In this weeks edition:

End of the season…
Well last weekend was a sad one in many ways. It was our final weekend on the lake for this season. There were some good points as there always is with lake outings. We have a rather large lake family. It seems to grow annually and that is a good thing. We have established a tradition of jointly celebrating birthdays. Last weekend we honored five members of the SL family for successfully completing another 365 trips around the sun. That is always a fun time and of course lots of good things to eat. We also watched the WVU game on Saturday. The outcome wasn’t what we had hoped for but watching the event with friends is always a treat.
The sad part was… it’s time to pull boats for winter. Our buddy Bob Smith is the kingpin of the operation… he has the truck big enough for the task. He pulled five boats that were not in use on Saturday. It would have been six, but the wind just got to be too much. The sixth boat was first out at day break on Sunday.
The weather wasn’t very cooperative either day. The wind on Saturday resulted in some bumps and bruises on boats and trailers. The rain on Sunday made for soggy workers… but we somehow, managed to get all five boats to dry dock safely. All that is left now is a couple of small boats and two pontoons that will have to wait till next Saturday.
I must admit that my contribution gets less and less each year. My old legs just can’t handle the running back and forth nor the climbing. But thank goodness, Bob, Donnie, Doug and son Jamie took up the slack.
It’s not only a sad time due to not being able to be on the lake, but we will miss our lake family as well. We have planned a couple of winter outings but it’s not the same as getting to visit with them most every weekend.
The other aspect is the work that putting the boats away for the winter brings. Winterizing them is a must and it’s a bunch of work. Every boat is different. We have the engines. Some are outboard others have an inboard configuration. Then comes the freshwater and the sanitation systems. At my age it’s difficult to remember, from one year to the next, where everything is on each boat and exactly what has to be done. Again, thank goodness for son Jamie. Some have to be covered. And then there is all that stuff that has to be taken home. Once it’s there… we have to find some place to put it. At our house that is one of the biggest obstacles.
We have winter projects that I hope see light. Many were scheduled for the warmer months and we simply never got to them. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
Fortunately, in less than 200 days we should be back on the lake.