Saturday, August 4, 2012

Today when we woke up around 7am there had been a lull in the rain and it was really windy so we decided we better at least crank the camper down before the rain started again.  Grandpa had to come out and help us bc it was so windy they sides wouldn't stay tucked in.  Five minutes before we were done with our Bible study, Ron and Dee stopped in to say good-bye.  After they left, we went and put the float boat in.  Mom and Scott drove it to the public launch and Dad and I took the trailer via road.  Before we took off we realized we had a flat tire on the trailer so we filled it at Muse's on our way out.  Dad did a great job of backing it down the long slope.  Then I jumped in and it was really gross - uneven clay and got deep fast.  I was waist deep after about three steps.  Scott drove it in and Dad cranked in on with Scott  moving it over a little bit.  Nana did her trapeze act to go down the ladder and onto the tailgate.  Scott and I rode in the back of the truck.  When we got back we worked on packing some more while Dad backed the pontoon into the shop all by himself (well Mom might have been helping him).  I went down to the lake for one last kayak.  The waves were big!!  It was so much fun and really hard to paddle to the island.  I got back really fast though!  Then Scott was coming out so I paddled again.  I was really tired.  After that we took our kayaks up and belted them down.  When they were ready we hooked up the camper and moved it up out of the way.  Lunch break was next then we went and said good-bye to Jason and Julie.  They left about noon.  We finished up most everything else and then went and took one more bath in teh lake.  The waves were even bigger and I took a mouthful at one point.  Scott and I swam a tiny bit out and then rode the waves back in.  It was fun.  It was really cold when we got out of the water though!  After double checking everything we were finally underway.  It was about 2:30pm.  On the way out, Ojibway Trail was really busy.  I've never seen so many cars on it before.  We stopped once too so we could see how big the waves were on Big Eagle.  Once we got on 502 we did not have on car behind us the entire way.  Scott drove and I slept most of it.  The border was smooth as silk.  You could tell we had prayer support!  We hit the line of four cars at 4:40 and were across in less than ten minutes.  The guy just wanted us out - he moved three cars ahead of us to the other guys one.  He asked us three questions and then let us go.  His replacement was coming in the booth right when we took off.

Friday, August 3

I can't believe we are three days into August!  Today Scott and Dad went fishing by Tugboat Island (which I guess isn't really the right Tugboat Island).    They caught 10-12 walleye but only kept 4.  I woke Scott up at 5am and he did his Bible study then they left around 6.  I fell back asleep sometime during his Bible study and didn't wake up again until 7am.  I figured I should pray for them and at some point mid-prayer I fell asleep again.  I didn't wake up again until 9am.  I went in and checked on Nana - she was working on Sunday school material and had no plans so I came back to the camper and toasted a raisin english muffin and did my Bible study.  Then I started to work on packing the camper.  The guys came back around 10:30am so I didn't get much done.  We watched them fillet the fish (Scottie did a really good job), then were going to take the entrails to the island but decided to wait for Ron and Dee.  We had a nice cruise and visit on the float boat as we watched for eagles.  We only ended up seeing 2 of them but neither came down to eat.  We did however see about 10 Magpies.  I have a picture but haven't looked to see if it turned out - I will post it later. 

After the boat ride, Scott and Dad took naps while I continued to pack/clean the camper.  Jason came over and we invited them over for a fish fry/hamburgers down on the beach.  They were excited.  After that we went to Groves so I could take pictures of their boat and Dad and Scott picked up their tires that had fallen off the dock and rescrewed them back in.  I think Ron was delighted.  They were expecting company so we got out of there so they could get ready. 

After that Scott and I took a kayak ride over to Cedar Lodge.  It was really windy and there were a lot of white caps.  It was definitely one of the rougher days we have had here but not as rough as past years and especially not as rough as Lake Michigan!  We coasted a lot of the way back but had to paddle back into camp because it would have swept us to Deer Trail Bay.  Mom had just come out so she and I swam out a ways a couple of times.  Then we took our baths and started getting ready for the party.

The party turned out really nice.  We had a wonderful time visiting and goofing around.  About 9pm we started to hear thunder so we scrambled to get things cleaned up.  Scott cleared off the line and we hung our clothes on the porch so hopefully they will be dry when we pack tomorrow.  We plan to leave in the afternoon sometime.  It's supposed to rain all morning and we have to close up the camper.  Maybe God will grace us out as He has the last few days and we can put it away dry.  We also have to put the float boat in sometime tomorrow.  I was really hoping for one last spin on the kayak and a swim before we leave.  We'll see what happens!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

What a day!! I'm wiped out.  We were going to fish at 5am but when my alarm went off it was still raining.  Wednesday night a few minutes after we went to bed there was another storm.  It hailed again but it was dark so I don't know how big they were.  Dad woke us up at 7am to go fishing.  Dad, Mom, Scott, and I went out on Dad's boat and then Jason and Bob followed us on Bob's boat.  We went out by Dog Island where mom caught one fish and Dad caught a craw daddy.  Bob caught 2 walleye, I think only one was a keeper.  Then we went to Three Towers were Nana caught another keeper walleye and she and I both caught a northern.  We went back home around 11:30am and realized we had to have garbage at dump by 1pm so we all rushed like mad to get ready to go.  We followed Dad in our truck because we wanted to stay in town to go to the Credit Union but it wouldn't open from lunch until 2pm.  On the way to the dump Scott thought we had a flat so we stopped and then weren't sure how to get to the dump.  We turned down Blue Lake Road and missed the turn but did see the sign as we were going by.  When we got there Dad and Mom had emptied the whole truck and were watching the mother black bear with two of her cubs sleeping in the tree.  I got some cool shots.  They went on to Dryden to talk to the locksmith and we went and had lunch at the bakery to kill an hour before the Credit Union opened.  We got didn't get back from Vermillion until 4pm.  Mom and Dad had just started their doctrine so Scott and I were going to do ours but Ron came in.  Then Mom came in and needed an email from Alan, then Jason came and needed Dad's battery charger, then Julie came and asked to borrow a kayak because Jason was going to swim around the island.  I offered to go with them so Julie and I kayaked while Jason swam.  He made it to the beach side in about twenty minutes then they buried a treasure for the kids on the beach.  After that we headed around to the other side where Julie and I found a silver float so I got it and put it on my kayak.  We followed Jason around most of the island and then each took a side when he it the open water because Mertz's were out tubing in their boat and we were afraid they wouldn't see him.  Not counting the stop on the beach he made the swim in about 46 minutes.  We think it's about 2 miles but plan to measure it in the am. 

As soon as we got back, Dad and Mom were down at the dock ready to take the pontoon boat out for a swim.  Mom jumped in first and then me.  The water was really smooth.  We goofed around and swam around the pontoon for a couple of times and then Nana decided the boat needed to be pulled out more.  She hauled it a ways then Dad jumped and pushed it back the opposite way.  After that, we goaded Scott into diving in.  Then Dad was hiding from Mom and snuck back on the boat  ran to the other gate and cannon-balled  close to mom.  It was fun.  Then he swam under the pontoon boat checking everything out.  We messed around a little longer and then headed back to shore.  Mom and I swam and the guys got back in and drove the boat in.  When we got back upstairs it was 8:30pm!  We quick made the fish for dinner and then threw everything back and ran out to take a pontoon ride around Paradise.  We got back to the dock five minutes before sunset.  The moon was incredible hopefully some of my pictures turned out.  We went back up and had brownies (from the bakery) with ice cream.  Then Scott and I came out to finish our Bible study.  Scott's in bed now and I'm ready to go.  We were supposed to fish again in the morning.  Jason wanted to go again because they are leaving Saturday, too.  I bowed out because I need to start packing.  Plus we need to take the pontoon boat out tomorrow.  I'm hoping I will be able to kayak.  There are supposed to be am showers and then isolated T-storms.  Hoping it misses us like it did today!