Mark Heithoff/ The Lake

Continuing: Summer in Minnesota inevitably involves a lake and a boat. For artist/ photographer Mark Heithoff, that combo is a temptation to professional voyeurism. "Boats look like floating living rooms to me," he has said. "When boats pass each other there are no curtains or walls or hedges. You look directly into each other's private spaces; stare at each other's intimate moments." For four years he peered into the lives of boaters on Lake Minnetonka, inviting them to perform for his camera or merely to allow him to capture those lazy, sun-drenched, relaxed times when friendships bloom and everyone feels like family. From his 1,500 photos of the lake and its denizens, Heithoff has picked 18 that get to the heart of the matter. It's a sweet toast to the best of Minnesota from a native son who now lives in New York. (11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, Burnet Gallery at Le Meridien Chambers Hotel, 901 Hennepin Av., Mpls. Free. Ends Sept. 8, 612-767-6900 or burnetgallery.com.)

Mary Abbe