June on Dam Lake

Someone mentioned the other day that we had a lot of hubris calling our new place the 'Dam Cabin.' Maybe hubris isn't quite the right word. Maybe 'ballsy' would be better - less prideful, more cheeky. But then the lightbulb went on and they had one of those Homer Simpson slap-yourself-on-the-forehead epiphanies. Oh, it's a cabin on Dam Lake. That's why you call it the Dam Cabin. Oh I get it now! I forget that not everyone has been with us since the beginning of this journey, and I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression. We love our Dam cabin and wish we could spend more time up there. Dam Cabin is a term of endearment, not an epithet

We drove up last weekend through a downpour. At times we couldn't see ten feet in front of the car. We were a little worried that the lakeshore road would be impassable, but it wasn't bad at all; muddy, but driveable. We were going to drive up earlier in the day, but changed our plans when we got the phone call from the hospital. It's a girl!

Our first grandchild, Audrey Neal was born at 3:45 pm last Thursday, so we changed our plans and drove down to the hospital to visit her instead. What a blessing!

We drove up Thursday night so we could get a full day of work in on Friday. Good planning on our part because we needed the time. Both Friday and Saturday were long work days. We got the windows fixed, did a lot of work on the lawn and grounds, and spent some time in the lake trying to do something with the weeds. Friday was a good work day; not too hot with cloudy skies but no rain. Saturday was a perfect up-at-the-lake day. It was sunny and warm. You almost had to be in the water to keep cool. I think controlling the weeds will have to be a work in progress. The bottom is hard sand, but on top of that is a two or three inch layer of detritus. When you rake it it billows up and then settles back down again. We'll have to do some research on that. I wonder if it can be removed? If you don't stir it up too much the water is very clear and clean.

Last weekend was also the weekend of the turtles. The roadsides are full of dead turtle roadkill, and we had at least three large turtles up on the lawn laying their eggs. I wonder what the gestation period is for a turtle egg?


This weekend is Grandma Fran's Dam Birthday Party, so we're going up tomorrow to start preparing. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. I think the plan is for 18 people. That should be interesting!

May on Dam Lake

We've been up to the cabin a couple of times since the last entry. Lot's to do here at home getting ready for school to end, so I haven't had much time to work on this.

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!