Charlie and Kim came up a couple of weeks ago and helped us put the party barge in the water. We don't have a hitch on either of our vehicles so we have to rely on the generosity of friends and relatives this year.
Char was the natural pick for us. He drives over the road so he knows how to back up big loads, and he also owns a pontoon. He was the go-to guy for this job! Thankfully he was able and willing to come up and help us. When you have a pro on your side everything looks easy. We got the motor running (luckily he brought his battery charger with him, 'cause my thirty year old trickle charger didn't do a thing!), we got the barge in the water and Dar did the christening with a box of wine. We decided that rule number one would be 'no glass on the dock or boat.'
The next weekend we took it out for a pleasure cruise and almost ended up like Gilligan. I shut off the engine while we tried our hand at fishing. When the wind started blowing us out to sea I tried to restart it. It was like trying to start a '67 Falcon on a cold winter morning. We didn't panic, but Dar and I gave each other some furtive glances. "Maybe it's flooded," Dar said. That was what we always used to say in the old days when cars had carburetors. So I let it sit for awhile, then tried it again. I was starting to get a little worried. We weren't going to get lost or anything, just blown to the other side of the lake and then we'd have to figure out how to get back. Call a tow-boat or something. Anyway, it started. A quick shared look of relief passed between us. I drove 'er home straight away and we fished from the dock. Dar caught the first fish -- the first Dam fish! -- so she won the quarter.
I caught the second fish which was much bigger. It was at least a half an inch longer. They were two tiny large mouth bass, but it was fun to catch them.
This weekend was a work weekend. I mowed the lawn -- again. It takes about two hours even with my rider. Dar washed all the windows. I hosed down the screens. It doesn't sound like a lot, but we were tired by the time we were done!
This was also a big critter weekend. As we drove up Friday night a deer ran in front of our car just before we got to the lake. We haven't seen many deer, although we've seen lots of tracks. We saw many new birds. The hummingbirds are loving the feeder by your front door. I think they may have a nest in the arbevita near the feeder. Their camouflage is perfect for that kind of tree.
We had Cedar Waxwings eating the blossoms off of our flowering crab tree. I didn't know they liked flowers!
There was an Oriole that came drinking from the hummingbird feeder, and, although we've heard them in the woods, we had a pileated woodpecker visit the trees on our lake shore. I think I also saw a fisher of some kind. It wasn't a King fisher, but it was definitely a small fish-eating bird. And most important of all, we found the first wood ticks of the season! Ooh, I itch just thinking about it.
Next time we go up we'll be preparing for the guest season. I think our first booking is Fran's Dam Birthday Party. It should be interesting, and fun, to have the whole family overnight!
