At The Lake

Andrew and I went up to the lake this weekend, and Andrew’s parents accompanied us (as did the dog, naturally).

We assembled at Andrew’s parents’ house at 6:00 p.m. Friday evening. Andrew’s mother made us all eat a plate of food before we headed out. She had prepared sesame chicken for us, which I had never had before. She served the sesame chicken with pasta, into which was mixed shredded carrots, shredded green beans, shredded red and yellow peppers, and shredded pineapple. There was no pasta sauce, because the tiny bits of pineapple moisturized the pasta and vegetables. It was one of the best things I had ever eaten, and I asked Andrew’s mother why she had not made this before. She expressed great surprise at my question, asking me, quite genuinely, “You mean you haven’t had this before?” I had not, and I told her that I had not. “Either I have not made it for a while, then, or I made it on nights you and Andrew were not here. I’m stunned.”

I was the one who was stunned, actually, because the chicken and pasta were so marvelous. It was the perfect light meal before embarking on a two-hour drive.

The dog ate a plateful of the chicken and pasta, too, and he loved it. Unlike me, it was not the first time he had been served this particular dinner.

He was excited during the ride up to the lake, because he knew where we were going. He loves to spend time at the lake. I think he enjoys time at the lake more than anyone else.

We arrived at the lake just as it was getting dark. First thing, we turned on the water and gas, and ran lots of water through the pipes and faucets. Then Andrew and I removed the sheets from the furniture and quickly vacuumed the floors while Andrew’s mother prepared for us a late supper of omelets with garden vegetables. During this time, Andrew’s father was outside, observing the dog race around the yard and run in circles and roll in the grass.

On Saturday morning, we had to mow the grass, which had already grown quite tall, and do some other yard work. Otherwise we did not do much of anything all weekend. We took the dog for walks in the woods, and played badminton, but otherwise we sat around reading and talking and playing with the dog.

The dog keeps a close eye on the lake, and he always barks at kayaks as they pass. He very seldom goes into the water, because he dislikes getting wet. The exception is when he sees something really interesting in the water that he cannot resist, in which case he will leap in and fetch whatever it is that has captured his attention and immediately return to shore. Most of the time, what he brings back is only a stick.

We returned home last evening, leaving an hour before darkness set.

This week will be a short workweek for Andrew and me, because we have two duties to perform over the long Memorial Day weekend.

On Thursday, Andrew and I will drive to Oklahoma to attend my sister’s high school graduation ceremony. Commencement is Friday evening, and Andrew and I will drive all the way to Oklahoma the day before. We hope to leave home at 6:00 a.m. Thursday morning, and arrive at my parents’ house by 10:00 p.m. Thursday night. It will be a long day, and a long drive.

The morning after my sister’s graduation, Andrew and I will drive to Denver, where we will help Andrew’s brother prepare for his move back to Minneapolis. We hope to leave Oklahoma at 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning, and arrive in Denver by 8:00 p.m. Mountain Time on Saturday night.

We will spend Sunday and Monday helping Andrew’s brother sort through things and pack things for shipping, and we will bring some of his things back with us when we return home on Tuesday. Between shipping some of his things back home, and our bringing some of his things back home with us, he will only need to make one trip when he returns permanently to Minneapolis at the beginning of July.

Andrew and I plan to leave Denver at 5:00 a.m. Mountain Time on Tuesday. We hope to be home by midnight Tuesday night. It will be another long day, and an even longer drive.

It will be a tiring weekend—over 2400 miles within six days—and both Andrew and I must return to work that Wednesday morning.

Consequently, it was good we had a restful weekend this weekend at the lake.