In 1948, twenty-one-year-old Shannon Lyons immigrated to America, and was hired as a waitress at The Crater Lake National Park Lodge in Oregon. That same summer, an Italian bus boy, Johnny Marino, is returning for his third summer. It takes some time for Johnny to work up the nerve to ask the beautiful new waitress out on a date. A few dates, hikes, and picnics later, the two are celebrating Shannon’s birthday and take a sunset drive to see Phantom Ship “So, how did The Phantom Ship get its name?” Shannon asked. “It must have something to do with pirates.” “They say that on foggy days, it’s often mistaken for an old ghost ship; with its pointed bow and tall rock steeples that resemble sailing masts.” Shannon glanced out at the small island in the lake. “Yeah, I can see that now that you mention it. I’m sure glad all of this was preserved as a national park. I’d hate for it all to be developed one day.” “You can thank a man named Will Steel for that. Steel led a seventeen-year crusade to establish Crater Lake as America’s sixth national park. President Theodore Roosevelt signed it into law in 1902.” “I’m very thankful to Will and the President,” Shannon replied. Johnny turned to face Shannon. Gazing into her deep green eyes, he said, “So am I, or I wouldn’t be here with you right now by this beautiful lake, wanting to kiss you so bad I can hardly stand it.” Shannon glanced back at Johnny. “Are you saying you want to kiss me?” “Yes. Quite badly.” “Then, why don’t you?” “I was just making sure that you wanted me to kiss you before I tried and found out you didn’t really want me to. I would feel really bad then and I might just jump off this cliff into the crater. That’s why I thought I’d better make sure first.” Shannon took one step closer to Johnny. “Please don’t jump, Johnny. Just kiss me.” Everyone has one summer in their life that stands out above the rest. For Johnny and Shannon, the summer of 1948 was one of those summers~