THE HIGHLANDER, OR RATHER, THE HIGHLAND LAKER

While looking around the Internet in hopes of finding a quote by Paracelcus in 'Beauty And The Beast', I stumbled across this dialogue exchange between Catherine and Vincent:

Catherine: When I was a girl, we spent our summers at a lake in Connecticut. I had a secret place too, a glen. I would lay there in the tall grass and feel like I was the only person on earth. Safe.
Vincent: Yes
Catherine: And if I sat very still, the deer would walk by and not ever see me. I could almost reach out and touch them. It seemed enchanted. It seems so far from the city, like a different world, but it is only two hours away. I wish you could see it.
Vincent: So do I
Catherine: If only we could be there.
Vincent: We are there. You are taking me there with your words, showing me.

Kurt Vonnegut was right. The wrinkles of the brain are smoothed out at the edge of a body of water.......

Two hours away from the City..... It could be any number of lakes in Conneticut, perhaps it's Candlewood, or Quassy. It definitely has to be a lake with easy access to a secret forest glen by the water, where deer might frequent.

This pretty rules out Highland Lake in Winsted. My family has had a cottage there on the water for four generations, and it will always be my main choice for a place to go on vacation. In fact, I'm spending all four weeks there, spread out over the summer and fall.

First off, Highland Lake (We always just called it "The Lake".) is more than two hours drive from Manhattan. But not by much, maybe two and a half hours tops. And perhaps Catherine was just rounding it off.

But even back when Catherine was a little girl, Highland Lake was pretty much full developed. At least back then, most of the cottages were simple, rustic affairs. A few of them were even of a backwoods style straight out of "Deliverance".

Our old cottage could fall into that category; it began as one room and two others were added on. We finally had it torn down and a new one built in its footprint. But this time, it had potable running water and indoor plumbing and walk-in shower for my Mom who was finding it difficult to maneuver by that point. (The old cottage had an outhouse and water pumped in from the Lake.)

So sadly, I think I have to disqualify Highland Lake's televersion from being considered as the Connecticut lake from the back-story of 'Beauty And The Beast'. It would have been nice to have another connection for my own televersion ('The Hap Richards Show', 'The Ranger Andy Show', "The Deadliest Season") besides all of the shows that connect to the Edison.....

BCnU!
Tele-Toby