lake vacation: One Last Look

In just one week we managed to take over 1,200 pictures and videos of our vacation at the lake.

If a single picture is worth a 1,000 words, can you imagine how many memories we made that week? And those are just the ones we captured! You would think that that would be enough, yet I find myself begging to go back. The week was so wonderful, I did not want it to end! But fortunately, I have a good life at home and I love it here too!

My final post I share with you on our "lake vacation" series is a bunch of randomness that are my favorites.

And here they are...

lake vacation: The Lake

One of the things I enjoy about the lake is the changes it takes on throughout the day.

In the early morning, it's so calm and quiet. The only movement on the lake's water is a family of ducks slowly swimming past the dock, a single skier perfecting his tricks on the smooth, glassy water, and a couple of fishermen patiently waiting to real in their next big catch.

In just a few hours, the lake transforms into a place full of energy and life. Several boats whiz up and down, rocking the water's surface. You can hear the distant sounds of people's excited shrills as they bounce over waves in their tube, being pulled behind a boat. A cluster of Canadian geese fly overhead and you can smell the neighbor's barbecue being fired up.

Then by night, the lake has returned to its stillness again. The white glow of the moon reflects across the water's black surface. Boats move slow and the only part visible is their tiny antenna lights. The air is cooling off and the hot crackling fire is mesmerizing.

I swear, it's a little piece of Heaven on Earth!

Grandma Sue loved sitting on the deck early in the morning, sipping a warm cup of coffee, and reading a book. I heard her say, "A vacation at the lake is the only vacation where I wake up earlier than I do for work."

I, myself, don't have a work schedule, but I do have a 'Cayman' schedule, which means no sleeping in most mornings. But while on this vacation, I didn't mind! It was rewarding waking up early to experience the sunrises across the lake.

Feast your eyes on just one of the many places God paints His imagination.

SunRises

........................................................

SunSets

lake vacation: Camp Fire

Roasted Hot Dogs.
Smores. Marshmallows.
Flour. Jenga Fire. Smoke.
Sparklers. Jumping.
Fireflies.

One evening, our friends Kevin and Barb, and their two kids (adult kids that is) stopped by for a visit.
(You might remember Kevin and Barb from this past post. They have taken us out on their boat a few times.)

lake vacation: Swimming

At the far end of the lake there is a quiet cove, waiting for new cottages to find their home on its grounds.


Boats and jet skiis are not permitted to drive fast through this area, so it makes it perfect for safe swimming.

"O-H-I-O"
Sidney and I had life jackets on, so while we could hold up our "O" and "H" all day, Sam and Tyson kept sinking in the deep lake.
(see below)

A fossil

There's a lot of fish in the cove.
Tyson went "fishing" with a red, plastic cup and his lightning speed reflexes.

The girls were absolutely ecstatic when he caught a fish.
Sidney came running back to the boat to show us his "big" catch.

Here is Tyson's "big" catch.
What's that, you don't see anything?
Click on the picture to view it larger.

lake vacation: Lake Action

We rented a boat for the week because you can't get the whole lake experience without some lake action.

Here's Our Lake Action Captured

Aunt Cara and Sidney


Mike skiing


Grandpa Mark, CeCe, and Aunt Cara watching Aunt Sam knee board, or it was more like body board.


Uncle Tyson's wipe out...(one of them).


Grandma Sue is adventurous.
She loves tubing, roller coasters, and the thought of sky diving.
Her action on the lake was cut short though when she hurt her rib leaning over the side of the boat to pull in the knee board.


Aunt Sam and Sidney.
Thumbs up means "go faster" and thumbs down down means "go slower".
Aunt Sam liked it slower and Sidney just couldn't get enough speed.


A family picture.
Uncle Mark skiing, Aunt Cara, CeCe, and Sidney in the tube.
We had to snap some pictures quickly before CeCe freaked out. Tubing was not her favorite.


This picture captured the girls' opinions of their tube action perfectly.
CeCe had enough and Sidney could go on forever.


Sidney


Aunt Sam and Sidney on the left. Mike on the right.


CeCe was much more content riding in the boat.


Uncle Mark and Uncle Tyson dual skiing.

Cayman got some lake action too.
If you look close, you can see Cayman's hands up in the air.
(click on the picture to view it full size)
She loved it!!

Cayman was so content on the lake that she even took a few afternoon naps on the boat.

Look at how long she is getting.


My last and final lake action I share with you is a video of Uncle Tyson and Mike tubing.

Tyson wipes out...
Mike's tube runs over him...
Tyson skips across the water twice before plunging into the lake...
And CeCe's adorable voice calls out, "Tyson, are you alright?"
And he was.

Happy Birthday today to my niece Sidney!

lake vacation: The Cottage

Last week, we vacationed with Mike's family at a lake cottage. It was a little piece of Heaven on Earth.

The Stamm Family, plus Tyson (my brother) who joined us later in the week.

This is the cottage we rented for the week.

Standing on the dock, this is the view of the cottage.

And here's the view of the cottage from the lake.

The best part of the cottage is the view of the lake.

I love the open floor plan of the cottage. Whether someone was cooking, eating at the dining table, or watching TV on the couch, we were all together, enjoying the marvelous view of the lake (see the picture below).

We had a completely wonderful time at the lake. I am excited to share more pictures and stories with you this week.

Break Time

I am taking a break.

No appointments...

No email...

No facebook...

No blogging...

for a whole week!

If you need me, here's a hint as to where you can find me...