Lake Effect

Tim has finally been indoctrinated into lake life, thanks to a weekend at the Pryors' place on Lake Martin. We had spectacularly perfect summer weather and proceeded to spend all day Saturday and much of Sunday living the good life. As much as the kids and I had talked up "the lake house" (and watching Danny bounce around the house Saturday morning before we left, chanting "lake house" and packing his suitcase should have been a big indicator of what was to come), Tim admitted that seeing was believing.


I really can't say enough for Jen and Dave's hospitality. It's the best blend of "c'mon, let's go" and "we're here to relax and have a good time" that is the recipe for a perfect summer weekend without a care in the world. Their lake house is gorgeous, their boat is awesome, and they have an entire refrigerator devoted exclusively to beer. Yeah, I know you wish you knew them, too.


On the ride home, while Danny was passed out, I asked Clare what was her favorite part about the weekend. "BOATING!" That was true for me, and I'm pretty sure for Tim and Danny, too. I really could have ridden around on the lake in the boat all day. After our arrival on Saturday, we packed a lunch and headed out for a beach. On the way we passed a conglomeration of boats gathering for Aquapalooza. They were expecting 1,000 boats or so for an outdoor festival featuring Kid Rock, Jimmy Buffett and Alan Jackson, among others. Wow. It was interesting to see, but not exactly our scene.

We passed the early afternoon at a great beach where we swam and ate and explored, and then we went back to the lake house. The kids went inside to chill out, but we adults stayed out by the dock. It was marvelous - other than one modest request for goldfish, the kids kept to themselves and so we swam, tried our hand at the neighbors' rope swing and lazed in the sun for hours, almost as if we weren't even parents. Ahhhh.


Eventually we made our way inside to reclaim responsibilities, and after dinner we made s'mores around the campfire and then went for a nighttime boat ride in search of the "green monster," (green lights several residents put beneath their docks to attract fish and the like). It was a totally different and very cool perspective to see the lake and the houses at night. Really, I just can't get enough of the boat!



Sunday morning we essentially did more of the same, boating to a different beach and then drifting in the waves while the kids jumped with glee and abandon (see above). So much fun and so much sunshine eventually wears you down, so we had to pack our bags and head home before Danny had a total meltdown...but hopefully we'll be back for more. Until then, though, we're off to Buffalo tomorrow, so let the travelogue continue!