The lilacs are blooming outside my window right now.
Every year when they bloom, I stop and take a deep breath — because I know they won't last long.
My dad planted those lilac bushes years ago beside our deck. They were always my mom's favorite flowers, and over time they became mine too. For a few short weeks each June, their fragrance fills the yard and drifts through the open windows.
When I was growing up, I would cut armfuls of lilacs and put them beside my bed. At night, their scent would fill my room.
I loved how they smelled. But looking back, I think I loved what they meant even more.
| “Lilacs were the first sign that summer had arrived. Not summer on the calendar. Real summer — the kind where school was almost over, the lake was warming up, and the best part of the year was still ahead.” |
Growing up in Lake Placid, summer always felt magical.
My best friend spent her summers here, and every year I couldn't wait for her to arrive. Once she did, we were practically inseparable. Most days were spent at the Whiteface Club — at the pool, on the beach, swimming in the lake, laying on the dock for hours, talking about absolutely nothing and somehow everything.
| “The funny thing about being a kid is that you don't realize you're making memories while you're living them. You think summer will always feel that way.” |
You think there will always be another lake day. Another dock jump. Another evening chasing fireflies. Another year stretching endlessly ahead.
I still love lake days. Maybe even more than I did then.
There is something about sitting on a dock that instantly slows me down. The sound of the water. The warm wood beneath your feet. The boats drifting by. The mountains in the distance. Even now, it feels impossible to be in a hurry while sitting by a lake.
That's the strange power of scent memory. When I smell lilacs, I don't just smell flowers. I smell the excitement of summer arriving. I smell friendship. I smell freedom. I smell those long Adirondack days that seemed like they would never end.
And somehow, even now, that feeling still shows up.
Life is certainly busier than it was back then. There are businesses to run, responsibilities to manage, and plenty of reasons to feel rushed. But every year, the lilacs bloom. The breeze carries their fragrance through the window. And for a moment, I'm reminded of something important.
Joy doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes it looks like a sunny day. A dock by the lake. A friend arriving for the summer. The scent of lilacs drifting through the air.
That's the feeling we wanted to capture in Summer by the Lake. Lilac and freesia for the flowers that mark the start of everything. A note of driftwood and hyacinth — the smell of the lake air itself. A whisper of pomelo, bright and alive, because Adirondack summers always taste like something just out of reach and completely perfect.
Not just a fragrance. A reminder of everything we love about this place — and this season — and the people we share it with.
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Scent Notes Lilac · Freesia · Driftwood · Hyacinth · Pomelo Easy, carefree, and full of light. |
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Bring summer home. Candle · Lotion · Hand Soap · Body Wash · Bar Soap → Shop Summer by the Lake |