Four women in vintage swimsuits glide hand-in-hand across the shimmering blue surface of Big Star Lake near Baldwin, Michigan — arms raised, faces bright with summer joy — in one of the most ebullient water-skiing group shots to grace a chrome-era postcard. The image radiates the mid-century Michigan resort culture of Lake County, a region that drew Midwestern vacationers to its chain of pristine inland lakes every July. This card was actually mailed on July 14, 1966, postmarked Baldwin, MI, bearing a 4-cent Lincoln stamp; the writer — signing off as Ethel — apologizes for not writing sooner and notes the beautiful lake is just too nice to come indoors.