Lake Toys

Chris didn’t waste any time getting his new toy.

Our dock the first day we arrived here for the summer on July 3:

Our dock exactly one week later with our new boat attached to it: 

It’s great to actually ride around ON the lake that we love to look at from our house. We enjoy going on sunset cruises. The swim platform on the back is my favorite spot for sunset viewing.

Chris has been playing around with the best way to tie up the boat to the dock. He tried switching it to the other side but trees blocked our view of it from the house. He is a little paranoid about the sustainability of his knots. One day a boat that looked very similar to ours went floating past. Chris did a double take thinking maybe our boat had come loose! The boat has been moved back to where we can keep a better eye on it.

Two things we’ve discovered from having the boat:

• Our absolute quiet when we sit outside is gone. There is now the almost constant lapping sound of water hitting the boat. I’m not thrilled about that but it doesn’t seem to bother Chris.

• Chris took the boat out on his own one day and discovered it goes a lot faster without me on it. Again, I’m not thrilled about the implications of that fact (ha ha) but getting the boat up to 40 mph definitely didn’t bother Chris!

Ryan was the first brave soul to get pulled behind the boat:

The boat is also somewhat of a toy for our granddaughter. She loves to crawl around in it while we are docked. It’s like a giant playpen for her where she is safe and can’t get into anything.

Life jackets are a requirement for both dogs and kiddos.

Our other lake toys (so far) are our kayaks. Savannah got to go for a ride on Mom and Dad’s kayak train.

Lovin’ the lake life....!

Critters at the Lake

One month has passed since we arrived at our Washington state lake house. 

We are enjoying the peace and beauty. But we do spend a fair amount of time reclaiming our house and yard from the spiders and vines. 

I spent an afternoon the first week brushing off spider webs from corners and around windows and under eaves. But the spiders do not give up easily. To my dismay, the very next week, cobwebs were reappearing.  

I’m not sure our lake house is officially in a rainforest, but our neck of the woods is definitely damp and thickly forested. Because of this, moss grows freely on our brick pathway and wooden railings. It looks quaint but we’re on a mission to scrape it from the walkway; don’t want it too slippery.

Ivy and other vines can easily take over the landscaping. Chris can’t seem to step outside without pulling up some wayward vines.

A few of our tree trunks are completely covered in ivy. Chris cut the thick vines at the bottom of the trees and now we’re waiting for the ivy on the trunks to die; could take years.

I’ve been enjoying the fact that I can go for walks any time of day, not just when it’s cool enough in the early morning or evening like in Houston. The fresh smell of pine is a nice treat too.

Some of the wildlife we’ve seen at the lake include deer, eagles, ospreys, rabbits, all kinds of birds, butterflies, small squirrels, and chipmunks. Jack especially enjoys viewing the wildlife. His favorite are the ducks that swim right up to him at the edge of the lake, taunting him until he dives in and chases them off. They quickly return to taunt him some more.

My favorite critter to watch at the lake is the Savannah critter, our adorable granddaughter, when she comes to visit.