5 a.m. Eastern, July 16, 2006 Arrival...
I'm home and this is the first chance I've had
to drop by here. I haven't even checked my two email accounts (I'm
afraid to. But I'll start tomorrow) though I took a quick peek at the
gmail account once while at the Lake. 
It was a nice visit w/my immediate and extended family. And it
ain't over yet. My younger son asked the day before we left if he could
stay on. He doesn't ask for much so I figured he must really want to.
But then this year one of the families that we are friendly with and
who reside less than an hour from Maple Lake so are at the Lake
frequently--got a big motorboat so they and their younger sons are
there a lot and other relatives and neighbours are there too, esp.
Fri-through-Sun. I guess tubing is fun--I've only done the lazy river
thing (on a real river). The owners of the luxury liner 
also have a smaller fishing boat and are devout fishermen but so far,
my son has taken a pass on that. The cousins play a lot of hide and
seek just like I did when a kid. It's lake, open spaces, cottages, and
woods so lots of places to hide. 
(But not from the mosquitoes.) 
My favourite cousin was there with her 4-person family unit. It was really nice to catch up with her a bit.
I'll motor up there to retrieve Chris but since it'll just be him and me I'll take the 'stang this time. 
Weather at the lake got HOT so I know Toronto must have been and here
(Chicago burbs) was--IS!!!--too. I am not big on super hot heat. It's
just too much for more than a day. Our air conditioning is running all the time. My mother kept talking of thinking she would "die of the heat
before we had air-conditioning" (and she never lived further south than
Toronto!). She forgets that I too remember the pre-air condtioning
days, though at age 18 I finally moved to more civilized
environs--Huntington Beach, California and finally in my home felt the
wonderful thing that is AC.
There's no AC in the cottage. One must be in the lake all day to stay
cool--and with a hat and/or shades that works. Someday I'd love to host
a meet-up there or even just invite whomever who wants to come up but a
few things need taking care of first--and though my Dad says it is my
cottage, in truth it is as good as
mine/ my brother's as it is willed to us--so I consider it my parents
and before I do anything, I have to consider them--and fix up the one
room that is terrible--the kitchen and freshen the what-could-be
gorgeous, large, screened-in porch with a primo view of the lake. Here
though in Chicagoland my home is open to friends at all times. 
So I'm meandering here.
5 a.m. Eastern, July 16, 2006
_________________
If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be. ~ Yogi Berra
Cyn -- I have never seen someone redesign their blog as much as you. But it's cool. Happy summer.
Dan
Posted by: Dan | July 27, 2006 at 10:06 PM