Part of the wonderful thing about the Finger Lakes is the incredible amount of history, both general and personal, that surrounds these beautiful lakes. It is not uncommon to hear from families that have spent generations growing up in a certain house, on a specific lake and that their best memories are tied so closely to the region.
I was blown away by the story for this month’s Owasco Lake blog. Submitted by Lisa Lange and Hank Osborne, these guest bloggers embody what it means to have deep roots in the Finger Lakes. A beautiful song “Sailor” written by Hank himself, describes the love his father had for sailing on Owasco Lake, as well as for his family. There isn’t much more that I can say to do the story justice, so I will share what Hank and Lisa have shared with me. Their words could not be more perfect. Thank you for sharing, Hank and Lisa, and to all of you reading, enjoy!
Sailor
There’s a breeze on the water
Sending waves to the shore
Calling out to the Sailor
Who’s hunched over by the door
He’s moving slowly on his walker
Going out upon the deck
He thinks of time he didn’t falter
Or have pain with every step
And his children, and their children
And their children gather too
On this land that’s been his family’s
Since 1872
He looks upon the water
To where his boat is moored
And he wonders if this ancient mess
Will let him climb aboard
CHORUS
And the Willow Point breeze
It keeps blowing through the willow trees
I remember chili on the tailgate
Of his Jeep Wagoneer
And skiing down on Whiteface
Breaking more than just my fears
We were sailing on Ontario
With a line squall coming in
So we dropped the jib
And we reefed the main
And we pointed her to the wind
With my back against the rigging
I felt the lightening go up my spine
But that sailor just kept sailing
Till that storm was far behind
Now he looks upon the water
To where his boat is moored
And he wonders if this ancient mess
Will let him climb aboard
CHORUS
And the Willow Point breeze
It keeps blowing through the willow trees
There’s a boat on the water
Sailing way from the shore
The hand upon the tiller
Feels the pain of age no more
There’s a morning breeze arising
He is sailing with the wind
He has hoisted up his spinnaker
And it’s filling to the brim
And his children, and their children
And their children gather too
On this land that’s been his family’s
Since 1872
We look upon the water
To where his boat has gone
And the wind blows though the willows
And the willows sing along
To the Willow Point breeze
CHORUS
And the Willow Point breeze
It keeps blowing through the willow trees
(c) 2015 HTOsborne
*The song is available on the iTunes, Amazon, Spotify under Hank Osborne*
“The song was written in the two years prior to the passing of our father (L. Devens Osborne), and was inspired by his love of sailing. It was a medicinal song for me, and I kept it secret from the family until his passing in 2015. The lyric “…he looks upon the water, to where his boat is moored…” refers to the long list of sail boats he has moored on Owasco, at Willow Point. My great-great grandfather (David Munson Osborne) purchased Willow Point back in 1872, although I believe he moved to Auburn in the 1850s. The photo provided is a family gathering photo taken at Willow Point for LDO’s 90th birthday. The chorus lyrics “And his children, and their children and their children gather too, on this land that’s been his family’s since 1872” were written (somewhat prophetically) prior to that birthday party, but that’s exactly what happened, four generations gathered to celebrate.”
