Somewhat Current Events

I have a to-do list as long as my arm, but how 'bout let's blog instead? I want this space to catch up with my  real life space so I'm going to throw down some random words and pictures today in hopes of making that happen. 

Last Friday some 'NJ friends' vacationing in a neighboring state detoured to the lake and spent the night at our house. The Mrs. worked with hubs back in the day and we had not seen her in person since she came to visit us in England many moons ago. How many moons you ask? Well daughter1 celebrated her 16th birthday during that visit so very many. 

Let me not go down the England rabbit hole today, or the one where daughters turn sixteen and then get married, move away, and have babies either. Let's stick to the here and now and the absolute most picture perfect December weather in the history of weather. 

Our friends got to the lake just in time for us to boat over to lunch because that's what you do on a clear blue 77-degree December day. 

And because it was still spectacular after lunch we motored around a bit, showed them the nearby waterfall, and some of our favorite little coves before heading home. 

We then ventured into town (by car of course) for happy hour at a favorite local wine bar. We shared a charcuterie tray and talked and caught up and then went over to tiny town's little main street to see the Christmas lights.

We live in a sleepy little burg with not a lot going on other than the great outdoors, but let me just state for the record, the Christmas lights in this town are something else. They're set to music and it's fun to see people of all ages out enjoying holiday cheer. 

This year there were several fire tables set up in the street with a booth nearby selling s'more kits. We did not partake because we were headed to an Italian restaurant for a late supper, but maybe next time.  

Our friends caught the beauty of the early morning sunrise before heading home Saturday morning. Let's pause because I feel like we should. 

Photos do not do the winter skies here justice. 

Saturday evening was our neighborhood Christmas party which was a nice way to ring in the holiday season. I bought a pair of super sparkly pants for the occasion and it's impossible not to have fun when you're wearing sparkly pants. We had fun. 

Speaking of dressing for the holidays...this handsome boy had a haircut over the weekend and came back to us wearing a Christmas bow tie. 

He knows he's cute. 

In other completely unrelated-to-the-holidays-but-still exciting-to-us news, our carpenter came by on Monday and taped the stairwell wall where wood will be installed. 

Never mind that the wood's been at the house for a month, progress is progress and whoohoo for progress! They're supposed to start on my office wall on Monday, the electrician comes to wire for stair lighting on Tuesday, and then the rest of the pieces should magically fall into place to finally get this project done. I will update you with all the pieces once we're really and truly underway. 

In completely holiday-related news ours will be unexpectedly quiet. I know I want to write about how that looks or maybe I don't. 

Maybe today I'd rather just soak in the beauty of a lake that looks like glass and the beauty of a Christmas tree shining there.

The Trip Before This Trip

It has been a little nuttier than normal here this summer in terms of people coming and going and when I say people that includes us. We have had a lot of company, but we've also been company. Which is more fun? Hmmm...

I have another post or two about our trip to Washington, and while it might make sense to finish that up I feel like switching gears so strap in.

Let's bring everyone up to speed...hubs took a two week course all day/every day in mid-July and the day after that wrapped up Daughter2's future in-laws came to the lake for a visit. Also to handle some wedding details, but mostly just to visit. We had a wonderful time and are so grateful for the loving parents who raised our soon-to-be son-in-law. We're all just a little bit excited for spring to roll around, but first! Kentucky-

The day after our guests left we drove to Kentucky to spend a few days with friends who have a lake house there. Yes, we left our lake house and went to their lake house, but that's what friends do.

Lake living y'all. Go get you some.

Anyway these friends only live part time at the lake and that part time is summer so that's when we needed to visit. Plus there was bourbon.

I don't particularly care for bourbon, but hubs is a fan and I like a road trip, seeing old friends,  and learning new things so win win.

We had a pretty day of driving through some lovely countryside and arrived at their house late afternoon. We used to eat Indian food together back when we all lived in the UK, so the Mr. had prepared for us the most delicious curry which made us feel a teensy bit nostalgic for English village life.

We had picture perfect weather and struck out for our first stop on the 'Bourbon Trail' the next morning. I don't know what I was expecting, but I don't think I realized how enormous these operations are.

We started at Wild Turkey where we hopped on a little bus for a tour of their operating facilities. So interesting! Plus, our tour guide was a retired Marine Corps Drill Sergeant who had not lost his voice and was a lot of fun.

Once the tour ended we were returned to the visitors center for a tasting and some shopping and a photograph of this famous bridge that people bungee off of 'for fun'. Pass the bourbon please.

The company that runs it is appropriately named Vertigo. This bridge is 240 feet above the Kentucky River and the highest bridge in North America you can 'legally' jump from. I guess there are people illegally jumping from higher bridges?

Let's get back on the Bourbon Trail.

We had lunch at a cute little place in the town of Lawrenceburg called Heavens To Betsy, then drove out to Woodford Reserve. We rode through some really pretty countryside, past several horse farms, and then onto the gorgeous property that is Woodford.

Again we hopped on a little bus for their tour and while there was some overlap in the information each tour also taught us a little something new too. I enjoyed seeing the bottling in action here-

There are restrictions as to how much they can serve you in a tasting and I was more about the chocolate anyway, but still it was such an interesting day. Of course the weather was perfection which always helps.

We had dinner at the lake house and afterward the guys went fishing. Hubs caught a nice sized fish which was the perfect ending to a pretty perfect day.

We were up and at 'em early the next morning for Day 2 on the trail...next stop-Buffalo Trace.

This was my favorite because they are doing a lot of renovations and we got something like a backlot tour here and saw some different things.

Buffalo Trace is the oldest continually operating Distillery in America, and even remained open for 'medicinal' purposes during Prohibition.

After the tour there was the tasting and the shopping and then on to lunch. We ate at a tiny spot in Frankfort called Rick's White Light Diner which has been featured on the show Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.

The food is Cajun and delicious and we sat in the little courtyard outside to eat our lunch. Rick came out towards the end of our meal and talked with us for a long while which was interesting. Then it was back to the lake where we girls floated while the guys went and shot clay pigeons or skeet or some such thing.

We were on the road bright and early Thursday morning and got home in time to do a little laundry, unpack our suitcases then repack our suitcases, and head to the airport really really early Friday morning for our flight to Seattle.

As summer rolls along I'm thankful for family and friends who come to us, for friends who say hey, come to us. For blue skies, sunshine, rolling hills, tall trees, lake life, city life, new experiences, old friends, planes, boats and automobiles, and the hubs by my side who makes me laugh and lets me nap when he senses I might teeter from all the things.

It has been a crazy beautiful busy summer and we're not done yet.

Always Just One More Thing

July 9th. Already? This summer has been a whirlwind of activity, but I'm currently looking at a little bit of blank space on the calendar and am determined to regroup here on the blog. It's not a lot of blank space, but it's the most I've had since Easter (I know!!) so I'll take it.

Also, this should be two posts I'm sure but you know how I do things here, right?

The problem is basically this-I tell myself I'll do just one little thing before I hop on here to write, and then there is always one more little thing that follows. Then another and another and before you know it the clock reads 9 PM and I haven't written word one.

Today it started with the frig. We've had a lot of house guests recently and everyone is so great about helping in the kitchen and bringing dishes to add to the meals, but my frig! Yikes! I tell people to just 'put that leftover wherever you can find space' so there are bottles and plastic containers and foil wrapped ? tucked on every shelf. The whole thing needs to be hosed down which is what I started doing first thing this morning.

I lost my way when I went to get something out of the dryer that needed a hanger and then I ran downstairs for 'just a minute' to put another something in a closet but the closet looked a little like my frig so I thought 'let me just sort out this closet while I'm looking at it'.

Also brewing in the back of my brain was the fact that I still hadn't showered, washed my hair, finished my grocery list, shopped for said groceries, and while I'm out stop at the post office, drop the tablecloth at the dry cleaners, pick up a prescription from the drug store, and...and...and...

There is always just one more thing, isn't there?

The frig is mostly cleaned out. Groceries are purchased. Dinner was put in the crockpot. All the laundry is done (whoohoo!). Bills were paid. A package mailed. A tablecloth left with the cleaners in town. A prescription collected. A torturous thirty minutes was spent on the phone with an internet business customer service agent trying to sort out a charge on our credit card, but problem solved so calling that a win! And now I'm sort of writing about it so I guess I can check that box too.

What did everyone do on the 4th? Yep. Gonna just abruptly change topic but that's how my Mondays seem to roll. My brother and sister-in law got to town the night before,  just in time for a boat ride and a sunset swim as the sky turned my favorite shade of pink.

Daughter2 and her fiance were also in the house (and on the boat) and then my sister who lives in a nearby town came to spend the holiday with us. Also her hubs and my niece and her boyfriend so a full house. 

We decided it was too hot to grill so I made slaw and did pulled pork in my crockpot. Daughter2 made the beans, my sister made a delicious spinach pasta salad, and there was watermelon because that's the law on the 4th of July. You needed to know what we ate, didn't you? 

We hung out in the water most of the day, and hubs even managed a boat ride with some of our crew before dinner. We played cornhole and sang happy birthday to my brother-in-law and enjoyed these strawberry cupcakes (click for recipe) which everyone loved. Our across the water neighbor always puts on a fantastic fireworks show and this year was no exception.  

Boats come from around the lake and line up at the mouth of our cove to watch, and when a firework is particularly large or beautiful all the boaters honk. So much fun! Hubs, the fiance, and my niece's boyfriend watched while floating on water saddles in front of our dock, but the rest of us were in comfy chairs on the dock and around the firepit. 

Thursday the fiance worked so Daughter2 hung out with us and enjoyed spending time with her aunt and uncle. Here's a picture to prove they were here-ha! I just couldn't be bothered with my camera with so much going on this weekend, although I think that's when you're supposed to bother with your camera. I'm relying on everyone else to snap pics and they do. 

Friday there was a little more boating and swimming (suffice it to say we were water rats all week long) then a nice dinner out at a local Italian restaurant. Not gonna lie...I've done a lot of cooking this summer and I do love to cook, but I also really enjoyed this meal that I did not prepare. 

Friday my sister and brother-in-law came back out for dinner at the lake, then took my brother and sister-in-law home with them for a couple of days. We had a lovely break in the weather on Saturday which was the perfect excuse to lounge on the porch in yoga pants, watch some World Cup, and play Monopoly- the London version of course because England!! Whoohoo!!

And now I think you're up to speed on all the mundane except I forgot to mention the scrumptious blueberry pancakes Daughter2 prepared for us on Sunday. I never make pancakes so this was a real treat for everyone. 

Plus she's adorable and should definitely have her own cooking show. She's a wonderful baker and has no trouble cracking eggs while carrying on a conversation.

What would I blog about if I didn't talk weather and what was on our menu?
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Twenty Things

Approximately twenty things.

Because I haven't blogged in eons and I have a million bits of random in my head and on my camera which I will now narrow down to just twenty.

Approximately twenty. 

So where was I when last we spoke? I just checked and the last time I blogged about something other than asking/answering the Wednesday Hodgepodge questions was June 11th. Yikes! that was a long time ago. Longer than I thought so now I'm wondering if it's worth going back three whole weeks to tell you about small bits of absolutely nothing important.

Yes. Because I'm all about the everyday stuff of life here on This Side of the Pond.

1. We had an anniversary. 34 years so yay us!

2. We celebrated with a lovely dinner at Halls Chophouse in the nearby small big city and it was delish. We did not take a single picture. We live about 45 minutes away and decided to stay overnight because we're empty nesters and we can. Also, we wanted to preview the hotel as we'll have some wedding guests staying there in the spring.

3. Shout out to our server at Halls Chophouse who sent us a handwritten note card a few days later,  thanking us for coming and telling us how happy she was to wait on us as we celebrated our 34th anniversary. That's some fantastic customer service right there.

4. Also, complimentary glass of bubbly when we sat down. Whoohoo! I'd definitely go back.

5. We tried a newish spot in town for breakfast called Crepe du Jour. We had to, right? I mean I need to know what to recommend to people in terms of breakfast spots come April and now I do.

6. We drove home after breakfast because it was Father's Day and Daughter2 was coming out to the lake to celebrate and spend the night. She made the most precious video for hubs, filled with pics of the two of them together while she sang Carrie Underwood's song 'The Girl You Think I Am' as the background soundtrack. Cue the tissues! Also, did I snap a photo of hubs with his girl on Father's Day? No I did not. I wish I had...does that count?

7. The Tuesday after Father's Day I flew to my mom's in NJ.

8. Wait, no I didn't. I was supposed to fly to my mom's on Tuesday, but instead the Wednesday after Father's Day I flew to my mom's in NJ. I only had to sit in the airport waiting on one delay after another for seven+ hours. I passed the time reading and thinking about what sort of junk food I might buy if I didn't have a wedding happening in less than a year.

9. I finally got to my mom's about 7:30 PM. She made me a BLT and I slept in my childhood bedroom and all was right with the world once more.

10. My sister came over the next day and we went shopping for a new bathroom vanity for my mom and it was super frustrating so we called it a day and went to lunch instead. I had dinner at my brother's house that evening and enjoyed that too. Also not a single picture was snapped of me with my siblings or my mama while I was there. Blogging is not the only ball I'm dropping lately.

11. On Friday I drove about an hour and a half to the Eastern Shore of Maryland for a weekend with friends from long ago summer camp days. We sleep in rustic cabins that are maybe a little too rustic for 50-somethings, and we duck between raindrops and celebrate the clearing of the skies. We talk and laugh and remember. We sing camp songs and share stories under a million stars and we marvel at creation in a place so near and dear to each one of our hearts.

12. I drove back to my mom's early Sunday morning so I could go with her to church and then a leisurely lunch afterward with a few of her friends.

13. Monday morning mom and I got down to business and got the vanity sorted and new floor tile ordered and paint colors picked and we both felt better about her home improvement project. It's not a huge project, but is there such a thing as a small room reno? They all feel big to me.

14. My brother dropped me at the airport Tuesday where I once again sat for more than two hours waiting on delayed aircraft but then did finally make it home in time to have dinner with Daughter2. We were in the neighborhood so why not? Hubs phoned Daughter1's in-laws and they met us at the nearby fancy taco place too, and then hubs and I drove home and I crawled into bed where I could have happily remained for a day except we had company coming on Thursday.

15. A former co-worker of hubs and his wife drove down from NY for the weekend and we had such a great time catching up. He and hubs became friends when hubs worked for a small company post-retirement. They hit it off right away and I met his wife when we all went on a 'work trip' to Antigua last year, and we made plans then to get together at the lake this summer.

He and hubs both love to water ski so there was lots of water skiing. I love it when someone else is here to pull hubs so he can ski, tie up lines, and act as dock boy when we dock. The weather cooperated and we spent most of the weekend on the water or planted on one of the small beaches on various islands in the lake.

16. They left this morning and hubs is mowing the lawn because for some reason that's how he relaxes. I'm changing bed linens because we have company coming for the 4th of July holiday and staying through the weekend and as long as beds are made and groceries are bought we're good to go.  Company really isn't all that complicated and we enjoy all the comings and goings.

17. In other completely unrelated news...hubs and I watched the movie Hostiles. Has anyone see it? Not for the faint of heart! We also just finished Season 1 of an Amazon Prime program called Bosch. It's based on a character created by Michael Connelly and if you liked his books featuring the Lincoln Lawyer you'll recognize the name Harry Bosch. The show is really well cast and hubs and I both liked it a lot.

18. I finished a book that's gotten a lot of buzz. It's called The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir, and I thought it was just okay. Think the Duggers and you'll have an idea of this novel's theme. I wanted to like it, but I felt like the storyline fed into a lot of sterotypes and generalizations about the Christian community that are more exception than rule.  It reads more like a YA novel, and I while I do occasionally read some of those this one was more of a miss for me. I did want to know how it turned out, so there's that, but overall it was just okay.

19. While I was visiting my mom hubs was home arranging with an electrician for the install of a ceiling fan on our lower patio and the hanging of our Edison Bulbs. I love the way they turned out and can't wait to have dinner under our very own 'stars'.

20. And now an awesome sunset and 100 bonus points to anyone who made it all the way here.

photo cred: hubs

Have a great week everyone!

The Monday Evening Gazette

I had every intention of blogging this morning, but hubs and I had a gazillion errands to run and that meant going to town. I sound like Ma Ingalls when I say that, but we literally had to 'go to town'. Town isn't all that far, but it's not real close either so it makes sense to tackle your errands with some forethought.

Also, one of our errands involved a stop in Academy Sports to look at 'just one thing' which is code for we'll be there for hours. Hubs could spend all day in that store and we practically did.

Since I missed my Monday morning deadline how about I share a short list of random unrelated nonessential information that for some reason I feel needs to be written down somewhere?

Great! Here we go-

1. We had a house guest this weekend. You're shocked I know, but we actually weren't expecting house guests this weekend. This was a last minute happy surprise visit from hubs brother who lives in Virginia but had been in Tennessee visiting my mother-in-law. Hubs suggested he detour through SC on the way home and that's what he did.

2. I think he and hubs had a great time catching up in person. I had a brutal headache all day long Saturday and barely lifted my head off the pillow so I can't say for sure. I do know they kayaked and later took the boat out and visited all the fun spots on the lake. They were gone all day which made me feel less like a party pooper so I'm calling it a win.

3. We also had house guests last weekend that I never got around to mentioning because one day rolls into the next round here and I'm what's affectionately known as a slacker blogger.

Actually I don't know if it's affectionate or not, but this blog does hang on by its fingernails from week to week.

A friend I've known since high school and who still lives in NJ was vacationing in Charleston last week, and planned a weekend stop over at the lake on their way down. She and I actually met while working at a summer camp in Maryland back in 1970-something and discovered we were from the same NJ town although rival high schools. Our guys get along great too, which is always a bonus.

Hubs and I made sure they tasted some of the foods from the Southern Food Groups (yes that is so a thing) and I think fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, and shrimp and grits were all hits.

4. A new generation of bluebirds are about to be born in our back yard. There are five eggs this time and incubation takes a couple of weeks so not long now.

In case you're wondering, I'm not a bluebird expert, I just play one on my blog.

We had so much fun watching the first round of babies hatch, peep out of the birdhouse, learn from their parents, and grow into teenagers. Do birds experience the teen years? The teen weeks? Whatever the case, they are so pretty and we're looking forward to round 2.

5. It's almost summer which means I will unapologetically be posting too many pictures of beautiful sunsets. I took this at the gas dock the other night while we were filling up the boat. #sorrynotsorry

Also, who else is a fan of 9 o'clock sunsets?
Have a great week all!

It's Tuesday

I felt that needed to be said, because when a weekend lasts three days it's easy to forget what day it is. That also explains why there are no Hodgepodge questions on my blog today. I normally write them on a Monday so they'll post on Tuesday, but I spent all day yesterday thinking it was Sunday so no Hodgepodge this week.

Let's talk about other interesting things. Like the weather! Ugh! Memorial Day weekend feels like the official start of the summer season which I guess is why we expect the weather to be lovely and summer-like. We're almost always disappointed. I keep reminding myself it's May and it's still spring so rain is the norm, but it feels like warm sunny skies should be the norm.

I remember when my girls were young we always went to a friend's parents house on Memorial Day weekend because we lived in Annapolis and the Blue Angels would fly right over her parent's pool. The water would be freezing and the skies were most often gray and cloudy but the kids would try to convince us it was perfect swimming weather and we'd let them swim because it really does feel like the kick off to summer.

In spite of the dreary weather, or maybe because of it, we had a really enjoyable, low-key, restful weekend here at the lake. Daughter2 drove out after work on Friday and made it in time for dinner. Hubs grilled chicken and made yummy margaritas, and we set up a taco bar of sorts. It was perfect.

We ate almost all our meals this weekend on the screened in porch which is my favorite thing to do. The lake is never not pretty, and honestly watching rain fall from the comfy coziness of the porch is good for the soul.

We've had a houseful of company all month long so a quiet weekend was definitely in order. Hubs likes the idea in theory, but in reality not so much. He can create a project where none exists. At one point this weekend I actually uttered these words, which I know some of you won't understand, but if you're married to a do-er like I am you'll get it..."Hon, I really need you to do less this weekend." 

Seriously, how can I stretch out for a nap with a book on the back deck when he's killing weeds, rearranging hoses, and moving rock??? Turns out I can, but 1% of me feels like I should also be 'toting that barge and lifting that bale' right along with him.

Daughter2's fiance arrived from out of town late Friday evening and the four of us had a great time lounging. I actually got the kayak out early Saturday, they're new so this was my first time in ours and it was nice. We're still waiting on the other one to get here because somehow the place we ordered from 'lost' the other one. Not sure how you lose a lime green kayak, but apparently it can happen.

Hubs took my advice mid-morning Saturday and joined us on the porch. There were a few pockets of sunshine late in the day and some neighbors popped over for cornhole on the back drive. We had steaks for dinner and taught the fiance how to play Hearts which was fun. Daughter2 and I both LOVE to play games, the fiance likes to play games, and hubs (once he's talked into the fun) tolerates playing games.

He did grill some awesome ribs on Sunday which is basically an all day kind of process, so while he did that Daughter2 and I played dress up. We pulled out my wedding gown, circa 1984, and I took pictures of her and marveled at my once tiny waistline. I was so in love with those Cinderella sleeves and seeing them again makes me secretly happy.

There's nothing quite like seeing your baby girl in a wedding gown, yours or the very elegant and beautiful gown she'll wear on her actual day. I'm so looking forward to that!

Sunday evening the weather perked up long enough for a boat ride which we all enjoyed. The clouds were impressive!

Monday the monsoon rains were back again. Daughter2 and I spent the morning looking at all things wedding related while the fiance took care of some work stuff on his computer, and hubs...wait for it... napped! in the porch rocker.

Porches make life sweeter y'all.

Before 'the kids' headed back to the small big city Monday we had an afternoon of bowling and burgers at a nearby place. I'm a terrible bowler but it was really fun and we will definitely do that again before summer's end.

Which isn't for a long long while because summer hasn't even started yet.
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More of Last Week's Life

I might be flying cross country Monday morning but I'm determined to get caught up somehow on my blog, and yes I'm still in last week here. Daughter2 got engaged on Sunday as in last Sunday not this Sunday and she was on spring break all the week after, so she hung out at the lake for a few days with her Momma and Daddy.

Or the MOB and the FOB as I like to say.

Monday was nuts. Well actually all of last week was a little bit of crazy fun as hubs left early Monday morning to drive his mama back to Tennessee in order to be back home to SC in time to greet our next set of house guests arriving that evening.

It is never dull here.

I spent the morning washing sheets and cleaning bathrooms and putting Easter away to make room for the next thing and then Daughter2 got up and we had coffee. I was not going to rush through coffee with the bride to be and we didn't. We lingered.

I always have time for wedding talk.

Is this just the cutest mug ever or what? And that bride is pretty adorable too.

Friends we've known a lifetime or at least for what feels like a lifetime arrived late day Monday to spend a couple of days on the lake with us. They live in California now but 27 years ago we birthed baby girls at the very same time and lived in one another's pockets until they moved to Singapore and we moved to Maryland. Then more time passed and they moved back to NJ but we were still in Maryland and then God in His great and infinite wisdom landed us both in the UK at the very same time. Those baby girls we birthed graduated from high school together on the other side of the pond.

Sometimes life is just amazing, isn't it?

Our friends have grown kids now like us, plus an 8-year old who was with them on this particular trip. God bless parents of 8-year olds who are super cute and ask a lot of questions. The two hubs worked together for some thirty years and never run out of things to talk about. These are the sort of friends you just pick up with right where you left off and what a gift that is.

Tuesday was a gorgeous day weather wise so we dropped the boat in the water for her maiden voyage. Such a lovely relaxing day tooling around the lake and soaking up some sun.

Wednesday we decided to explore by land a little and hiked to a nearby waterfall.


The very same waterfall as it happens where the newly engaged became newly engaged.

I hope they come back to this spot often in the years to come.

Afterward we drove into Clemson and  made a pit stop at the baseball stadium and the football stadium and even the indoor practice field which happened to be open. I'd never seen it before so that was fun.

Hubs grilled chicken that evening and we gabbed until the wee hours and then before we knew it they were packing the car to make their way to family in the Charleston area.

I had my Bible Study Thursday afternoon, then hubs and I had a dinner to attend Thursday evening and then Friday we pretty much waved the white flag and didn't do much of anything the remainder of the weekend.

Oh wait...I did pack. Did I mention I'm flying west today because this little cutie needs his Nana?

Or maybe it's that his Nana needs him? Hmmm...let's just say we need each other and call it a happy Monday!

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