Wisconsin is home to more than 15,000 lakes. But one lake in particular captivates writer Patti See. She thinks the first time she came to Lake Hallie was the summer of 1974. It’s a small lake. You can see across. See talks to her neighbors across the lake literally from her dock.
The lake has a story for every season. And See has endless tales to tell. She writes about quirky neighbors. But truth be told, See admits she’s also quite quirky. Quirkiness, it seems, is almost a prerequisite to live on Lake Hallie. Lake Hallie is a place where local newspaper readers often get to wade through.
See says, “Because I write this monthly column about Lake Hallie, my friend Karen is convinced that that is why the lake is getting busier.” Karen Sabaska has been See’s best friend since childhood. She’s the source, muse and co-defendant for many of See’s stories. They met in first grade at Holy Ghost Grade School, and have been best friends ever since. That’s a friendship 50 years in the making.
It’s also a friendship that has seen plenty of boat rides. Out on the water, the lifelong friends have time to reminisce with a can of beer or two while cruising.
“We’ve just seen each other through so many things, boyfriends and husbands and children,” See says of Sabaska. “She was always there for me.”
Their memories are long, however the boat ride will be short. See and Sabaska’s route around the lake always ends at the boat landing where they park and float. From this perch they can watch the golfers on the lower nine of Lake Hallie Golf, which has been there since the 1920s. They can see kids fishing from shore and watch the boats come and go from the water. See describes it as “a lot going on” at this end of the lake.
It’s the end of the lake where Sabaska’s family put down roots. The Clark Hughes Boat Landing is named after her grandfather. He owned much of the east side of the lake when Sabaska was growing up. She’s the third generation to build her home on Lake Hallie. See says there was a time Sabaska could probably name everybody who lived on the lake.
“I couldn’t do it now,” Sabaska chimes in. “Not even a chance.”
See’s unique collection of stories from this little lake in Chippewa County resonate with Wisconsinites. “So many people crave community,” See says. “They crave friendship, they crave family. And those are the top three things that I write about.”
The book is titled “Here on Lake Hallie: In Praise of Barflies, Fix-It Guys and Other Folks from Our Hometown.” It’s a collection of short stories about a place See long wanted to escape. She didn’t expect to live in Chippewa Falls or the Village of Lake Hallie the rest of her life. And yet here she is loving it. Living in a quirky house, on a quirky lake, with quirky neighbors.
