[singlepic id=35 w=320 h=240 float=left]It was quite nice having Mary down for the weekend. She caught this picture of her Rottweiler enjoying the lake in her own inimitable fashion. This is exactly how I feel when I play in the water, too!
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The VandenBosches had their usual big Fourth of July bash. I’m sure it was a hit as always. I’m also certain that the Pittsburgh fireworks were again the best in the nation this year. I would love to have been at my uncle’s dad’s 100th Birthday with most of my family. But this was our first year at our new place on the lake, so we went out on our pontoon boat with a few friends (and Sherry for our own Friends and Family Plan). The fireworks over the lake were pleasant but not spectacular. About what one would expect for a little community like ours. What really made it special was Brady and Ashlyn (8 and 7 respectively) making comments like, “Isn’t this wonderful?” “What could be more wonderful than this?” “Maybe riding in a hot air balloon.” “I don’t like to be too high.” “Maybe five thousand ice cream cones.” May we all keep our sense of wonder. I found it easier to do by sharing the experience with children. Happy Independence Day. (Thanks again to Sherry for providing the pictures.)
We enjoyed another beautiful weekend on the lake. Rather than putting the ski boat in the water, I decided to try skiing behind the pontoon boat. As you can see, the only positive result from my first few attempts was the production of laughter from the crew. But we did eventually succeed. The wake was soft and low. It was quite pleasant to ski behind. There was not enough hole shot to try getting up on one ski. When I tried to kick off my ski on the first run, I caught a tip and twisted my back, so I just stuck with two skis. Joy did a great job of driving and our event photographer, Sherry caught all the action. Moku took his customary at-speed position as our hood ornament. Sherry caught a great picture of him luxuriating in the wind through his fur. Joy and Sherry recuperated from all their laughing by floating off the dock and chilling out for a bit. The only way this could be more fun would be for more of you to be there!
Thursday night we stayed with Sherry in Richmond (thanks, Sis). The thought was that our drive in to see Mary on Friday would be leisurely and leave us time for a stop at IKEA. VDOT thought Friday would be a nice day for construction. We had all the time in the world to appreciate their ability to close off a lane.
Upon reaching Mary’s in Alexandria, there was no way we were going to go back out in that traffic to get to IKEA. We opted to go see Pelham 123 instead. Not a great movie, but very enjoyable. If you had any doubts, yes, Denzel Washington can act. Mary, Joy, and I all gave it a thumbs up.
We then went to Mango Mike’s for dinner. Great food and decor. Lava stones, tikis, large aquariums, pleasant staff, and a wealth of delectable looking menu options tell me I want to try this place again. I’d love to come for a Sunday brunch when the steel drum band is playing. Somehow Mary dodged the whole picture taking thing, but believe me when I say that she was as beautiful as ever.
Spring left North Carolina sizzling. It was hot and steamy at Lake Royale this weekend. Sherry dropped in for the weekend with some great food, including a yummy pasta sauce with shredded pork in place of meat balls. Joy displayed flags and bunting for Flag Day yesterday. When we tired of napping, we poked around various coves, some of which we were exploring for the first time. New Boat is very maneuverable. Thanks to its ability to squeeze into tight spaces, we saw our first Green Heron on the lake. There are plenty of Blue Herons, but the colorful and smaller Green Heron had eluded us until yesterday.
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It took a couple of weeks, but Old Blue Pontoon has been replaced. Thursday night we stayed with Sherry in Richmond so that we could beat the morning rush over the Wilson Bridge in Alexandria (thanks for the tip, Mary). There is a nice little Italian place there called Vinny’s (not part of the California chain). Chesterfield has two of my favorite restaurants. (The other one is on the reservoir waterfront.) Maybe when we retire we’ll just move in with Sherry!
The rain was coming down with authority when we drove up to Hanover, Maryland to pick up our boat. Although we arrived when they opened the door we didn’t finish delivery until about 10:30. The fellow that walked us through the care and feeding of our boat was, thankfully, very thorough. It is very hard to believe that this modern boat with its large pontoons and four-stroke low-emissions motor is a pontoon boat “like” Old Blue. Virtually everything from the operation of the throttle to the maintenance of the engine is different.
not before showing us that a pontoon boat was really fun for everyone from the those toddling because they were learning to walk to those toddling because they needed help from their cane. Our new boat preserves the bow platform of Old Blue, but we got bigger pontoons, a canvas bimini, and a 4 stroke engine.
The bigger pontoons should keep us more stable in rough weekend chop (per my brother’s advice). The canvas bimini will be less top-heavy than our metal roof. The 4-stroke should be quieter. I have enough trouble hearing conversations in the living room. The bottom line was that we wanted a boat that was safe and fun for all ages and easy for us to handle and use. We got the 60 hp Mercury Big Foot. We’re hoping to take some tykes tubing with their family able to ride along. Without further ado, here are some pics of the new family member. Read more…
Old Town Alexandria we can’t wait to come back. We went up to visit Mary and she gave us a very custom tour of Old Town Alexandria. We started out from her apartment and passed many historic townhomes before reaching our first destination. We were especially charmed by the occasional cobblestone street and peeks of the waterfront.
We voted this to be the best Farmer’s Market to which we’ve ever been – which is saying a lot. The produce was fresh and varied, the people watching fun, and we found a piece of art (signed numbered print) that captured the magic of Alexandria so well that we just up and bought it. (However, that turned out not to be the biggest purchase of the day.) The original was a painting done as a wedding present. It placed various restaurants and locales around Alexandria all on the same street. Each spot had a special meaning to the wedding couple. For example, Eve’s restaurant in the foreground was where they had their first date.
It was another great day on the lake. Surrounded by a few less than thirty of our closest friends, we celebrated Memorial Day on Saturday. The cuisine was simple: dogs, brats, and burgers with some really tasty side dishes. (Thanks Cheryl for running the grill.) The kids spent the day tubing behind the old ski boat, jumping off the pontoon boat onto free floating tubes, rowing the row boat, picking mussels, and, yes, throwing mud. Only one boo-boo and that was immediately cured with mommy kisses. For those who couldn’t be with us, we missed you. For those who were there, we hope you had as much fun as we did. Thanks to Sherry for her photographs and all around pitching in.
THIS IS A WATER DOG. It was so much fun having my daughter at the lake. She brought her two dogs. The Rottweiler, Madison, would run back and forth splashing the water and then biting the splashes. She did this even as she went under the dock. The Boxer, Faith, chased her on land. Faith would jump in beside the dock then up on the dock then down again the other side. Madison would keep going until she was so exhausted she could barely get out of the water. They were such a hoot. Check out the video for yourself. Boy, I wish I’d had the camera in focus for this.
