My Watermark is the Colorado River in Texas.

My childhood best friend had a lake house just outside of Austin, Texas, the city I called home until the age of ten. The first time my friend Kameron invited me over, I was so excited.

His dad’s house was located just outside of Austin, in the hill country. While it was in close proximity to this metropolitan city, the hill country was picture perfect Texas country side- filled with ranches, barbecue, and cowboy boots. As the car turned the corner onto the gravel road leading to the house, we entered a world of cacti, grass and shrubs. At the end of the long road was a humble cabin next to a massive yard leading to the lake. The rest of the world was no where in sight.

I had no idea how much fun I was going to have there. We spent the entire day jet skiing and tubing. It was exhilarating. I had never been on a motor boat before. After that day, I went back often. We had bonfires, sleepovers, and many more adventures on the water.

After a while the lake house felt like my home as well, and became a reliable escape into a different world. Two years later though, my family moved. At the time it felt like the end of the world. To this day, some of my fondest memories are still back in Austin. While I hope someday I can return to the hill country, I will probably never return to this lake house, a place that used to be so special to me. A place where I discovered my sense of adventure and yearning to visit new places that I still carry with me to this day.