Highlights of Yesterday's Pine Lake Adventure

First of all, the lake was freezing !

But when you've got a forecast of almost 90 degrees and it's the 21st of September, you know your swimming options are running out. So we went despite gusty winds and the chance of afternoon thunderstorms.

Oh the kids got in the water, but most of them wisely came out and began working the sand.

Derek said it was possible to keep warm but one had to keep moving to the extent that it was exhausting just to retain the body heat. Nevertheless, Melinda and Nolan were content to chill out much of the time.

At one point I was down by the water taking pics and the wind blew up suddenly...I turned around and saw swirling sand in the air. "A dust devil!" yelled Carolyn. "Look, a dust devil !"

Poor little Trevor--who had been relaxing in a lawn chair while snarfing nacho chips--was discovered beside his collapsed chair, surveying the damage in a stunned, toddler kinda way.

"I was juss sitting hewoh, eating chips, when suddenwy diss wind came up and scawod me!" the five-year-old was heard to exclaim to a local reporter.

After a wee bit the wee lad and I went for a wee walk where we saw various flowers and potential sources of E-coli.

At one point I looked up in the sky and glimpsed these beautiful birds...
American Pelicans! Migrating to warmer climes, no doubt.

You'll have to trust me on the identification...though I changed the photo editing to black and white for ascetic purposes, I first bumped up the fill light and saw the defining black markings on their under-wings.

I LOVE THOSE BIRDS.

Bits of ragged gray clouds began drifting over the lake and I kept a sharp lookout on the sky. At the first rumble of thunder I yelled, "EVERYBODY OUT OF THE WATER!!"

(not sure anyone was IN the water at that point, but I've just always wanted to yell that phrase)

The kids tried to expand their burgeoning sand empire but we knew time was running out. Well, I knew time was running out. Even with the first drops of rain they said, "What? Why are we leaving?"

During our entire stay we'd been hassled with yellow jackets trying to steal our extremely nutritious snacks. Playing it quite cool I had alternately killed some with my bare hands and shooed them away, claiming they didn't often sting.

Naturally, while frantically picking up before the impending deluge, one decided to attack my little bunny boy on his big toe.

A big sister led him too me whereupon the stoic child promptly burst into tears. (he'd been just fine before he saw me)

We skedaddled for the van; not an easy thing as the return trip involves climbing up a steep grade and passing through a tunnel beneath the road.

Trevor's recent injury slowed him down. A fellow's just gotta limp after such a harrowing experience and sympathetic sisters have to hold his hand and well...let's just say that the people at the end of the line got soaked.

Naturally, I had to run ahead to unlock the van doors and let me tell you...it was pret-ty agonizing having to stand there under the shelter of trees and hold open the doors, watching them come up the last part of the hill in a blinding downpour.

But I thought I bore up remarkably well.

As did the children, since the rain was warmer than the lake water :-)

Thusly ended our Pine Lake adventures for another year.
 

Tweet