Postcards from the Lake: Life at the Lake

It doesn't always go to plan.

If you click over to my July 4 post on Modern Creative Life you saw how we generally spend our July 4 holiday. But this year was just weird. Not bad weird. Just different.

I came north on Friday, the trunk of the car loaded down with my basil, rosemary, dill, cilantro, pansies and petunias, along with Lizzie's cat grass (thanks, Deb!) and catnip, which in our household is called "Gyp Nip." Lizzie was in front with cut hydrangeas and sweet peas and the back seat was so full I couldn't pack another thing!

After settling in, I waited for Rick, who cycled up over two days and arrived on Saturday, just in time to cook out and settle in for the fireworks.

Yes, the fireworks were on July 1. OK, it was a Saturday. More people are at the lake on Saturday. But it's so early!

That didn't stop them, though, from having the best fireworks in years. Last year, to be honest, was quite a dud in the Otsego fireworks annals. I think they blew off the finale first and it was downhill from there.

No such problem this time. This batch was good from start to finish and as the crowds watched in their boats and on shore, they all had a jolly good time!

It didn't take long to settle in, though! Lots to do -- pine needles to rake (and rake and rake) and a beach to weed (and weed and weed). Only minor complaints on that front (and sore shoulders!). I'm lucky to have a beach to weed that is steps away from the porch.

We've had our fun, even if the fireworks were early. Our friends Linda and Dan joined us for dinner one night. Linda brought the best taco salad ever and when I figure out how to duplicate it, I'll share!

Now, as I mentioned in the other post, our July 4 activities usually include a parade and picnic in a little town about 50 miles away. Rick bikes and I meet him there. But this time, the biking roads were pretty bad so we skipped that option.

Instead he rode to a very (and I do mean very) remote campground around 30 miles out and we picnicked there. (It appeared someone else had the same idea!)

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. We may have missed the floats, candy tossing and flag waving but we did indeed have a wonderful time!

Friends Kate and Mike joined us for lunch as they journeyed home on Wednesday. Always fun to have friends come by, especially the ones that feel like family.

Rick's been practicing hard on his guitar -- a new piece by Giorgio Mirto, who came to visit us last March.

Then friends Joe and Jeaneen came to visit. A wonderful time -- and that piece Rick was working on -- a duet with clarinet -- came to life with loads of practice between Rick and Joe. And when they weren't playing, we had more than a few good times and great conversations!

I've read two books so far, a wonderful mystery by Jill Paton Walsh called "The Wyndham Case" with an intriguing female detective (well, actually, she's a nurse at a college in Cambridge) and a book called "At Home with the Queen." You'd love or hate this one. Brian Hoey, the author, tells us in detail what every single person who works for the Queen does -- duties from footman to gallery coordinator to dresser to secretary to gamekeeper to Lord Chamberlain to Keeper of the Privy Purse.

Now, I love the royals and I'm fascinated by the whole Upstairs/Downstairs thing. It's a really interesting book but it might just be a tad too detailed! You'll learn why the Queen likes round ice cubes, the reason why the maids have to vacuum walking backwards, and little tidbits (like how if Charles wants to talk to his mother, he has to send the Queen a written note to her Page of the Backstairs. It's both intriguing and a tad disillusioning!

And I've painted a bit -- mostly just some cards.

And, inspired by Sketchbook Wandering's journal pages, a very fast line drawing of my view of the lake in ink, then watercolored in.

 
And for those who care, it's cherry season! Get those sweet cherries while you can!

Fun to check in here and with you as I can! Enjoy July!