Postcards from the Lake -- My Happy Place, Late July

Another postcard from the lake, where we are having a glorious summer!

But first, Rick had his 60th birthday back a week or so ago. We celebrated all day, starting with breakfast in the morning down to a party at night. I'm so glad he's finally in my decade!

After all that, we took off for the lake. Of course! It was the start of a great few days that began with his distant cousin's visit. After a lovely dinner, we took off to check out the elk and fallow deer that live in the preserve near -- wait for it! Near the Gaylord Elks Lodge!



This really is a little hidden gem and its fun to watch families come with their kids. At dusk, in particular, the elk and deer move forward. I don't think anyone's sticking their hand in to pet them, but with a good zoom and a lens that shoots through the fence, one can get plenty of good pix!

 

They took off the next day. Barbara headed on her journey and my fabulous biker-boy hit the road on his bike for a three-day bike-camp ride.This was his final training run. This week he heads from Lansing, Michigan to Ottawa, Ontario -- and he's not taking the direct route, but going far north and through Algonquin Provincial Park.I'll meet up with him in Toronto after a visit with my friend Suzanne in London.

Anyway, he was loaded with gear! And the weather was perfect!

                                  

For me, the rest of the weekend included eating about nine pounds of cherries (OK -- a slight exaggeration! But it was more than a few!)

Lots of art of course. I fixed up Lizzie's face from the photo I showed HERE. It's very subtle but she has a bit of calico (a very little bit of an orange undercoat) and some by her eyes. It's amazing how much better that slight bit around the eyes and face improved the overall picture.

And did another version of my "cat in the window," along with the boxes I showed you in the last post. (Actually, I've added to this one since I took the photo, too!)

My cousin Mark brought his bride Katie to the lake. OK, they were married in October, so she's not a blushing bride anymore, but I figure she still has a few more months of that title in her! It was good to see the next generation enjoying the cottage!

And of course I weeded the beach. My neighbor rototilled the massive amount of weeds out, but it's a daily chore just to keep up with it! Still, it's a large, lovely beach and worth the effort!

Quiet, lovely mornings.

Warm, sunny afternoons. Hours of swimming in the lake, putzing around the house, finishing another three books.

Life is good. And art camp with Kate is coming right up!

(Thanks for hanging with me this summer as I've done my best to keep up on your blogs but am slow to the party! Lack of 24/7 Internet means I actually do some productive things off the computer!)

For those of you following Rick's road trip, see brief updates on the right sidebar of the blog! He's having trouble with his blog, auto-correct, and such but is grateful for everyone's support. He's also having a fabulous time!