Gone Tubing, So Call Me, Maybe?

Lake time means tubing time, and Matthew and Margaret were ready to go for a spin.

Now, the little ones tubing on the big lake makes me a bit, um, nervous.

They, however, were not nervous at all.

I was keeping my eyes on them, and letting Jim know when I thought he needed to slow down.

They were feeling quite comfortable, as you can see.

Jim thought if they were letting go of the handles, it must be time to go a little faster. I disagreed.
I think Margaret is channeling her inner cowboy here.

They were showing big smiles, while I was just praying to make it to the end of the lake so we could bring them in.

Now she's going hands free too. I really wasn't interested in going in after them, but I was ready.

We got to the cove at the end of the lake, and pulled them in, only to be told that they weren't finished yet. We made the turn at the beach, and headed back the other direction.

If you thought I was nervous, you should have seen Nana.
And there she is.

They made it back safely, and a good time was had by all.
Well, except for the nervous ones in the boat.

Jennifer and Bryan opened a gift from the Williamsons, a carving made by one of their friends in Haiti.

Jamalyn told them about the beautiful headboards he carves, but that would have been a little too big to bring back home with her.

Ted and Dara came for the day, and headed back home on Sunday night.

An evening fire...

and a snuggle in the hammock as the day winds down.

And there's even time for an evening boat ride.
Kyle and Kristen.

Shylah and David.

Shylah, David, and Shylah's dad, Don.

Jamalyn and Margaret.

Matthew, Kyle, and Kristen.

Andrew and Darci.

Adam (who was being uncooperative), and Alli.

Oh, Adam.

Shylah, Matthew, David.

And singing the song of the weekend (maybe of the summer), Matthew and David:

Hey, I just met you,

and this is crazy,

but here's my number,

so call me, maybe?

Where you think you're goin', baby?

I miss you so, so bad.

So call me, maybe?

A Place to Sit...Somewhere Near...Water

We had a beautiful Memorial Day weekend at Sweetwater Lake, with perfect hot weather, good food, and friends and family gathered together. The first group arrived on Friday afternoon, and quickly got to the water for some fun and floating.

It's easy to relax at the lake, as demonstrated by Jim.

The Williamsons spent some time with us, and Nathan loved the water.

Jamalyn and Margaret cooling off on a hot day.

Nathan enjoyed the WaterMat, which we purchased last year. It was fun for all, and we had lots of folks asking about it as they passed by on their boats.

An attempt at a Williamson family photo on the WaterMat.

Some more of the group arrived on Saturday, and dinner was prepared by Jennifer and Bryan, the newlyweds. Delicious chicken...

and pork tenderloin on the grill.

And when I say it was prepared by Jennifer and Bryan, you can see by this picture that it was mostly all Bryan.

Looks good enough to eat!

Sweet Ella was ready to eat, too.

Happy girl.

Silly baby.

Lake days seem to all run together, but I think it was Sunday morning that we saw these two young moms taking their kids for an early paddle board ride.

The lake has an 'idle only' rule before 10 am, which makes the mornings quiet and peaceful. It's nice.

Another beautiful day on the dock...

and in the water.
Here, Princess Margaret is being attended by her footman, Matthew.

A royal wave from  her water carriage.

Ella and her daddy were relaxing on the dock, when we noticed a runaway boat floating our way.

Our neighbors were painting their dock when the boat got away. Andrew and Matthew held on to the boat while the neighbor boy swam out to hop on board.

Alli and Haleigh played together in the oasis.

Ella is getting better and better at walking, even with a life jacket on.

And don't worry, she's not drinking that beer, but she does like playing with the empty bottle.

Emma had a good weekend at the lake, and had fun on the dock and in the water.

Haleigh and Aunt Fer on the WaterMat.

Aunt Fer taught her how to make a fish face.

Cooling off in the baby pool on the dock.

Emma spent some time floating too.

She tried out the WaterMat as well.

So much fun...

walking on the water.
Cousin Dara got into the act, and had a good time playing with Margaret and Matthew.

David and Shylah,

Darci and Haleigh,

and Kyle (David's fraternity brother) and his wife Kristen.

Floating in the water, listening to the Indy 500, enjoying a beverage, and spending time with family and friends makes for a great weekend. In Twitter speak that would be #winning #blessed.
Stay tuned for weekend, part II, coming soon.