Family Time On The Lake- Summer 2017

                                                               August 5, 2017

I'm doing dishes and looking out my window, and I see this scene. Mom is talking to Joe with this napkin over her eyes. Anyone who knows my mom, knows she wears a visor a lot. I guess she didn't what to interrupt their conversation and get up to go inside to get it, so she just improvised.

Tiffany and family left Gulf Shores, AL. around 6 pm the 4th of August and stopped at Bowling Green, KY for the night.

Dinner at Culver's was a favorite for Lennox..

Tiffany, Blake and Lennox (our grandson) arrived the next day early. They drove from Gulf Shores, AL. to our place in about 19 hours with the one night stay in a hotel. When Joe and I make the trip, we stay in a hotel for 3 nights.

Joe gets all the waters toys blown up for the week.

                                                                   August 6, 2017

Tiffany and her family enjoying the lake, water toys, and our new kayaks while waiting for the rest of the family.

The weather this summer was a much cooler, making the water temps a little cooler too. Last summer the water temps reached 79 degrees.This year only 74 degrees.

Most of the days the family was here, we had sun and mid to high 70's.

Ideal weather to be on and in the water is mid 80's. Lennnox fishes while waiting for his cousin's to arrive.

We set up our orange cone's to let the crazy drivers know we had company this week. We had seen other neighbors do the same thing. A few days later, we had the sheriff stop and tell us he had complaints about the cones. He told me he didn't care, but if someone hit them, they could take us to court and we would be liable for damages. He told us we needed to move the  cones off the road, onto the grass, to avoid complainer and being taken to court. He agreed that he gets calls all the time of speeders on our road and understood our concern. About 5 minutes later we saw him give a person a ticket for speeding. It was his way of showing us he understood our blight.

Early afternoon, our other daughter arrived with her family.

Our new dock and patio became a big hit. And the corner piece and other ladder were used all the time. Joe had asked the sales person what purpose the corner pieces served. He told us it enlarge the patio and kept kids from jumping from dock to dock. Yep, glad I got it, even though a bit pricey!

This was the first time our oldest granddaughter Hayleah, made it to our lake home. With her being in collage and working in the summer, it is hard for her to get time off. The time she does get off, she needs to see her dad in Minnesota.

Of course, boys will be boys, and there was a lot of shoving each other in the water.

Our little fish, Madalena, was a bit reluctant at first this year. Last year she was in the water right away. I think she forgot about being here the year before.

The island pod is always fun, but the adults seemed to favor the patio more. Probably because the water was a bit cooler.

But Jamie (Alisha's husband) seemed to enjoy the water. This was  Jamie's first time to the family lake home too. Last summer he couldn't get away because of his job.

Alisha and my mom. Most the time mom had a jacket or a sweatshirt on. And of course she had her visor on too!

Noah doing a flip. I don't think he had ever done this before. I think he just decided to give it a try. Great flip for the first time.

We drug out chairs from the shed onto the patio everyday.

 I though for sure mom would not feel safe in a non anchored down chair and would prefer the bench, but she did just fine with the chairs.

My mom  gets smaller and smaller every time I see her.

I stayed home to make some potato salad as some of the family went for a sunset cruise. Oh look mom has a new visor I've never seen before.

We can only fit 8 on our boat and there were 11 of us, so some have to stay at home!

The family shared picture with me and when I saw these, I thought why don't the kids have their other life jackets on?

Alisha and her son Noah.

I decided someone forgot to tell the kids to get their life jackets out of the shed, so they had to use the reserved jackets kept in the boat instead.

I guess Lennox liked the ride!

The  next morning at the breakfast table.

The kids had been bugging us the day before to go tubing, but because they arrived in the afternoon their parents just wanted to chill for a day.

 But right after lunch, it was time to tube, the kids had waited long enough. Hayleah and Maddie ready to rock and roll!

                                                                         

They went tubing in the afternoon and again early evening.

Hayleah with the boys.

If they had it their way, they would tube all day every day. Love Lennox's boating hair!

Our beautiful daughter's Tiffany and Alisha.

Alisha photo bombing Hayleah. Also a great picture to show the water clarity of up north lake waters.

Tiff's husband, Blake enjoying the tubing couch on the dock. Blake couldn't come last summer because of work. Since then he has became a realtor and can call his own hours.

A Bloody Mary Alisha made. Some how I wasn't offered one!

                                          TO BE CONTINUED.........................................................................