriters, including Buddy Holly,Willie Nelson, and Roy Orbison, to not onlycreate great music but highlight the Lone StarState as an economic engine fueled by home-grown melodies? Kenosha’s Brent Mitchell, anace singer-songwriter and guitarist, knows athing or two about Texas and has an answer.

Brent hails from the town of Denton, justnorth of Dallas, and has seen that town’s econ-omy and quality of life enriched by its musicscene. When he’s not singing his own tunes ina warm tenor, he’s championing original musicand its financial and cultural impact.What hasworked for Denton, Texas, he proposes, canalso work for Kenosha,Wisconsin and its sur-rounding area. A city that is only slightly largerthan Kenosha, Denton generates tens of mil-

lions of dollars each year, almost entirely fromits homegrown music scene, where musiciansplay their own songs every night across town.Match this artistic momentum of over 100working bands with a cooperative promotionalinfrastructure, add a community’s appetite forsongs that come from the souls of local music-makers, and you’ll find substantial profits forbusinesses, musicians and the municipality.

“Texans are fiercely proud of and loyal toTexas singer-songwriters because Texans roottheir sense of personal and collective identityin their music,” Brent says. “They create thesoundtrack to people’s lives.They are a psycho-logical and spiritual power station for Texans.People know it and are happy to pay for it.”

Brent believes a similar economic and culturalecosystem could be cultivated here. He callson several important elements for it to occur.

By Brent Mitchell

FROM TEXAS

TO THE MIDWEST

SONGS STIR COMMUNITY

GROWTH

Left of The Lake / From Texas To The Midwest 7

A critical ingredient is original songs. “Bandsthat play pop hits and oldies are inconsequen-tial for these kinds of opportunities,”Mitchelladds. “Only our original, regional music canreturn promotional investments and createsignificant profits.”

Also needed are venues that support this music.The city’s 35 Denton four-day festival bringsin about $25 million per year, pays its local/regional musicians, and not only puts them onthe same stages as the national acts, it placesthem in prime time-slots. Most of 35 Denton’sincome stays in the Denton area, because theperformers and the people who work behind-the-scenes are native to the region. Promo-tion is critical, too. Local elected officials andleaders from business, institutional and artistcommunities are called upon to work togetherto recruit festival organizers, radio stations,newspapers, booking agents, and potentialsponsors to showcase and support local musicas an important part of our culture.

The stirrings of this movement can be heardin our area’s restaurants and bars, at outdoorfestivals and markets, in theaters and on schoolstages. But it needs to get louder. It needs tobe organized and championed. It needs musi-cians and their communities to recognize thatit makes sense, as well as dollars and cents.

For more information on music as a tool forurban redevelopment, read Michael Seman’sarticle on the Omaha Slowdown Project, avail-able at his website, www.michaelseman.com.Also online, check out “What if Hewlett andPackard had started a band instead?” whichexamines the economic impact of Denton’smusic scene.

Texas native, singer-songwriter, Brent Mitchell resides in Kenosha with his wife and children. He’s recorded three CDs, and his trio, featuring Paul Em-ersun, bass, and Brian Ford, drums, will soon release a new recording. He’s at work on many other projects, including a CD of songs for children and one that features solo vocal and guitar. He also paints, sculpts, writes poetry and studies theology. “Theology is most often the locus of my visual art, my music, and my poetry,” he says.

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Racine Camera Club Since 1938 RCC has been promoting all aspects ofphotography through discussion, exhibitions, lectures,programs and competitions. Exhibit highlights currentmember's work.

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Sponsor:Donald & Gabriella Klein

Alternative Firing TechniquesRacine County PottersDiane Caron, Mark Hyde, Tony Macias, Alex Mandli,Kevin Pearson, Jeff Shawhan and Mary Spengler.Exhibit coincides with NCECA 2014, 48th AnnualConference in Milwaukee.

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Left of The Lake / I Have A Bad Feeling About This... 11

i have a bad feeling about thisor confessions of a crazy collector

My first action figure was R2-D2, the barrel-shaped little droid that speaks in beeps andwhistles. My brother, Greg, two years younger,got C-3PO, who translates for R2 and is morehumanoid in form. I don’t remember buyingthem, so they were probably bought by myparents, who, I am sure, in 1978, had no ideawhat they had gotten me in to.

With two action figures to play with therewasn’t much Greg and I could do except havethem walk around and get them into adven-tures.We didn’t play Star Wars with any of ourother toys, so Artoo and Threepio didn’t runinto our dinosaurs or GI Joes. Our imagina-tions just didn’t work like that. And since bothwere robots, although good guys, they reallycouldn’t battle evil anyways.

As an eight year old I wanted to relive themovie, pretend I was Luke Skywalker or HanSolo or even Darth Vader. I had the novelversion, with George Lucas credited as theauthor. I had bubble gum trading cards andmaybe some magazines. But these were thedays way before VCRs, so the only way torelive these experiences was to go back to thetheaters. And in those days, again before thingslike multiplexes, movies that were successfulstayed in theaters a lot longer. I was drawnto the movie, like most people, I suppose, tothe timeless story elements and the fantasticcharacters. I like to credit the worlds createdby George Lucas for my wanting to be a writerand tell stories.

Toy company, Kenner, acquired the rights toLucas’ film, but toy tie-ins to movies histori-cally tanked, so nothing was ready when themovie was released in May of 1977. And thenthe movie exploded, and kids wanted stuff.Kenner rushed out some puzzles and games,but no toys. Around Christmastime in 1977they had what was called an “early bird” set. Acertificate could be purchased for the first four

An Excerpt from The upcoming book by Chris DeGuire

12  I Have A Bad Feeling About This... / Left of The Lake

action figures and those with this certificatewere promised first crack when they came out.As a kid, how would you like to have gottena certificate promising toys later? Strangelyenough, it worked, and Kenner sold a lot ofthose certificates.

Twelve action figures were released initially.These are generally referred to as the “four-inch”action figures, although some are shorterand some are taller, depending on the heightof the character.They came on thin cardboard“cards,” maybe about 8 x 10, with a photo ofthe character on the front next to the figure,which sat in a clear plastic bubble. On theback were pictures of the other figures andthe first ships and vehicles.The original twelvewere Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo,Chewbacca, Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi, Darth

Vader, C-3PO, R2-D2, a stormtrooper, a deathsquad commander, a Tusken raider, and a Jawa.Details on the figures were not always precise- Luke had a yellow lightsaber when it wasblue in the movie, and sculpting processes werevery limited, such as the stormtrooper’s headbeing molded to the torso with no mobility.But they were toys.

Chris teaches fiction workshops at  Columbia College Chicago and has been published in Hair Trigger and F-Magazine. He hosts the radio show, Speaking of our Words, which fea-tures local writers and can be heard on WGTD 91.1 HD3. His memoir, I Have a Bad Feeling About This, about his col-lection of everything Star Wars, will be out from Wicker Park Press in 2014.

Discover America’s Largest Craft Collection Learn more about current RAM art exhibitions and events at ramart.org

Racine Art Museum441 Main Street, Downtown Racine 262.638.8300

Photography: Dan Bishop

16  Burning Man / Left of The Lake

When I paint something blue, I like to comeback the next day and find it, well, still blue,and not a lovely mottled gray or streaked withsubtle copper. Some call me a control freak.

It’s just the opposite with potter, Alex Mandli.

He looks forward to these varied surprises,collaborating with both fire and natural ma-terials, making each piece of pottery he createsdistinctive. I think it’s that enthusiasm for thesurprise that sets his work apart.

When I met Alex at Hidden Studios ArtTour in Central Wisconsin last fall and whenhe mentioned hauling his pots out into thecountryside and setting them on fire – I wasintrigued. I don’t like surprises, but I do enjoya good fire. I pestered him to take me along.

Alex uses a primitive form of firing for his pot-tery. Based on Native American and Africanpit firing, he uses both a plain barrel and acobbled-together kiln made from donor parts.The barrel relies on the combustible materialssurrounding the pots for fuel, while the kiln isconnected to a propane flame. Each are care-fully and precisely stacked with pots that arethen surrounded with those natural materials

– wood shavings, garden clippings, shreddedmail. Pots are packed inside saggars, slightlylarger, protective pots made from a differenttype of clay, just for the firing process.

So, a pot within a pot. Packed with what mostpeople would call garbage. Cooking away in agrassy field in Racine County, inside a kiln thatAlex has fashioned from castoffs. And fromthis comes art. And some curious, encroach-ing neighbors.

By Peg Rousar-Thompson

Left of The Lake / Burning Man 17

I spent a morning in Alex’s studio where heexplained his current process. He threw a potfor me on an elevated potter’s wheel, his yearsof experience making it look incredibly easy.From this first moment, I realized that eachchoice he makes increases the variables. Theclay, the thickness of the pot, the amount ofwater used – all affect the finished piece. Oncedry, the fragile pot is burnished with a flatstone, giving it a smooth, almost leathery feel.This surface treatment makes the pot morereceptive to the fumes from the natural ma-terials during firing. Alternating coats of terrasigillata (a fine-particle, liquid slip) with moreburnishing, and the pots are finally fired at alow-temp in his studio kiln. This low-tempfiring will amplify the colors from the pend-ing saggar firing.

At this point, the pots are a pristine satin whiteand ready to be driven out in the county for

their final firing. Of course, it’s that final fir-ing that is the biggest variable. The unpre-dictability of the flames, the straw, paper andhardwoods that are layered with the pottery,mixed with our uncertain Wisconsin weather– all work to make this the challenge Alexloves. The fire is lit, the perfect temperaturereached, the barrel is covered, and Alex has18-20 hours of waiting.

And this is where I can’t bear to look. Thislabor-intensive process, those perfect whitepots that had their own certain beauty – couldall be lost to the fire. This is where I woulddevelop an ulcer and Alex views it more likeChristmas. The next day when the pots areunpacked, the ash is washed away and they aredried for a full week. Once they are polished,they have a luster that I first mistook for glaze.

18  Title / Left of The Lake

Seeing the finished pots with their individualpatterns and unique colors makes me revel inthe fact that we’re not all control freaks. AlexMandli takes clay and trash and a few oldkiln components, mixes them with risk, andcreates something stunning.

You can see Alex’s extraordinary work atRacine Art Council’s show:

Alternative Firing Techniques – Racine County Potters316 6th Street in RacineMarch 7th through April 26th.

Also featured are local potters, Diane Caron,Mark Hyde, Tony Macias, Kevin Pearson,Jeff Shawhan, and Mary Spengler. This ex-hibit coincides with the National Councilfor Education and Ceramic Arts 48th Na-tional Conference, March 19-22nd, Wis-

consin Center, in Milwaukee. www.nceca.net Simultaneous shows will run at RAM in Racine,and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center inSheboygan.

Please check out Alex’s informative website:www.alexmandli.com

Photo Credits: William Dombrowski,William Lemke, Peg Rousar-Thompson

Left of The Lake / Title 19

John Bloner Jr.

COMICS

Friends Forever / Josh Frazer Justin Ludeman

Dennis Bayuzick / Genesis 23

26  Title / Left of The Lake

Left of The Lake / Crowdfunding 27

The latest buzz in fundraising for creativeprojects is something called crowd funding.Two hot platforms for such fundraising areKickstarter and Indiegogo.

Crowd funding is not really new. PBS andNPR have been using it for years. What haschanged is that small operations and evenindividual people can now raise money fortheir projects.

Crowd Funding Basic Formula:

•  Define your project. It could be an album,a book, an invention, any creative projectthat has a beginning, middle and end. It isbest if it results in a tangible thing like abook.

•  Research your platform options. Kick-starter and Indiegogo are only two of theplatforms available. There are many. Care-fully examine their publicity mechanismsand fee structures. They will help you raiseyour money but the service is not free.

•  Follow the advice of the platform. If theystrongly suggest you make a video for yourpitch, make a video. Following the advicethey give you can make the difference be-tween success and failure.

•  Lay your groundwork. Crowd fundingdrives last for 60 days or less. To successfullymeet your goal you need to get the wordout before you begin the drive.

•  Offer great rewards. Two kinds of peoplewill fund your project. People who already

know you and want you to succeed anddon’t care much about rewards, and strang-ers who like being part of something inter-esting and getting cool stuff.

•  Set an attainable dollar amount. Mostcrowd funding is all or nothing. If you fallshort and do not reach your stated goal, youdo not get any of the money.

Crowd funding is a fantastic tool for artistsand there are many websites that can offer youadvice on how to use these platforms success-fully. Be sure to look at as many of them as youcan, but also try to get in touch with peoplewho have actually run successful campaignsand get their first-hand advice.

By Anne Morse Hambrock

Crowd fundingWhat Is It? How Can Artists Use It?

28  Expect More From Your Décor / Left of The Lake

I rarely say “No!” to a client when they askif one of their purchases will enhance theirspace. I encourage them to get out and lookaround if they feel that they don’t already pos-sess what they need. I have only one rule: NoHobby Lobby!

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad place. Butwhen it comes to decorating your home, visityour bookshelves, basement or attic instead.Before I step foot into a client’s home, I knowat least 80% already possess the coolest, mostimportant décor items. No joke.

One of the first things I ask a client is to seetheir favorite books.

Here’s why: they provide color and texturewhile expressing their real interests. As an add-ed bonus, they’re readily available for browsing.

You can tell a lot about this client by lookingat her décor. She loves fashion, interior de-signer Tricia Guild, and the fabulous centurythat was the 1930s. Oh, and let’s not forgetthe color pink.

Jewelry is another favorite “go to” item. Just likebooks, jewelry can provide color and textureand add a little something to the space thatreflects your personal style. Besides, why haveit hidden where you can’t enjoy it?

The best and most special décor are those itemshandmade by people we know, or could know,because they live in our community. I oncepicked up a hand-painted box for a bedroomproject at a vintage shop for $4.The best partwasn’t even the price; it was the fact that some-one took the time to sit down and meticulouslypaint over the entire box as a gift for someoneelse. I think we can all agree that handmadeand even hand- painted gifts are not as com-mon as they once were.

These one-of-a-kind finds always trump themass-produced product.

So, the next time you’re tempted by the Lob-by’s selection, I hope you will hear my “No!”and either decide to go back home and digthrough your own cool stuff or head towardsthe nearest antique mall, art gallery, or fleamarket. I promise, better décor is waiting tobe found.

Expect More From Your DécorBy Kelle Dame

Left of The Lake / Title 29

30  Chet Griffith / The Message

Not To Say Naked Is FreeBy Joe Engel

     

  

       

  

       

         

  

     

            

  

    

   

32  In The Studio / Left of The Lake

At Rudbeckia Press, my sister, Becky, and Iknow that planning and organization are vitalto a successful business. We keep meticulousrecords tracking not only the size and designof the books we create, but details like stitchingand cover colors. For example, I can tell youthat during 2012’s holidays, we sold twenty-six Italian long-stitch books. Eleven of themwere brown.

This information helped us prepare for the2013 holiday sales season, anticipate salestrends, and order supplies. Yet, by December1st, Becky and I were scrambling to createforty more books for unexpected sales op-portunities.

We also keep a master inventory that trackswhich gallery or boutique has which items.This helps us know which items sell best atwhich location and when the stock was lastupdated. Due to more shops carrying our

work and more inventory to safely store, we’veoutgrown our current storage space. We areconstructing a new space that will allow us tomove all finished projects out of the studio.Ultimately, it will have shelves for storage,packing materials for shipping, a computer,and a photography set-up for 2D and 3D im-age making.

Becky and I also keep a flexible master cal-endar of projects based on our sales data. Forthis, I use a large wall calendar and coloredmarkers to keep us motivated and on-task.Our weekly plans are charted on a dry eraseboard allowing us to complete projects in anyorder and erase them as we finish.

As 2014 brings Rudbeckia Press more oppor-tunities, Becky and I will continue to adjust ourorganizational system to keep things flowingsmoothly and provide the community withnew and creative items.

In The StudioBy Lisa Bigalke

Jessica Z Schafer / Threshold 33

Left of The Lake / 2nd First Look 35

Crowded House’s sixth album,“Intriguer,”startswith a sound unlike the majority of their pre-vious releases. The first track, “Saturday Sun,”has an energy and rock-pounding style thathad only appeared on their 1993 album, “To-gether Alone”. The drums are thumping, thebass distorted, and the guitars have a classicrock electricity.The significance of this soundmay not be apparent to the general public;after all, the New Zealand band hadn’t beenin the public eye since the 1980s, with theirhits “Don’t Dream It’s Over”and “SomethingSo Strong”.

It’s interesting how much Crowded Housegrows every decade.“Together Alone”put themback on MTV with the tracks “Locked Out”and “Distant Sun”. Fans like me were excitedby the up-to-date sound of “Together Alone,”utilizing more acoustic guitars and experimen-tal songwriting, as opposed to their New Wavesound of the 80s. But after 1993, the bandseemingly fell off the face of the planet (notincluding frontman Neil Finn’s solo career).

In 2005, after their original drummer, PaulHester, died, the band decided to get backinto the studio using various drummers. Thealbum,“Time On Earth,”was released in 2007and in my opinion fell short compared to theflawless “Together Alone” album. There aresome decent tracks, but as a whole, “Time OnEarth” felt like a band unsure of what they

wanted to create and lacked versatility.

After the release of “Time On Earth,”the band,which for the most part has included Neil Finn(vocals, guitars, piano), Nick Seymour (bass),and Mark Hart (guitars, various instruments),had chosen a worthy successor to Paul Hester.Matt Sherrod played on a few tracks for “TimeOn Earth,” but it was on 2010’s “Intriguer”that he was the official new drummer. Andperhaps because Sherrod was somewhat un-familiar with their previous work, “Intriguer”separates itself from the band’s other albums.Crowded House sounds focused and invigorat-ed, and shows the band developing yet again.“Intriguer”uses the first track, “Saturday Sun,”to reintroduce the band and remind fans thatthey still has something brilliant and uniqueto contribute.

For me,“Intriguer”was the best album releasedin 2010. Every song is produced with excellentcraftsmanship but my favorite remains “TwiceIf You’re Lucky”.

For more articles by 2nd First Look, visit ourofficial site; www.2ndFirstLook.com. You canalso visit our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/2ndFirstLook.

by Jav Rivera

36  Bailey Shaye / Raven

Opening January 11, 2014

Civil War Museum262-653-41415400 First AvenueKenosha, WI 53140

38  Kim Guisti / Apple

Left of The Lake / Submissions Information 39

Submit Your Work To Left Of The Lake

Left of the Lake Magazine is published quarterly and accepts work continuously.  We welcome submissions from both new and established artists and writers, nationally and internationally, but first consideration is offered to the creative people in our region of Southeast Wisconsin and Northeast Illinois.  

General Guidelines:•  All work must be original and not previously published•  No simultaneous submissions

Submissions Welcome:•  Poetry (maximum of three pieces)•  Fiction or Non-Fiction (400 words or less)•  Visual Art, Photography, or Comics (maximum of two pieces)

How-To Submit:•  We prefer electronic submissions, either as an attachment or in the body of an email.  Send work to editor@leftofthelake.com and please include your name, address, and a short bio of 30 words or less.

Questions? Contact us!editor@leftofthelake.com

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