American comics: I am full of martial virtues and I love to be kind to others.

Sarah replied quickly: "Have a great vacation! We'll take care of everything. Remember to bring us some fish!"

At 5:30 a.m. sharp, Lynn's biological clock woke him up. It was a habit he had developed over years of working for the FBI, one he couldn't break even on his vacation. He tiptoed downstairs and found George already in the kitchen preparing a simple breakfast.

“Good morning, Dad,” Lynn said in a low voice. “You’re up early too.”

“It’s a fisherman’s habit,” George replied with a smile, pouring hot coffee into his thermos, “and I’m too excited to sleep.”

“Me too,” Lynn admitted. “It feels like the night before a school field trip when I was a kid.”

“That’s the feeling I wanted,” George nodded with satisfaction, “to let you rediscover simple joys.”

Ten minutes later, Gwen also came downstairs, her hair still a little messy and her eyes sleepy.

"You two early birds," she said, yawning, "what time is it?"

“It’s 5:45,” Lynn checked his watch. “We have fifteen minutes to go.”

“Okay, give me five minutes to wash my face and brush my teeth,” Gwen said, striding towards the bathroom, “and then we can begin this adventure.”

At 6:00 AM sharp, the three loaded all their equipment into George's old SUV and officially began their journey to the Adirondack Mountains. New York was still quiet in the early morning, with few cars on the streets, and they drove out of the city smoothly.

"How's the music?" George asked as he drove. "I've got some classic rock music with me."

“As long as it’s not your country music,” Gwen said from the back seat. “Those songs all sound the same.”

“Hey! Country music has depth!” George protested, feigning anger.

“If you think singing ‘My dog ​​ran away, my truck broke down, my girlfriend left me’ is profound,” Gwen retorted jokingly.

Lynn couldn't help but laugh. "How about we listen to some music that everyone can enjoy, like the Beatles?"

“Good idea,” George agreed, and soon a familiar melody filled the car.

As the urban landscape was gradually replaced by rural scenery, the atmosphere inside the car became increasingly relaxed. They started playing travel games they often played as children, such as guessing license plate numbers, finding cars of specific colors, and the classic "I see it!" game.

“I see a red barn,” Gwen said, pointing into the distance.

“I saw a herd of black and white cows,” Lynn continued.

“I saw a dad who wanted to catch a big fish,” George chimed in, eliciting laughter from everyone.

Two hours later, as they finally entered the Adirondack Mountains, the scenery became even more spectacular. Towering pine trees, rolling hills, and a thin mist on the distant peaks—everything appeared so serene and beautiful.

“Wow, I’d forgotten how beautiful this place is,” Gwen exclaimed, looking out the window.

“Photographs can never fully capture the beauty of nature,” Lynn agreed. “You have to experience it for yourself to truly feel it.”

“That’s why we’re here,” George said, “to reconnect you with nature, away from concrete jungles and electronic devices.”

Another half hour passed, and they finally arrived at Mirror Lake. When the lake came into view, everyone fell silent. Just as its name suggests, the lake was like a giant mirror, perfectly reflecting the sky and the surrounding forest. A gentle breeze caressed the surface, creating tiny ripples that sparkled like diamonds.

“It’s so beautiful,” Gwen said softly, as if afraid that speaking loudly would disturb the tranquility.

Their cabin sits right by the lake; it's a traditional wooden structure with a red roof and a wraparound front porch. A small dock extends into the lake, perfect for mooring small boats and fishing.

“This is our vacation paradise,” George proudly announced. “For the next week, this will be our home.”

They began unloading luggage and equipment. Lynn was in charge of carrying the heavier items, Gwen was in charge of food and daily necessities, and George was busy checking the various facilities in the cabin.

“The water heater is working fine, and the power supply is okay,” George shouted from inside the house. “We have everything we need.”

“Great,” Gwen said, carrying the last bag of groceries into the kitchen. “Now we can start our real vacation.”

After everything was settled, the three of them stood on the front porch admiring the lake view. The morning sun shone on the lake, making the whole environment appear so peaceful and serene.

“Alright,” George clapped his hands, “what’s the first activity? Fishing? Hiking? Or…”

“Swimming!” Lynn and Gwen blurted out almost simultaneously, then looked at each other and laughed.

“Swimming?” George was somewhat surprised. “But we haven’t tested the water temperature yet, and…”

But Lynn and Gwen wouldn't listen to his advice. Seeing the crystal-clear lake, they were overcome with childlike wonder and couldn't wait to jump in.

"The last thing to get into the lake was a rotten egg!" Gwen yelled as she rushed into the house to find her swimsuit.

“That’s not fair! You know where the luggage is better than I do!” Lynn rushed into the house as well.

George stood on the porch, shaking his head and laughing. "They're still children."

Ten minutes later, Lynn and Gwen appeared at the lakeside, both dressed in their swimsuits. The lake water was indeed very clear, and one could see the pebbles and the occasional small fish swimming by.

"Isn't the water too cold?" Gwen stood by the water's edge, hesitating, testing the water temperature with her toes.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Lynn said, and jumped into the lake without warning.

"Ah! It's freezing!" Lynn popped his head out of the water, shivering, but with a huge smile on his face. "But it feels amazing!"

“You’re crazy!” Gwen laughed from the shore. “Is the water really that cold?”

"It's just cold at first," Lynn said, already adjusting to the water temperature, "but it'll feel comfortable in a few seconds. Come on down!"

Gwen hesitated, then George walked up from behind. "If you don't get down, I'll push you down."

“Dad! You wouldn’t dare!” Gwen turned to look at George.

“Give it a try,” George said with a mischievous grin, and began to slowly approach Gwen.

"No, no, no!" Gwen screamed and jumped into the lake, splashing a huge spray that soaked Lynn completely.

"Haha! Now we're all wet!" Gwen popped her head out of the water, her hair plastered to her face, but her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“The water was really cold, but it felt great,” she admitted, as she started swimming.

George stood on the shore watching the two of them frolic in the water, a loving smile on his face. "You two little ducks, be careful not to catch a cold."

“Dad, come down too!” Lynn waved to George. “The water feels so good!”

“I’m too old for this,” George waved his hand. “I’ll just enjoy your show from here.” “Nonsense! You’re only in your fifties, still very young!” Gwen swam to the shore. “Come on down, let’s swim together as a family!”

“Yes, Dad, this is a family activity,” Lynn swam over, “you can’t be absent.”

George finally relented after his two children insisted. He went back inside to change into his swimming trunks and then very cautiously walked into the lake.

"My God! This water is colder than I expected!" George exclaimed as soon as he touched the water.

“Hang in there, Dad!” Gwen encouraged. “You’ll get used to it in a few seconds!”

George gritted his teeth and persevered, slowly wading into deeper water. When the water reached his waist, he finally adjusted to the temperature.

“Okay, I admit it, it feels really good,” George said, starting to swim slowly in the water. “It feels like I’m young again.”

For the next hour, the three of them swam and played in the lake. They played all sorts of water games: races to see who could swim the farthest, who could hold their breath underwater the longest, and classic water fights.

"Watch my cannonball dive!" Lynn climbed onto the dock and then jumped into the water in an exaggerated manner, splashing a huge spray.

“That’s nothing, watch this!” Gwen was not to be outdone. She climbed onto the dock and made an even more exaggerated move. As a result, she fell into the water almost flat, splashing water everywhere.

“Both of you are terrible divers,” George commented. “Let me demonstrate what a graceful dive looks like.”

George was a member of the swimming team in his youth and certainly had good technique. He walked onto the dock, did a standard diving preparation, and then gracefully plunged into the water, barely making a splash.

"Wow!" Lynn and Gwen clapped for George at the same time. "Dad, you're amazing!"

“Still going strong for his age,” George said proudly, then gave an exaggerated gentlemanly bow.

Just then, they heard some strange noises. A series of calls, sounding like animals, came from the opposite shore of the lake.

"What is that?" Gwen asked nervously.

All three stopped swimming and listened carefully to the sounds. Soon, they spotted the source of the noise: a flock of wild ducks foraging and playing in the shallow waters on the opposite bank of the lake.

“They’re wild ducks,” George said with a sigh of relief. “They were probably attracted by our noise.”

“They’re so cute,” Gwen exclaimed excitedly. “Can we swim over and take a look?”

“They’re too far away, and we shouldn’t disturb them,” Lynn said rationally. “We’ll just observe them quietly from here.”

They floated quietly in the water, observing the wild duck family in the distance. Several adult ducks were warily observing their surroundings, while the ducklings swam and foraged happily in the water.

“That’s the beauty of nature,” George said softly, “all kinds of creatures coexist harmoniously here.”

“It’s much better than in the city,” Lynn agreed. “There’s no noise, no pollution, just pure nature.”

After observing the wild ducks for a while, they continued swimming in the lake. But they soon discovered a small problem: they were starting to feel cold. Although the sun was warm, being in the cold water for a long time had caused their body temperature to drop considerably.

“I think we should get ashore,” Gwen said, shivering. “My lips are starting to turn purple.”

“I agree,” Lynn said, also feeling the cold. “We’ve been swimming for a long time.”

The three swam towards the shore, but encountered a small problem when they tried to climb onto the pier from the water. Because the pier was quite high and the surface was somewhat slippery, climbing up was more difficult than expected.

“Give me a hand,” Gwen reached out to Lynn, who had already reached the shore, for help.

Lynn reached out to pull Gwen, but because his hands were wet, Gwen's hand slipped from his grasp and she fell back into the water.

"Haha! Your hands are so slippery!" Gwen resurfaced from the water, laughing loudly.

“Try again, this time I’ll use both hands,” Lynn said.

This time they succeeded, and Gwen was pulled onto the dock. Then the two of them helped George get ashore.

“My God, I’m shaking all over,” George said after getting ashore. “We need to change into dry clothes quickly.”

“I’ll go get the towels,” Lynn said, running towards the cabin and quickly returning with three large towels.

They wrapped themselves in towels and quickly ran inside to change. The heating helped them regain their body temperature quickly.

“It was a bit cold, but it was definitely a great swimming experience,” Gwen said after changing. “I feel so energized.”

“Me too,” Lynn agreed, “and the water was so clear, it felt like taking a natural bath.”

“Now that we’re all sober, it’s time to start fishing,” George suggested. “After all, that’s the main reason we came here.”

But when they were preparing their fishing gear, they discovered an embarrassing problem: in their excitement of swimming, they forgot to check the expiration date of their fishing licenses.

“Let me see,” George said, rummaging through the documents. “The license. The license. Found it!”

He took out the license and examined it carefully, then his expression turned somewhat embarrassed.

“What’s wrong, Dad?” Gwen asked.

“The license expired yesterday,” George said, somewhat frustrated.

"What?" Lynn and Gwen exclaimed in unison.

“I forgot to check the expiration date,” George said remorsefully. “We can’t go fishing today.”

The three looked at each other, then suddenly burst into laughter.

“This is hilarious,” Gwen said with a laugh. “We came all this way to fish, and we can’t fish.”

“But this isn’t the end of the world,” Lynn said optimistically. “We can go to town tomorrow to reapply for the permit.”

“And we have plenty of other things to do today,” George rallied, “like hiking, having a barbecue, or just enjoying the tranquility of the lake.”

“Speaking of barbecue,” Gwen said, as if remembering something, “we brought a lot of food, so we can have a picnic by the lake.”

“Good idea,” Lynn agreed. “I was really hungry after swimming.”

They began preparing for their outdoor picnic. George was in charge of setting up the portable barbecue grill, Lynn was in charge of preparing the ingredients, and Gwen was in charge of arranging the picnic utensils.

“This barbecue grill looks rather complicated,” George said, studying the instruction manual. “It’ll take some time to figure it out.” (End of Chapter)