Oxford Lake has played host to entire generations of revelers. The layers of sediment at the bottom of the shallow lake is witness to countless drink and liquor bottles...coins tossed in hope and lost in silliness, forests of firework support timbers, slowly being turned into oil for the folks in 27 million AU... (after us).... Once, the Six Flags of its day... folks from Hotlanta used to come here...on excursion trains for a Sunday or a weekend. Alligators, monkeys, deer all inhabited the lake at one time...and not only before man turned it to better use. Indians paused before that to cool their sore heels in the natural spring that makes up the lake. When you see the lake dry up, you can write off Coldwater, for it's all the same thing.
    There's been a lot of kisses gotten at the lake. Given willingly, or stolen, in dark spots on the back side during romantic boat rides on hot July evenings. The living come back year after year for the July 4th ritual, and if you visit the places of the generations long gone hereabouts, you might see the dust stir, just a little, for about 20 minutes or so, when the fireworks briefly flare, reverberating cannon shot shells, starbursts, and the long long finale when all *ell breaks loose. And at the end, the red flares are tossed into the lake as the smoke drifts away, and the ducks stop their frantic paddling to return to their duck business, and the kids are a little sad, and the ghosts return to their slumber to wait another year.

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