Two days on the Lake

Our family has been trying to get together for a lake trip all summer long. We keep telling ourselves that things will slow down and an opportunity will come along, but it never seems to happen that way. We finally picked two days that we thought would work, but Ben had a conflict. He told us to go anyhow, because he didn't think he would have any mid-week freedom for a long time. So we did. Here is what happened.

This inflatable was Ben and Thomas' Christmas present. You saw it in action in Illinois, but this was the first time that we tried it with the motor.

The sailboat was there, of course. This was Mrs. H's second ever ride on it. Matthew is an old hand by now, being the veteran of several trips.

We tried towing the sailboat with the inflatable, just to see what would happen. It worked!!

Becky had a great time. She looks good in yellow too!

Sarah went for a swim. There is a ladder on the back of the boat just for that purpose.

All the boys tried their hand at piloting the inflatable. They had a blast!! You'll get your turn, Ben.

We have had several dry winters in a row. The water should be all the way up to those trees. I think that's Laura in the water.

At the end of the day I beached the boat on a small island in the middle of the lake. That saved me from having to haul it out for the night, and it kept the boat safe from shore-bound pirates. I spent the night on board, just to be on the safe side. Nick, Anthony and Jonathan slept in the RV at a campsite next to Pastor Dave and his family. The rest of our crew went home to take care of the animals and sleep in the comfort of their own beds. Thomas had to work the next day for our neighbor Bob, or he would have stayed with us.

After riding in the inflatable to get back to the continental United States from the island, we had a lovely meal prepared by Mrs. H, then we enjoyed the fellowship of Pastor Dave and his family around a campfire. When it was time to retire, I returned to the island on a very dark night in an inflatable boat with no lights. If there had been no moon, I'd still be out there looking for the island.
If you ever have the pleasure of meeting Pastor Dave, get him to tell you the story of Joe, the gold mining dog.

The next morning, Pastor Dave pulled all of the Hector boys around the lake on an oversized inflatable chair thingy. They had a blast (again)!!

Pastor Dave's daughter is an expert wake boarder. My boys tried their hand at it, with disastrous results.

We shot some great video over the course of the two days, but I will need Ben's help to get that uploaded. In the meantime, I leave you with this curious photo. If you were at Clinton Lake, you know what this is all about.

be safe (especially when you are on the water),
Hec @ 19