Every time she's near Weaver Lake Park, Mindy Gallagher is reminded of how grateful she is to live nearby. “We take a personal tone with the lake, we feel like it’s ours,” she says. When looking at Maple Grove houses five years ago, the Gallaghers found their current home. And while sitting by the lake, they noticed a big piece of wood at the shoreline. “One of my daughters picked it up and we took it home with us as a piece of art and a sign from this lake; we still have it,” Gallagher says.
Last spring, the family was enjoying one of their frequent bike trips to Weaver Lake Park when their daughters asked to check out the beach. Daughter Laeney was dipping her toes in the water when she decided to run, fully clothed, into the lake. Gallagher reflects on how the photo captures Laeney in her element. “She just jumps in with her whole heart; she has her girly side but she looked at me and I knew she was going in! We still had to bike home afterwards, but she wanted to be in that moment and feel the water and be a part of it.” Her photo, A Little Girl’s Love for Weaver Lake, took first place in the People & Families category of our annual photo contest.
We asked Gallagher’s daughters, Laeney, 9, and Fiona, 7, about their favorite things to do at Weaver Lake Park. “I love the slide!” Laeney says, “I love how fast you can go down it…you can’t help but smile!” Fiona adds, “My favorite thing to do at the lake is to wade in the water and try to catch minnows in my bucket. Oh, and I love when we stop on our bike rides and jump in for a swim!”
Check out Mindy Gallagher’s third place photo of Laeney and Fiona, entitled Summer Sisters, in the April issue of Maple Grove Magazine.
