another day, another lake...

I have been to more lakes in the last three day than I have in the last three years or so.  Two. Today was the second of our two lakes to visit on this long weekend.  This time it was Lake James.  I have no great affinity for Lake James but the two friends who were with us have a long history there, beginning with their first date. Believe me that was a long time ago.  We toured the Pokagon Lodge where they had stayed many times, took a short hike through the woods and finished up with a two-hour tour by boat around the lake.  My Wonder Spouse set this up and it was excellent.  Kudos to him also for the care he took to get us as close as possible to our various destinations because one of my friends has a hard time walking very far.  But about the boat tour, our captain, Captain Cook, had an amazing knowledge of the history of the lake.  He told us about the early German Lutherans from Fort Wayne who came by train on summer weekends to spend time at Lake James, showed us some of the earliest cottages, and lots of the fabulous new cottages,  He showed us Chuck Surack's cottage and we saw him flying in in his helicopter.  We saw so many fabulous "cottages" that I lost count.  We learned that Jimmerson Lake, was probably misnamed.  The survey map of that lake was signed James & Son, but was misread as Jimmerson.  Too many flourishes I guess.  Snow Lake, another part of the whole, was so named because of the abundance of Cottonwood Trees that used to grow there.  And so it went.  Lots and lots of fun facts mixed with a beautiful day on the water.

This is my favorite picture.  An amazing, but not very old castle owned by a man with a very good sense of humor.  People have 'invaded' his castle wearing aluminum foil armor and used it as a site for a scavenger hunt, among other things.  

Play ball!!!!

 It was a perfect night for a ball game.  Not too hot, not too humid, but no need for a jacket.  My spouse and I went with two friends and one brother to a Tin Caps game this evening and it did not disappoint.  True the Tin Caps lost but they came back from a 0-6 score in the 6th inning to score 4 runs in one inning and end up with a final score of   5-7. During the 7yh inning stretch we all stood up and sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" with gusto. Of course we all wish they had won but it was a very exciting game.  My spouse's brother had never been to a Tin Caps game and he thoroughly enjoyed it.  After the game was over we had a glorious fireworks display.  From the excellent solo of the "Star Spangled Banner" to the last flicker of fireworks, it was a very satisfying evening.  And yes, the mint chocolate chip ice cream added to the festivities.

the lake...

 The holiday fun continues.  It is a great Indiana tradition to go to "the lake" during the summer.  It really doesn't matter which lake.  If you tell a friend you're going to the lake they may ask which lake or just assume it's somewhere north of here and wish you a good time.  Today was our turn.  My spouse and I went to the lake, in this case Lake Wawasee, to visit with his son and family.  It was everything a day at the lake should be.  We started our drive in the pouring rain but by the time we turned off Hwy 30 the rain was tapering off and just as we got to our destination the rain quit, the clouds parted and the sun came out.  Just like a Disney movie.  We enjoyed the requisite boat ride, fast and choppy and great fun.  Then back on land, filled up on snacks and liquid refreshments of various kinds.  We had plenty of time to catch up on everyone's recent activities, discuss the state of the world and politics (all very friendly) watch the littlest grand splash in the lake with friends while we talked with her older brothers about their future plans.  Then dinner which consisted of everything that a lake supper should include: steaks grilled to perfection, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, rolls with butter, salad and finally lemon ice cream pie.  I must get the recipe for that. Wine, or beer, followed as we moved back outside.  We sat on the deck, quietly digesting, enjoying more conversation while watching the boats go by, the flags fluttering in the breeze on boats and docks, dogs and their people strolling by, and just generally reveling in what a great day it had been.  Many thanks to the five of you who made it such a perfect day.  You know who you are.

I love a parade....

 Happy Independence Day everyone.  I am blogging early today because I plan to watch some local fireworks this evening.  So far my day is off to a good start.  I braved the crowd at Kroger to buy everything I need to make my famous fruit salad (well, famous to a few people anyway), to be shared at two events on the 5th and 6th.  But well before that, even before breakfast (we tend to be brunch people) my spouse and I took a walk around the block to see the annual neighborhood 4th of July parade.  Not quite as impressive as it sounds, but still fun. 

It was a relatively cool morning and everyone seemed to be having a good time.  Enjoy the rest of your day.  

sales are booming

....With all the complaints about cost of living increases, people still seem to be buying lots of fireworks.  At least in our neighborhood. Today, according to my west coast brother, is 'American Redneck Day' and also 'National Independent Beer Run Day.'  Please understand, I'm not disparaging rednecks.  I come from a long line of men who worked outside in the blazing sun and definitely had red necks.  I'm not sure what independent beer is but it does seem appropriate to stock up on it for Independence Day.  Coincidentally, my spouse and I saw what I think were some rednecks getting ready for tomorrow.  We were driving through a parking lot when we had to stop for a bit to make way for three gentlemen (I'm not saying they were rednecks, but they were wearing flannel shirts) pushing three shopping carts full to overflowing with fireworks across the lot from the fireworks store.  They proceeded to load all of this bounty in their pickup, after which we could proceed on our way.  I'm not sure where their fireworks ended up, but, based on the noise around here this evening, they may have followed us home.  Enjoy your 4th everybody. 

a remembered taste

 Today is "National Anisette Day."  I really appreciate that my west coast brother searches for these nifty bits of information.  I have a two-part history with anisette, or anise as it's more commonly called in the US.  Anisette is the Italian word.  First the disaster.  When I was in eighth grade our teacher brought a treat for Valentine's Day.  His wife had made a large sheet of hard red anise candy in the shape of a heart.  We were all excitedly looking forward to sharing in the treat. She had made one for us the year before so we knew it was delicious.  Keep in mind that I was 12 going on klutzy.  At one point in the day, before the candy was shared, I walked up to the teacher's desk, I don't remember why, and bumped against the candy in its pretty heart shaped pan.  The pan and candy went flying off the desk and onto the floor where it shattered into a bazillion shards.  At that point my face was as red as the candy.  Our long suffering teacher (who was also the principal, church organist and choir director) took a deep calming breath (his restraint was admirable) and told me to go get a broom and sweep it up.  Which I did of course.  Could anything be more embarrassing?

On a much happier note, when I got to college I roomed for three years with a great roommate.  She was great for many reasons.  This is just one of them.  Each year as Christmas and finals were approaching, her mother would send us a large tin of anise cookies.  They were wonderful.  Pressed into thick square shapes, almost jawbreaker hard, as anise cookies should be, and absolutely delicious.  The real benefit of these cookies was that you had to nibble at them so slowly that one or two would last each of us through a whole evening of studying.  Later in life I was given some so-called anise cookies but they just weren't the same.  The flavor was ok, but they were soft and not nearly as satisfying as those college cookies.  Ah well, maybe it's better for my teeth this way.

television tales

 Today is "National Television Heritage Day" according to my west coast brother.  It seems to me he should be getting special treatment today. He got his training in the Air Force and has been involved in television broadcasting for almost 50 years.  Alas, he tells me he had to go to work anyway.  So sad.  But the topic did stir up memories for me.  My aunt and uncle, who lived a mile down the road from us, had the first television I ever saw.  We spent a lot of time with our cousins watching static and fuzz with an occasional picture popping through. I was in sixth grade when my family got our first TV.  It was a Zenith 13 inch table top model hooked up to a butterfly antenna on the roof.  Happily it had much better reception than my uncle's model.  The first shows we saw on that set were Howdy Doody and Flash Gordon.  Even then I thought that the way Flash's space ship landed looked pretty fake, but we were thrilled to watch anyway.  Then came Superman, and, in the mornings, Captain Kangaroo.  Of course we only watched that to keep our little brother company.  On Saturday nights we watched Gunsmoke and Ed Sullivan while munching popcorn and drinking Coca Cola.  We were allowed one coke a week.  Bliss!  Many years later my first husband and I celebrated our first anniversary by buying a COLOR TV.  "When it's in color, Rarick's is open." was a frequently heard ad around Fort Wayne. We bought that TV to watch the first walk on the moon.  As it turned out, the moon shots were all black and white and gray, but it was still so exciting.  Do you remember how you had to adjust the color on color TVs?  Sometimes people looked fairly normal but sometimes they were purple or sun-burn red.  Now we just plug it in, turn it on, and get perfect color.  And we won't even talk about how heavy those old sets were, especially the console ones.  The last time I bought a TV, a 21 inch flat screen, I was able to easily carry it out to my car by the handle attached to the very light weight package.  I love heritage, but there's also a lot to be said for progress.