You may have been wondering what's up since there's been no updates since August 20th.  Well basically things weren't going real well.  The weather was sucky, keeping us cooped up inside the trailer.  We did try and have a fire one night (pictures on left) but it didn't help much.  Because the forecast showed continued winds through Sunday, August 29th (and that was as far ahead as I could see) I was ready to leave on Sunday, August 22nd.  But Denise's sister, Dianne, and her husband, Stan, were coming from their home near Denver, CO.  They were due on Monday and staying through Saturday.  Also, Nicki (Denise's cousin), was planning to come from her home in Eau Claire, WI and spend a few days later in the week.  Thus we stayed.

Either Saturday or Sunday (I forget), we drove out to the Elks Point on Wall Lake.  It is a nice campground and the people were very friendly.  However there are two downsides.  First, there are no sewer hookups.  They do have a dump station and there is a honey wagon attached to a tractor that's available for your use.  But that's your use.  In other words, you do it yourself.  Now for a bunch of people raised on a farm, I'm sure that's no big deal.  However I would have no clue as to how to even start a tractor let alone drive it.  But I guess I could learn.

The other downside is that there is no boat rental and no place to fish the lake productively without one.  The Elks do have a pontoon boat available for just a small donation to cover gasoline but I'm sure that if I wanted exclusive use of it for a month, that would be out of the question.  I asked about renting a boat somewhere in town but no one knew of any place that rented them.

But none of this really matters much as I don't think we'll be back again.  The weather is just too unpredictable and as such, there's too many down days.  There must be other places in the country that have similar opportunities with better weather.  If you know of any, please email me at drew@mykitchentable.net.

On Monday, Dianne and Stan and their dog, Sadie, arrived around noon.  Lewie, Denise, and I were in town running errands since the weather was not good.  Then we went to Applebee's and had several of their "Perfect Margaritas" and a few appetizers for lunch.  When we returned, the five of us spent most of the afternoon in Lewie's motor home and the evening in our trailer because of the foul weather.  Lewie and I fried fish while Denise prepared a coleslaw to satisfy everyone.

On Tuesday, the weather was better.  Denise, Stan, and I fished in the boat in the afternoon.  Lewie fished in his favorite spot at the bridge and Dianne kept him company.  Sadie enjoyed an afternoon in the sun, tied to a tree right near our door.

But the nice weather turned sour in the evening so the five of us sought the shelter of our 5th wheel.  There are some photos of the brewing storm on the left.  Denise made a mexican stew and cornbread muffins to fill the void in our stomachs.

Wednesday brought more bad weather and more time in the trailer.  We warned Nicki of the situation and explained that she should come only if she wanted to be number six hiding inside.  She decided that there were other places she'd rather be (she wasn't the only one) and cancelled her visit.  I went to the camp store to let them know we wanted to leave Saturday, five days earlier than we originally planned, but they were not willing to refund any of our money.  Seems this is how it was on our first visit as well.  However if things continued, we didn't care about a refund and will leave regardless.

Anyway, we were having quite the visit with Dianne and Stan.  There is never a lack of topics to discuss and Dianne is very inquisitive and interested in just about everything.  And Stan appreciates all of Lewie's jokes as expressed with his hearty laugh. 

But as interesting as it was, one can only spend so much time cooped up inside.  Thursday morning Denise and I took a break and went into town to do laundry and run a couple of errands.  Lewie was braving the wind and fishing at the bridge while Dianne and Stan were sleeping in.  Later they ran errands as well and bought goods for the evening meal.  We started our evening outside but again, the rain began to fall and the winds picked up.  Not long after, the thundershowers started and Dianne and Stan opted for the comforts of their Scamp (trailer) since Sadie was frightened by the thunder.  The tubs of Lloyd's BBQ pork, cans of Bush's beans, and bags of rolls they provided were easily divided so Dianne and Stan were able to take food with them and get to their camp before the storm got worse.

On Friday, the weather was only slightly better.  The winds weren't as strong as they had been the previous few days so Lewie, Stan, and I went out on the boat.  We wanted to find bass for Stan to catch before he had to leave the following day.  Although Stan did hook a bass, it jumped out of the water and freed itself before he was able to land it.  That was the last we saw of any bass that day but we did find a few sunnies and a bullhead.  Numbed from the cold, we gave up after a few hours.

Denise and Dianne spent the early afternoon shopping in town.  They went to Herberger's ( a clothing store with good bargains), a Hallmark store, and then took a driving tour to see the houses around the lake.  At the Hallmark store, Denise found some interesting back scratchers that make funny sounds when you shake them.  They provided some new entertainment for a few minutes.

The girls spent the late afternoon and early evening inside, hiding from the cold.  Stan and I stood outside while I fished from the lake shore right near our camp.  And Lewie was at his favorite spot at the bridge.

At 7:30pm, Stan and Dianne treated us to supper at the steakhouse (thank you!).  We had a good meal and then called it a night.

Today is a beautiful day!!!  The sun is shining and the wind has subsided.  We prepared eggs, biscuits, and gravy for brunch to give Stan and Dianne a good base for their journey home.  It was also the first time this week the weather was good enough to take a tour of Dianne and Stan's Scamp.  I took some photos while were were at their camp and you can see them by clicking the buttons on the left.

After Dianne and Stan departed, Denise, Lewie, and I fished in the boat.  Unfortunately, the reel on Denise's new red fishing pole broke and was unusable.  But no matter, it was still a BEAUTIFUL DAY!!!  Lewie had an extra pole along so Denise fished with that.  None of us caught much while we trolled most of the way around the lake but we didn't care.  It is a BEAUTIFUL DAY!!! It is so nice to be free and out of the trailer.  The evening was nice as well and we spent most of it outside playing Liar's Dice.

 Questions, Comments, Praise, Complaints?
Please send me an email at  drew@mykitchentable.net.