Last Of The Lake Days

The last summer holiday weekend.  We had a quiet weekend at the lake, just the two of us. Everyone was busy with other plans this year. Jessica was having a lake weekend elsewhere. Mommy and her family had city fun that included a trip to a puppet museum. Baby Girl starts preschool tomorrow. Her very first day. A long trip home and back was too much to add to their weekend.

So Daddy-O and I did what old people do. We read, napped, watched the kids across the cove invent their own ninja water games, I knitted, he fished, and of course, we ate. The most fun meal was the day we took the boat to a little lakeside restaurant for excellent burgers.

Now, the lake houses across from us are large and beautiful and landscaped. They are all relatively new, as that land was owned by a paper company for years and years. While they have the fancier houses, those of us on the "vintage" side (our lake house was built as a fishing cabin over 50 years ago) get the glorious sunrises to enjoy. And, even better, we get the afternoon shade. I'll take a shady seat on the pier over a newer house any day. Didn't someone just tell me that "scruffy" is in style now? Then we are very stylish.

The boat traffic starts winding down this weekend. The fishermen will be out all year 'round, but it's time for the recreational boaters to think about taking their boats out of the lake for the year. We enjoyed being out on the water when the temperature wasn't hovering near 100 degrees for a change, though. The weather is perfect now and it's time to stop.

I never get tired of photographing the lake. I am often out early in the morning in my pajamas before the sun is fully up, looking for yet one more way to make it look interesting. A view I haven't noticed. This morning, I found my version of 50 shades of gray.

And when you're up this early, you get to see the lake when it's mirror smooth. That never lasts long, so I admire it while I can. Within minutes a boat will go by. The wind will blow. And this mirror surface is gone for the day.

And just a few minutes later, the sun tops the trees. That means it's time for me to head to the porch and get coffee. And today when this photo was made, it also meant it was time to pack up and head home. Daddy-O is already on a tractor in the hay field this morning. It's a busy time of year on the farm, so we were glad for a weekend get-away.

Our trips to the lake will be less frequent now. We always say we'll come down more in the fall. We'll clean out the refrigerator and the pantry shelves before winter. And maybe this year we will. But that often never happens. This is where summer ends.

Like the birds who know it's time to fly south, we know that the seasons are changing and our schedules will do likewise. But THIS year, maybe we will get back at least for another visit or two, when sitting on the pier requires a jacket. And we will take hot chocolate out with us. Stay tuned to see if that happens this year.

Happy Labor Day!