Summer at the lake with lush green grass and lily pads, a dip in the water to cool you off, early morning coffee and donuts on the boat, dogs, water sports, appetizers on the porch, and time with family. You can't beat it. Summer in Indiana is the best.

old wooden boats!

the bridge that causes so much strife!

everyone skiing and showing off!

barefooting at 60+ !!

So... we had a slightly ridiculous weekend.

Friday night we got wild and went out with some friends for beers and sandwiches.  Good conversation and laughs about expat life in Chile had us leaving the bar well past my bedtime.  Around midnight we strapped our helmets back onto our heads and zoomed out into the night, cycling with the stars overhead and the chilly breeze on our faces.  Arriving home exhausted and tipsy we went straight to bed.  

Little did we know that some other friends had called us during the evening.  When Pablo finally checked his phone and returned the call Saturday morning, mid-grocery shopping, we were soon presented with an offer that we just couldn't turn down.  They said, "In ten minutes we're leaving for the lake, do you want to go?"  Rather than asking for details we just said yes and high-tailed it out of the store, back home, rapidly fed the chickens, and threw some clothes and swim suits into a bag.

We had a wonderful time.  We water skied, and kayaked, swam in cold (!) water, and danced to weird music until 3am.  Here you can see a glimpse of the weekend.  In our rushed departure I forgot my camera!  The photos here are the few we took with Pablo's phone.

roadtrip!  volcanoes in the distance!

oh ya know, just another cowboy on the side of the highway

Last little bit of fun at the lake before summer's end.  Jumping into cold water always makes everyone act like a child :)

On an almost-sunny day, we took out the old boat and all went skiing!  The water wasn't glass, the day wasn't very warm, and we felt a little bit rusty and not exactly 18 years-old anymore, but we had fun and Pablo got up on the very first try!  Water skiing might be a bit of a dying sport, being taken over by wakeboard dudes and their silly tricks, but in my family, its what we do.  We wake up at 6am to get out on the lake before it gets rough, no matter that early mornings in Indiana are always cold.  The Spring day when the lake is no longer frozen, we don holey wetsuits and plunge into the water, hoping our hearts don't stop.  We do this and we've done this for generations perhaps for inexplicable reasons.  I remember watching my grandmother zip across the lake with her yellow flotation belt, and my grandpa with his extra-wide ski. I remember a million mornings observing for my father, and even some afternoons watching him do helicopters across the wake.  I remember learning as a little girl, the first time on two, the first time on one, the first time barefoot.  It doesn't change but still, every summer I wonder if I will be able to pull myself up or if I fall, will it hurt?

In the end, I guess why we do it doesn't matter, all that matters is that we keep doing it and keep having fun together.

Click below for more photos

cold day at the lake

Pablo is convinced that it is just always cold in Indiana.  After driving through the blizzard of 2012, and now with July feeling like October, it seems that Grandfather Winter is trailing us!  Luckily, we have more than enough hot, sunny weather in Saudi so the rain and chill is welcomed.  

Yesterday was a cold day on the lake, though.  We braved the rain and howling winds to watch the sailboat races and were very happy that we weren't on one of the boats capsizing.  The little 28ft E-scows were flying across the lake and battling each other to be the first around the orange buoys.  Downwind they threw up their colorful spinnakers catching the gusts full force.  Then, hurriedly they pull in the bright sails, tacking and jibing their way back to the other side of the lake.

the lake

Ya for sailboat races! I love watching the elegant boats glide across the water. A day at the lake isn't complete without at least one dog in the boat and the sun on your face.