Memories of a great summer will keep us wam in the winter
Oh, this summer went fast. No, I mean really fast – not just the usual, “I can’t believe the summer went so fast,” fast, but the “Oh my gosh, what happened, it was just June and now school starts in a few days!” fast. Boo hoo.
Despite its early flight, it was a great summer. Let’s see … What did we do? Oh, we had a ‘70s deck party! That was fun. It started with a 3-pack CD from Costco of ‘70s dance music. We added some food, strings of lights, lake friends and a gorgeous night, and what we got was a fun filled, rocking ‘70s dance party, enjoyed by all, young and old! I think we’ll make that one an annual event. Boy, those kids can groove!
Another annual event is Leanne’s “hen party.” I don’t know why she calls it that, I think her mom started it. Anyway, at her hen party, about 15 girls (OK, ladies) arrive in the morning, armed with magazines, nail polish, sunglasses and a dish of food to share. We all head to the dock where we hang out in the sun, talking, laughing, telling stories, swimming, floating, drinking and eating. Now, I have to be specific about the eating part, because it is unbelievable. If there were families involved, the food would be more along the lines of sandwiches, chips and Oreos. But since it is just the girls, we tend to take more care with what we bring to share.
I have never seen such a beautiful spread on a dock before! This year, there was sesame noodle salad, tiger shrimp with cocktail sauce, fresh crab with butter and lemon, cheese and pesto pinwheels on baguettes, fresh fruit salad, a Mediterranean plate with balls of mozzarella curd, green olives, garlic, cherry tomatoes, Chinese chicken … we feasted like queens! The day was a great success, despite the hole in our main floating mattress, the occasional drizzles, and the sinking corner of the dock. It’s always a fun day.
We spent a lot of time playing Scrabble, as always, and last year, we started playing a ton of Texas Hold ‘em, which we continued through the winter and into this summer. That’s my personal favorite, and one that the kids love, too. We must have played 50 10-plus player games this year!
This summer we were also big on going up the river. “Going up the river” constitutes filling several boats with coolers, towels, sunscreen, kids, water skis, tubes and floaties, good music and lots of friends. Everyone piles in and off we go, boating from the lake to the mouth, and then up one of its connecting rivers. On the way we pass under a bridge which has a wooden ladder climbing out of the water, up one of the pillars to the main level of the bridge. This is for the convenience of the crazy ones who revel in making several scare-your-shorts-off jumps every time we go. The crazy ones in our group are usually those under the age of 15, and the shorts I refer to are scared off their parents who watch their treasured children leap from great heights into the water below. The kids absolutely love it. Now, as scary as it is, this has been going on for decades with no known injuries, although there hasn’t always been the handiness of the ladder. I have to get my props and tell you that during college, I did jump one time (I must have been trying to impress someone). Once in my lifetime was enough for me but at least I can say that I’ve done it.
The river connects to several smaller lakes each with their own advantages and personalities. Our favorite is a smaller, quiet lake with a long kind of slough where you can water-ski down, turn around and come back on water as smooth as glass. We tie the rest of the boats together, toss out the floaties and tubes, turn up the music and play, float, swim, ski, dance, chat and generally have a ball. Sometimes on the way home, we’ll stop at a water’s edge restaurant for dinner and then boat home under the sunset in the warm evening air.
Ahhh. Those are the memories that keep me going through the long winter months. When I am freezing on the ski hill, I often fantasize about the warmth of the bright lake sun and remember that it won’t be long before we are back under its glow.
By about mid-August, you can tell that fall is on its way. The nights get colder and the days, although hot, have a tinge of freshness to them and the sky is more of a pale blue. It’s getting close to the time we’ll have to close up the cabin for the winter. Sigh.
The fall is beautiful out there, too, though, and if we’re lucky we’ll get some of those gorgeous Indian summer days, where the sun is strong but not too hot and the leaves have started to change color. Cabin owners come out sporadically for some fall clean up but it is generally a peaceful time. The lake is usually calm, as most of the boaters have gone home. The geese fly over in formation, honking their hearts out and there is a slight chill in the air.
We clean out the cabin of things we want at home. This year we’re taking all of the food, as I learned my mice lesson last spring. The fridges are emptied and propped open, the beds are made and everything is cleaned one last time. Tubes and floaties are deflated and the deck furniture put away. The water is turned off and antifreeze poured into the pipes. Windows closed and doors locked, we’ll head home with the wet dog and tired kids for another long school year.
Although the cabin will be closed, we’ll leave the boat in as long as we can. Every fall, usually in October, we try to take one last trip up the river. This is an adult trip and usually only with one boat. It’s mellow. We cuddle up in blankets and take thermoses of warm drinks, talk and enjoy each other and the scenery. The leaves are beautiful in the fall sun and the water is especially sparkly. One time we came across a herd of deer swimming across the river. It’s a time of closure. A time to reminisce about the past summer and summers before that; a time to give thanks for our families, our friendships, our good times and the blessing of our cabins at the lake, which bring them all together under the gracious Idaho sun.