Lake Iwanttobethere

[Bobby Bass]

CHAIN SAWS ARE LIKE mother in laws, here at Lake Iwanttobethere everyone has at least one. Tuesday afternoon found us with a much better day but instead of fishing we spent it on cutting wood. Monday afternoon as I was sitting out of the weather at the Fellows camp at the Resort I along with some of the Fellows heard a loud cracking sound. It was pretty loud as we could hear it over the howling of the wind and our attention was brought to a large maple tree just off the Resort proper but still in sight. The wind was twisting this big old maple pretty good and the tree had a full head of leaves so to speak which was not helping any. The wind was catching the leaves and twisting the tree and sooner or later something had to give and it was the tree.

We stood and watched as the tree just kind of gave up and split. A large limb snapped right off and the rest of the tree just kind of followed the limb down to the ground. The tree settled onto the ground and it made a groan when it came to rest, at least that is what I heard, strangest thing. The down tree soon gathered a crowd as I along with others walked over to survey the damage. We all looked at it differently, Hammering Hank saw fire wood, Vic saw a lot of cleanup and I saw maybe a bench or even a table down the road. I looked at Chuck who has a saw mill and we both had the same thought about harvesting some straight wood from the tree. Not much we could do that day as it was still windy and we don't usually travel with our chain saws in our trucks.

Yesterday after breakfast we attacked the Maple tree like a swarm of human ants. Guys like to cut wood especially when they don't have to cut wood. We had a pretty good turn out of guys and the Fellows were all there to. Chain saws appeared from behind back seats and from the backs of pick up trucks and it did not take that long before the limbs were separated from the trunk and the brush was hauled back into the woods. Having a tractor with a bucket works o so much better then having to drag stuff by hand. If it was thicker then three inches it was cut into firewood. Bigger limbs headed to the log splitter and then tossed into the bucket of the tractor where they were dumped in a pile over by the wood shop. Gary one of the Fellows brought out his "Beast" chain saw and went to work on the trunk. Sawdust was flying as he did his Paul Bunion (a local guy) impression and by late afternoon the tree was gone and just a stump was left.

Chuck and I harvested a couple of nice sections of straight wood that will get some attention. Would have like to taken some bigger pieces but just too big and way too heavy to try and move. The Maple will find its way to the saw mill and when it dries I am sure I will find something to do with it. For now it was just dragged to the wood shop and it will rest there till we get around to it. Vic fired up the BBQ and we had some man size burgers and a few beers and as we sat on benches and leaned against pickup trucks we talked chain saws and bar oil. Wood chips were brushed from hair and pockets were turned inside out. Leather work gloves were set on the back of chairs to dry out. I was a little sore but it was a good sore, comes from working with your hands and knowing that you were going to make good use out of something and not let it go to waste. The big maple is gone but the guys will talk about the wind that took it down and we will gather around the fire place this winter and tell stories of the tree as we hold our open hands to catch the heat from it here at Lake Iwanttobethere {71,193}

[Bobby Bass]

WENT FISHING YESTERDAY Took a rode trip around the lake to a distant bay that was supposed to be a hot spot. The daughter wanted to go fishing and she had a day off from work and I told her to go a head and pack a cooler and we would head out to a new secret spot. I like it when the daughter packs the lunch, big change over the brown paper bag lunch that is always waiting in the fridge for me. We loaded up the Puddle Humper with the daughter's rods and set out to the secret spot. Took over an hour of driving and I had to look at the map a couple of times but we found the landing. We did not get out of the Tahoe, for the first time that I can remember I was done fishing before I even started. The reason, Wasps. Hundreds of them were swarming the Tahoe as we sat at the landing. I don't know if we drove over a nest or someone was there and did something or they were holding a union rally protesting white Tahoe's but they were banging off the glass loud enough to hear inside. We talked and decided to go to another small bay that I knew of just ten minutes away and we turned around in the landing area too only have the wasps follow us down the road, they were really mad about something.

Flies greeted us at bay number two and this was looking like it was going to be one of those kind of fishing days. We launched and the flies stayed on shore and no sooner did we go about a hundred yards and the wind picked up. We spent two hours tossing a little bit of everything and had one bite to show for it. The daughter was not having a good time and to my surprise she said we should change bays, again. Told her I knew of another bay and we could be fishing in forty-five minutes, she flashed me the thumbs up sign and we made a dash for the landing. We pulled up about a hundred yards from the landing and sat back in our seats as we watched and listened to a couple yell directions at each other as they tried to load their boat onto a trailer. From our vantage point that had two problems, one they didn't want to get wet and two they didn't want to get the trailer's tires wet either.

Finally they put the trailer deeper into the water and got the boat out of the water and up out of the way. The daughter and I beached the Puddle Humper and working like a well-seasoned NASCAR pit crew. We were loaded, tied down and gave a polite nod of our heads as we drove past the couple still working on their boat. Forty-three minutes later we were fishing on another bay. Five minutes later both the daughter and I had already lost fish and we were both in a happy mood again. Fishing was much better as we caught several hammer handle northerns and even managed to put an eighteen inch bass in the boat with the sun setting into the trees. With just enough light to load the Puddle Humper on the trailer we called it a night and headed the Tahoe for home. Never took a lunch break but now we started to dig in the cooler and soon I was munching on a ham and cheese on rye sandwich with Peach lemonade and cubed chunks of watermelon. Yup, I like it when the daughter makes the lunches.

This morning I drove into town and had a short wait at the car wash. The Tahoe was dust covered and the windows were cover in the splatter of moths and other bugs that didn't get out of the way in time. Lot of traffic in town as people were gearing up for the parade and of course I saw a few floats heading over to the high school where the parade will start. I ran into Chuck who was also in town running errands and I told him about not being able to fish his hot spot. We chatted about a few other things and he asked if I was coming to the parade, two of his granddaughters will be marching in the percussion section. I asked if they are in the rim fire or flintlock section and he told me he had one in both. Fourth of July parade, always a big bang here at Lake Iwanttobethere {71,354}

[Bobby Bass]

FOURTH OF JULY here at Lake Iwanttobethere is just like the fourth anywhere I am guessing. BBQ and parade, some fireworks at dusk and maybe some illegal firework displays. Howling dogs and the pontoon flotilla cruising the water of Lake Iwanttobethere. I say this because in the past I have written about the parade and about the go cart and lawn mower races. Sailboat races and fishing contest and of course the doings on down at the park. But some things just seem to change a little over the years and as I get older I tend to see the fourth a little differently.

The fourth of July this year was a quiet one and I say that because for the first time in almost a month I had a Friday where no one was blowing stuff up with a big enough bang that it would shake the cabin. Today I am surprised to find that they actually gave the road crew a three day weekend and it is quiet enough to sit on the deck and not have to yell to be heard. Then again there was a few things that I did notice when I was in town for the celebration. My neighbor Chuck was in town, he had a place just down from Ma and Pa's Grocery to sit. They had put down some beach towels on the curb and his young granddaughters were sitting on the curb waiting for the parade to start. I should take a moment to tell you all that we love tourists, we really do, we love to take their money. Being a tourist though does not give you the right to be rude and on parade day we had a few rude tourists.

The gals were sitting on the curb waiting for the parade to start and when the marching band struck up the first song people turned to look up Main Street to catch the first glimpse of them. This is when some tourist just walked around the girls on the curb and stood in front of them blocking their view that that had been waiting for. Now Chuck being Chuck would usually step up and say something to the tourist but with the new wife close at hand he was more reserved. Especially when she whispered loud enough for me to hear "Don't make a scene" I could see Chuck nodding his head but I also knew Chuck would have a back up plan. The plan was simple but effective, he bent down to his granddaughters and gave them each their own sparkler and then he lit them for them.

The girls waving the sparkler's inches away from the bare legs of the tourist who were blocking their view caught their attention. They turned to complain but a glare from Chucks wife quickly had them searching for what one said "A better location" I chuckled to myself and leaned over to Chuck to tell him "Well done" and we both went back to watching the parade and the marching band that was now passing in front of us. I thought the firing of the flintlocks at the end of the song was a nice touch by the percussion section. With the smoke from the flintlocks clearing I watched the rest of the parade and then hitched a ride down to the park. Smell of watermelon was in the air and mix it in with corn on the cob being roasted and sizzling brats on BBQ's my nose was soon twitching.

Some clouds came and went and a few rain drops fell, nothing to get ya wet but enough to make some people run for cover. By sunset the clouds were gone to bother someone else and we arranged our picnic tables and chairs to look out at Root Beer Island and the evenings high light, Nytelyters fireworks display. The marching band played and the timing was perfect as the fireworks were high lighted by the band and the band high lighted by the fireworks. The big closing number had the crowd up clapping and cheering and the final burst had the sky lit up overhead and when the percussion section fired off their flintlocks it was like you were really there, and I guess you really were here at Lake Iwanttobethere {71,414}

[Bobby Bass]

HEADED INTO TOWN this morning and as I was going out the door the wife was talking about having a hankering for some potato salad. I took that as a hint and added it on to my list of things to get. Road construction crew is working hard, I got a few waves as I drove by, but I had my windows closed and the a/c running. I got to town and I see Main Street is clean and all the hay bales have been removed from the go-cart races. Park is also clean and you can't even tell that the beer ball softball game went into extra innings. Mini- donut cart is stilled chained to one of the maples and so is the hot pretzel cart. I am guessing they will stay there till the county fair opens. A few boat trailers at the access and you can see a few boats out past Root Beer Island. Swimming area has kids out on the diving float and the town's lifeguard is hard at work, no doubt trying to score on one of the tourist girls he is talking to.

First stop is the General Store and I give Big Earl a HIYA as I walk past him into the store. Had to pick up some paper toweling and kitty litter. Made some small talk with Barb the cashier before heading back out to drop the toweling and litter in the back of the Tahoe. Next stop was Amy's Bakery and as I made the short walk to her shop I fell in behind a younger couple who were not local's but I am sure tourists. They were busy chatting back and forth between themselves and when they reached the corner they split apart but I could still hear them chatting away. The gal who was still in front of me walked right up to Amy's Bakery and went inside. I followed her in and I got a better look at her as Amy waited on her at the counter. I had first figured she had one of them headsets for her cell phone on but when I got a good look I saw she was wearing a Google Glass, hi tec arrives here at Lake Iwanttobethere.

Amy waited on the gal and then she left still talking away and in her own little world. I picked up some French bread and a quart of potato salad and made small talk with Amy before heading back to the Tahoe. A few other stops were made, Ma and Pa's Grocery, the Close Enough Shop and then I made a brief stop at Reed the Realtor place. No one answered the door so I just left a note on the door to call me. Getting to be that time of the summer to plan our baseball trip to the big city. Next stop was over at Rocky's Hobby Shop, needed to pick up some paint to touch up some lures I was working on. When I came out of Rocky's I noticed a small crowd across the street at Paul Bunion's TV Repair shop. Not having anything better to do I walked across the street and managed to see what they were all looking at. The guy who was wearing the Google Glass was talking to someone about this cool TV he was watching. I looked over his shoulder to see an old 12 inch black and white TV flickering behind the store front window. Guess this was something so old it was new to the hi tec guy.

Arrived back at the cabin and Duncan ran out to greet me, the old dogs Bud and Barney were no where to be seen. Then I spotted Barney down sitting on the dock and Bud was laying fast asleep under the Puddle Humper in the shade. I gathered up bags and made my way into the cabin and into the kitchen. I was about to tell the wife I had brought her potato salad when I saw the rising steam coming off the stove and through the haze I cold just make out the wife. Why do ladies have to boil water and make potato salad when it is ninety degrees out? Rather then yell which I knew from the past was not going to make any difference I set the bags down and went into the den. I put my keys on the hook and set my wallet and cell phone down on the desk. Walked down the path to the dock and stepped out of my shoes and went the end of the dock. Turned to face the cabin and just let myself fall backwards into the lake. When I came to the surface Duncan was standing at the end of the dock with a ball in his mouth. Seeing me he opened his mouth and dropped the ball into the water and barked once. I must have had water in my ears because it sure sounded like "Fetch" to me, Yup just another summer day here at Lake Iwanttobethere {71,534}

[Bobby Bass]

COOLER TODAY BUT the trade off it is raining some from time to time. According to Sunshine Ray we are suppose to get some strong winds again this afternoon with the occasional pop up thunderstorms. I am thinking it might be better to fish off the dock then take the Puddle Humper out. This time of the year rain is always welcomed by someone, mostly farmers and gardeners but not so much by parents who would rather like to see their kids outside then inside. Has gotten to be that time of the summer that every time I walk into the gardens to check on progress I pick up a hoe. Still working on hilling tatter plants and cleaning up weeds around the corn and in between the rows of vegetable plants. I did eat the first radish and picked the first strawberry the other day. Have been keeping that a secret from the wife as I figure if I am out there doing the weeding so I should reap the benefits. This is the second year that all the strawberries are inside the fence and in raised beds. I no longer have to share them with Bud who would get to them before I could.

The wife is calling me a profiler lately, and I admit I have become one. I have been profiling robins and everyone that fly's by I'm watching to see where they are heading. Dang birds are still trying to build nests around the property and I have no problem with them in trees but just stay away from the boat house and my ladders. Mayfly hatch is in full swing and some of them guys are really c-130 size. Add the dragon flies that are showing up in flights and it is best to walk around outside the cabin with your mouth shut. Elmer says fishing off his dock has been poor with all the bugs but then Elmer does not really put to much effort fishing off the dock. Just the other day I had to remind him that he is running low on sucker minnows.

Skeeters are another matter the big ones that you can spot heading in your direction from yards away have been replaced with what I call darters. The small tiny little skeeters that throw themselves at you like darts. No messing around looking for a patch of bare skin they just dive bomb in and hope to hit a bare spot. I think their bite is worse then the big guys or I guess I should say gals. Ticks have not been seen which is a tad strange but the spiders are starting to appear. Can't walk into the wood shop without have a few silk strands to go through. Of course not as bad as last year, there was a time there where I had a spider hatch in the shop and I was not in there for a week or so. It was like being in an Indiana Jones movie when I did go in, webs and spider line everywhere.

As I sit here in the den and I am looking at falling rain out one window while I see the steaming roof of the greenhouse out another. A brief shower just fell and has now moved out over the lake. I did have on my to do list today to go and look through my wood pile and see what I have on hand. The granddaughter is going away on vacation here soon for a week and it would be nice if I could build the tree house while she and her sister are gone. Speaking of sisters I just found out the other day that the girls are going to be big sisters, that is how I found out from my granddaughter that she is going to have a little brother or sister and I and the wife are going to be grand parents once again! Come spring I will have someone else I can write about here at Lake Iwanttobethere {71,605}

[Bobby Bass]

NEVER A GOOD day when you break a fishing rod no matter how many fish you catch. Yesterday it was like a perfect day to go fishing, wind was just right, partly cloudy sky and temperatures a steady seventy-two. Packed a lunch, added some extra chocolate chip cookies and was on my way fishing by two in the afternoon. Arrived at the bay and no one was at the access, launched the Puddle Humper and took the best parking space for the Tahoe and trailer. Pushed the boat out from shore and uncovered the rods of their protective travel sleeves and promptly lost one. I can only figure it must have fallen over the side of the boat and sunk, not a good way to start the afternoon of fishing.

Looked like a top water day so I started of buzzing my way down the shore line. A couple of snake northerns around the pads but no matter what I tossed over the top of the pond weed nothing was biting. I headed to a big bank of reeds and the bites picked up as soon as I got a hundred yards or so in. Black flies were going after my ankles and chewing me up! I got out of the reed/pond weeds but it cost me. I had the new worm rod on the front deck and a reed caught the tip and before I could do anything the front third of the rod got caught behind the bow cleat and it snapped. No sense in swearing as I was all alone so I just muttered some to myself and held the two pieces of a one piece rod in my hand. I got out of the reed bank carrying a bunch of stowaways as the boat was buzzing with flies. I did have a smile on my face when I reached under the seat and pulled out a can of yard guard and sprayed the boat and flies down. Dozens of them fell into the water and I was not about to throw them any life rings.

From there fishing got only worse. Bites were few and far between and I beat up the calm water with a buzz bait and then a frog and even a prop bait. A few days earlier I had banged by wrist against a door and now with all of the casting that was starting to bite me from time to time. I was thinking maybe I would be pulling out early when I had the passing thought of fishing where they ain't. I was fishing a fall pattern and we are only in the second week of July. I headed to the other side of the bay where there are no reeds and no pond weed and starting throwing a spinner bait down the shore line. Ninety minutes later and I had boated sixteen fish and was feeling a lot better. No real big ones, a couple of sixteen inch bass took honors and a couple more northerns went over three pounds, but everyone bent the rod and that is what I had gone fishing for.

I tossed the spinner bait till I was at the landing, hoping for a big one to give me a last cast bite, but it didn't happen. Skeeters were not too bad at the landing, maybe because I had the can of yard guard at the ready. Puddle Humper went on the trailer and I was all secure and headed back to the cabin munching on chocolate chip cookies and listening to a baseball game on the radio. The home team was even ahead in the score so even that was working out. Arrived home well after dark and left the trailer hooked up. Was greeted by dogs and a wave from the wife. Heading for the kitchen and made myself a roast beef sandwich. With the sandwich in one hand and a glass of milk in the other I stepped outside onto the deck and looked at a bright moon and a calm Lake Iwanttobethere, sometimes there are some really good days, even if you do break a fishing rod here at Lake Iwanttobethere {71,718}

[Bobby Bass]

THE RAIN IS done, at least that is what I am hearing on the radio here at Lake Iwanttobethere. A pretty good batch of thunderstorms moved by overnight but we here at the lake just caught the outside edge. Still from what I have seen so far this morning enough rain fell to fill the rain barrels and get your feet wet when you walk through the grass. Garden is muddy but I was thinking ahead when I put mulch down around the raised beds. I let the dogs out this morning to do their thing and I headed to the garden and the strawberry bed. With the mulch pathway I stayed clean as I collected enough fresh strawberries for breakfast. As I picked berries Bud had his face up against the fence and I could hear him whining quietly. In the past he has hit the strawberries before anyone else could get to them, but now they are fenced in and he can't get to them. I closed the gate behind me and headed to the cabin, Buddy on my heels. Halfway there I gave in and I took a berry from the bowl and gave it to him. I swear I could hear him smacking his lips behind me as I walked the rest of the way to the cabin.

Yesterday time was spent up on the roof realigning the antenna, the strong winds of the past week had moved it a tad and the wife was complaining she was missing a few channels. I don't watch any TV in the summer so I didn't miss out on anything. Fixing the antenna was uneventful, didn't fall off the roof, ladder didn't fall over leaving me stranded for hours, pretty unusually for Lake Iwanttobethere. Got the ladder out, no robin's nests on it, carried it over to the deck, missed all the hanging flower pots. Leaned it up against the cabin, climbed up to the antenna. Loosen the set screw, turned it a little to the West, retighten the screw. Climbed down the ladder and checked the TV. Everything working just fine. I then went out and sat on the deck waiting for something bad to happen. After thirty minutes I figured I was all clear so I went and put the ladder back and decided I would call it a day work wise, didn't want to press my luck.

Granddaughter number two called me on the phone, she is down south with her parents fishing at the in law's cabin. She called to give me a fishing report as my fishing spotters all are over the county. I sat down on the deck and listen as the seven year old complained about her other grandpa not putting her on any fish. I chuckled some and told her gramp Dave just needs to find some fish and she will do OK, we ended our conversation with a promise she will send me a fish picture if Grampa Dave ever finds any. I walked over to the Puddle Humper and inspected the broken rod from the day before. Took the reel off and looked over the rod, might be able to make a handle for it and turn it into a nice ice fishing rod but as an open water rod it was done for. When the wife was hanging clothes out on the line I snuck the broken rod into the cabin and stood it up with the ice fishing gear.

Today as long is it is overcast and wet out I will begin the search for a new fishing rod. Getting to be that part of summer when the dock bite starts to pick up and I can't very well be fishing docks without a worm rod. I already went through all the rods I have in my mind and I can't figure out how I can reconfigure any for worm fishing. I just need to go out and replace the broken worm rod. Of course this is kind of sudden, most rod shopping takes place over a long winter with several trips to the Masterbaiters Shop or to the General Store and maybe a couple of trips to Al-Mart, one should also spend time looking over catalogs and do some price shopping. I was going to be rushing it if I was going to get a rod before the next time I go fishing. I can only hope for some more bad weather to give me enough time to find a proper replacement here at Lake Iwanttobethere. {71,762}

[Bobby Bass]

THIS END OF Lake Iwanttobethere is like flower pot that someone held a watering can over and just forgot to move on. Last night just after supper a thunderstorm came over and just parked right over the cabin and it rained hard for about twenty minutes. I would say we received over a half an inch of rain in that time span as I watched a bowl sitting on the deck fill with water. I of course was sitting on the covered swing watching the rain and not making any effort to get into the cabin. From my vantage point I noticed that I should make a few adjustments to the placement of rain barrels as even though they are full they could be moved a tad to catch more water in them. Of course first off they would have to be empty for me to move them and that has not happen this summer. We are at no loss for rain as we have overcast sky again here today and no rain in the forecast but that is what Sunshine Ray said yesterday to.

Received a fishing update from the granddaughter, Gramp Dave has not put her on fish but she has found her own fish hiding under the dock in the shade of the pontoon lift. At last report she has caught eight including a small bass and is now showing gramp Dave the fine art of dock fishing. She told my she is having fun but I am going to need to restock her tackle box on her return. Yard is soaked and garden is getting muddy. Have lost yet another big strawberry to what I am thinking is the chipmunk. Bad enough that he or she sneaks in the garden to pluck the biggest strawberries but then it leaves half of it uneaten on the bricks that are stacked by the berry bed. It is almost like he or she is showing me what she or he has done. I am thinking I might put a call into the sniper team of Elmer and Vic and have them come down and take out the chipmunk with extreme prejudice.

Already the middle of summer as I see it is July 12th today. Halfway through July already and I don't remember much about June. Grass is deep and the trees are heavy with leaves, what is missing is my apple trees are bare of fruit and it does not look good for the second year in a row for apple pies. Garden has turned green this last week, the combination of rain and some heat is done more in the last week then the last month. Grass needs to be mowed again but not till it dries out. Lake is still up and the water is warming, can hear the jet ski's running n the afternoon. The Friday evening gathering of pontoons in the lake is growing in size. Last night I counted over fifteen of them tied together out in the lake. Kind of like a floating bar out there complete with lights and you can hear the music floating across the water.

At the Resort things are quiet, Vic has the place under control and the little bay has become a place for guys to come and hideout when the weather gets a little ruff on the big lake. We might actually turn a little profit this summer as the Bait Room is doing pretty well and the grill has been just busy enough that Marv still likes it. With the Fellows doing the mowing I can kind of sit back in the wood shop when I feel like it and relax. I think I am finally going to get around and make me some chairs up there. Sometime this week Chuck is going to haul is portable saw mill up and we are going to cut some logs up, Of course saying it is a portable saw mill is just a marketing ploy as the thing is a beast to get on the trailer, but that is what tractors are for here at Lake Iwanttobethere {71,816}

[Bobby Bass]

SO GLAD IT is summer and not the dead of winter here at Lake Iwanttobethere. It rained yet again overnight here. If this was winter the snow would have been deep and we would all be complaining. Since it was just rain there are some puddles to step over or through but the rest has disappeared into the ground and the old saying of out of sight out of mind applies. Silent Sunday here at the resort and one sure fired way to keep grown men quiet is to make sure they are well fed. Sun is showing itself from time to time between clouds that look like they could hold some rain. The rain is not in the forecast but Mother Nature never does what she is suppose to do but just does what she wants. There is enough of a threat of rain that most of the guys have their truck windows rolled up.

I was sitting out on the screen porch with some of the Fellows, relaxing and just swirling the last few spoonfuls of strawberry malt in the bottom of my glass. A tourist walked in with I am guessing his wife in tow. We all looked up and he said "Hello" we all replied with various versions of "HIYA" the man went on to say that he was told he can get a genuine throwback BBQ meal here, is that true?" Before answering I looked around the table and the plates and I had to pause and think about what the man said. Before me just a few minutes ago sat hamburgers and hot dogs and bottle soda. The hamburgers were made from ground hamburger and hand formed into patties and placed on the grill over wrist size maple sticks that had been reduced to red coals. The hot dogs were hand stuffed at Ma and Pa's grocery and were unwrapped from white butcher paper. Connected in links they had to be separated before they could be placed on the grill.

Ketsup and mustard sat on the table in glass bottles and a bowl held the home made pickle relish. Onions came from the garden and they to were diced or in big round rings and in a bowl. A canning jar held pickles for the hamburgers and if you wanted cheese on your burger you would take the wood handled knife and cut a slice off the block of cheese that farmer McDonnell's wife makes. Hot dog buns and the hamburger buns came from our very own kitchen and they were fresh baked just this morning. One of the Fellows, Steve had loaded up his hot dog bun with onions and relish and ketsup and mustard and was telling everyone who would listen that these are the best hot dog's money can buy. Elmer pointed out to him that they would be even better if he had remembered to put the hot dog in the bun.

Bacon for the burgers was hand smoked over hickory or we also had some smoked over Maple. Some guys can tell the difference in taste and like to mix some of each on their burgers. French fries are hand cut and deep fried to order. Cut from home grown garden potatoes you can hold them out and they don't sag. Lake Iwanttobethere Root Beer in frosted mugs sat on the table and Vic was still nursing a Bupple Up soda from his private stash. Marv had come out with his cart of ice cream and the green malt maker. Scoops of vanilla ice cream were dropped into the mugs of Lake Iwanttobethere Root Beer but I opted for a strawberry shake. Marv scooped ice cream into the metal shaker and added malt and just the right amount of milk. I produced some strawberries from my berry patch and a few minutes later Marv was handing me a malt with whipped cream and two cherries on top. I was trying to spear the second cherry in the bottom of my glass and I was thinking to myself what the guy had said, "Throwback BBQ" we eat like this every summer here at Lake Iwanttobethere {71,853}

[Bobby Bass]

BEEN A BUSY week and it is only half over with. Granddaughter two returned from her mini vacation with her parents down at Gramp Dave's cabin. The big event there is that she hooked and then lost a big bass right off the dock and under the boat lift. Story goes she was fighting the fish and yelling for someone to bring a net. Her aunt thought she was just joking and took her sweet time getting out of the lawn chair and getting a landing net. The granddaughter gave up on waiting and tried to pull the fish up onto the dock by using the line and of course the line broke and the fish slipped back into the water. Granddaughter had a melt down and her ma told her she was done fishing for the day. Thing is the granddaughter was not mad at her aunt or at even losing the fish but she lost her lure!

So the granddaughter was here for a few days before she sets of on yet another vacation, this is the big one as at the end of the week she is headed to Dollywood. Now I think you are thinking Dollywood is for old people and fans of country music but they also have one heck of a water park and the granddaughter lives to be in the water. I was told she will call me everyday, if she remembers and will keep me up to date. I know she is packing four swimsuits so I am not counting on getting to many telephone calls as they are going to be there for a week. The two days she spent here she made me work. She came over and asked if I had anything for her to do and I told here I had a million things that need to be done. She asked where the list was and I pointed at my head. She shook her head and told me I better start writing them down.

We worked on the list, at least the first few dozen of things that needed to get done. Yesterday when her mother came to pick her up we got in a little bit of trouble because she, the granddaughter was standing with one foot on top off the green house roof and the other on top of the ladder jamming the garden hose down the down spout clearing out maple seed pods that were blocking it. Her mother came around the corner and looked up to see her daughter a little wet and water spraying everywhere. The daughter gave me a look and I just shrugged my shoulders and told her it was on the list. We also stacked firewood and mowed the lawn, chased the chipmunk out of the strawberry patch a few times and saw a red fox running from Chuck's next door. Didn't see any chicken in his mouth but we called Chuck and told him he better count his birds just to make sure.

It was not all work as we need restock her fishing tackle box for her and I found a couple of replacements for the fishing lure she lost to the big bass. According to her the fish was longer then her arm and its mouth was bigger then a Miracle Whip jar. I was impressed and told her so. We then put new line on her rod so it will not happen again, her losing the fish. We picked strawberries and pulled up radishes. She planted yet more flowers with her grandma and we watched a couple of movies. Honey I Shrunk the Kids and E.T. I was surprised that she had not seen either one before. I must admit it has been twenty years since I have seen them so there were like new to me. This morning I have already been out in the garden, plucked some strawberries for breakfast and pulled some radishes for supper. I have it down on the calendar as a fishing day but the granddaughter left me a list of things I am suppose to do. Never seems to be enough time on nice days here at Lake Iwanttobethere {72,008}

[Bobby Bass]

SATURDAY MORNING HERE at Lake Iwanttobethere and it looks like it is going to be a Skeeter kind of day. I was out checking the garden already this morning and I didn't even get pass the gate before I was attacked. Overcast and humid out, the forecast is calling for some showers and maybe even a few thunderstorms. I am thinking if the wind does not start blowing I just may go fishing. A couple of days ago the chipmunk who has been eating my strawberries was eliminated by the crack sniper team, this morning when I went to check my berries and I found a small rabbit in the lettuce. Rabbit saw me and took off zig zagging through the potatoes plants like he was being chased. I figure that the red fox that I have now seen twice in the past few days will make quick work of him.

Granddaughter two is now on vacation and I miss her already, she must have known that I would because I found an envelope on my desk with my name on it, Papa. I opened the envelope to find she had left me a work list written in purple crayon. It only had one thing for me to do and it was written big enough to cover the entire page. PLAYHOUSE is all it said. I am hoping with some luck and no rain that I will have it pretty much done before she returns. Yesterday I did level the area and put some blocks down for a foundation and spent the afternoon cutting a steel door down to playhouse size. That in itself is a long story but I don't want to relive. Today I have to go down to the Lumber yard and see Ms Luan about some 2x4's and some plywood for the floor.

Middle of summer here and Friday nights are not quiet, with all the humidity in the air the sound of stock car races from the county dirt track can be heard way over here. No sooner does the road construction crew shut down for the day then we can hear the sound of the stock cars. For a few minutes between races it actually gets quiet around here and you can hear birds which for some reason sound very loud when sitting on the deck. I suppose they to have to raise their voices in order to be heard. Duncan has been outside most of the day with me, acting like my guard dog he is not too far away as he is waiting for the chipmunk to return. He sits by the driveway and looks at me and then back to the section of gravel where the chipmunk would run by on its way to the garden. The old dogs Bud and Barney are enjoying retirement I think. Most of their day is spent sprawled in front of the door of the cabin where you have to step over them to get inside.

I have been busy though, it is not all about sitting on the deck and watching someone else do work. All the firewood has been cut and split for the season and it stacked to the roof of the wood shed. Even cut another cord just in case this winter is bad like the last two have been. I am hoping we are done with that and I will just have a head start on the following season's wood pile. Grass is green the trees are full of leaves, bugs and birds everywhere and no snow. Kind of like summer is supposed to be like. Sunsets are getting to be colorful as there is a fire well to the north of us that is pumping smoke into the air. I guess down in the big city they would call it smog but here it is just something for the sunlight to shine off of and reflect on the waters of Lake Iwanttobethere {72,109}

[Bobby Bass]

REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVED YESTERDAY although they have probably been here the whole time, I just did not notice them. I am talking chipmunks! Yesterday afternoon I was working on the foundation for the grand kids play house and I was taking a water break. I was sitting on the deck and I watched as a chipmunk darted out from under the Tahoe and made a beeline right for the fence that protects my berry patch. The nerve of the little dude, in broad daylight it was running across the yard for what I am sure he thought was a free meal. Duncan was laying on the deck but as soon as he saw that I was interested in something he was up and looking for what I was looking at. A quick "Hunt em up" sent Duncan flying off the deck like he was diving in the lake and the chase was on.

The chipmunk saw Duncan coming and made a hard left turn and darted under the gate and into the garden. I had a surprise for him though. The plants are all big enough that Duncan is not going to step on anything and hurt them anymore. With the chipmunk chirping and hiding in the lettuce I open the gate and Duncan looked at me for the OK. "Hunt em up" and Duncan flew into the fenced in garden and with nose down the chase was on again. Down the lettuce row a right at the tomato plants and then another right and some zig zagging through the tatters. The chipmunk exited the garden by the squash and Duncan had to come back to the gate and run around the fence to continue his pursuit. To much time was lost and the chipmunk made it to the high grass and Duncan lost him. We spent the rest of the afternoon listening to the chirping of the chipmunk or I think chipmunks as they worked on a new raiding plan.

The day started off with the threat of rain and even though it got dark a few times nothing fell. Plants needed water so I went around to the rain barrels and filled the big water sprinkler thingie. While the bottle filled up with water I would take the hole and work on the weeds that seem to grow quicker then the plants. Now that I know that the bunnies have had a litter that is something else I have to watch in the garden for. Too bad the rabbits don't eat weeds, they would be welcomed in the garden. So I watered all the gardens and the flower pots scattered all over the yard and made sure the tobacco plants got a big drink. Last week I fertilizer them and they got a good soaking and I think they grew a foot since then, too bad I can't say the same for my corn.

Son called me told me he and one of his buddies were going to take their boats fishing, asked if I wanted to add my boat and we could have a little contest. I was outside when I was on the phone and I looked at the once again dark sky overhead and saw the tree tops were swaying pretty good and told him I would think about it. I kept working on the foundation and there were a few times when I thought I was going to have to put tools away but it never did rain. By five I was at the point where I needed to go to town and get some more wood and no sooner did I put the tools away then the wind stopped and I saw some blue sky. I am thinking if I had not watered the gardeins then it would have rained for sure. I ended up just sitting on the deck with my chair pointed at the vegetable garden and watching. Duncan was at my feet and he slept with one eye closed and the other staring at the garden. Might have been a good afternoon to go fishing but there is always another day here at Lake Iwanttobethere {72,193}

[Bobby Bass]

FORECAST IS CALLING for it to hit ninety in the shade and even higher then that if you are out in the middle of Lake Iwanttobethere in an aluminum boat at midday. Now maybe where you are ninety is no big deal but we don't get many days like that around here so we are never really prepared for them. A couple of feet of fresh snowfall and minus twenty temperatures, no big deal but hot weather, things come to a standstill around here. I have plans today and they do not involve any kind of work. I was up early and watered gardens and picked strawberries. Saw a few had parts missing, no doubt from the renegade chipmunks. Sprayed down the yard with the tick spray, not yet time for its scheduled treatment but the wife had a couple of ticks on her so I thought I would move up the application. I checked the dogs and they were OK so I figured the wife was just in the wrong place. I also had to move some metal roofing that I had stored away and they were covered in spiders. Don't know what it is about spiders but a lot of guys are not fond of them and you can include me in that group. Tick spray should take care of the spiders, I'll let the roofing sit a spell before I check.

Since I was out in the yard I saw Mark the mailman coming up the shoreline. As you know during the summer most mail is delivered by boat. Normally I don't see much of Mark in the summer as he comes by early. I went down to the dock and stood alongside Barney who was already down there. I looked into the water and saw that Barney was watching a few blugills just in the shade of the dock and I watched as they just kind of stayed in one spot, nothing moving but their fins as they held their position. Mark glided up to the dock and I pushed the boat off with my foot before it could hit the dock. HIYA's were exchanged and some small talk. I noticed Mark was dressed for the hot day wearing his postal shorts and shirt half unbuttoned. Add the flip flops and the woven round top safari straw hat he looked rather comfortable. Mark told me he would like to chat longer but he needed to get off the water early today and with that I pushed him away from the dock and he headed down to Elmer's.

I brought the mail into the cabin and put it on the desk, nothing there that needed my attention. I pause a second to look at the outdoor magazine that came. It had a cover on it telling me it was my almost last warning that my subscription was about to end. I think I just renewed it two months ago. Barney stayed down at the dock, Buddy was sleeping in my bed but Duncan was up and about looking for something to do. Told the wife I was heading to the Lodge and Duncan hearing the word Lodge was out the door and waiting at the Tahoe for me. Climbed into the Tahoe started the engine and turned on the A/C don't have a clue if it works, will be the first time I used it this summer.

Arrived a short drive later going through the road construction without having to wait for any trucks or backhoes. Parked in my spot and came through a closed back door. Lodge was dark with not any of the drapes pulled open. Just the light from the bar and the yellow glow of the popcorn machine. I let my eyes adjust to the limited light and I could hear the sound of the chugging air conditioner and I could feel the welcomed cool hit my skin. As my eyes adjusted I saw that several of the stools at the bar were already filled with roofers and of course the big round table held the Fellows. Looks like I was not the only one planning to hang out in the air conditioning of the Lodge here at Lake Iwanttobethere {72,255}

[Bobby Bass]

FEELS LIKE A hundred out as both Elmer and Vic told me that and they are old guys and have experienced enough hundred degree days in their lives that I tend to agree with them. Yesterday at the Lodge it got so hot that the A/C unit could not keep up so we went to the back up plan, we moved into the ice storage house. Don't take to long sitting on some sawdust over a stack of Lake Iwanttobethere Lake ice to cool you off. Matter of fact some guys had to step outside because they were getting the shakes from having their backsides frozen. We had a keg of Hamms out there on blocks of ice and the first few mugs went down pretty quickly. After that you learned to pace yourself and I was sitting near the door getting the proper amount of draft off the ice and the heat of the day from the open door.

Storm warning went up late afternoon as Sunshine Ray was on KCUM radio talking off a line of thunderstorms marching from the far side of the state heading this way. He was pretty sure we were going to get wet as the storm front was a couple of states wide. Hearing this the Fellows thought that they should head back to the Resort and take their crane down. With the threat of lightning they didn't want their crane to get struck. I might have mentioned the crane in the past but I don't remember. They got it last summer and we did some bartering so they could store it up at the Resort. Not really going to use it to do any building with just thought it would be a good idea to have one around. I must admit having your own crane is nice especially when you want to lift beds through the second floor windows of the Resort Clubhouse.

Last fall there was some talk of using the crane to support a deer stand but that proved to be unsuccessful as a single stand hanging from the crane tended to sway a lot in any kind of a breeze. Next idea was to just lift an entire ice shanty and use that as a deer shack in the air. That worked a little better wind wise but it would rotate still making it hard to shoot from. Fellows gave up on the hunting stand idea and the crane has been sitting till it started to get a little hot this summer. Now they have a rope tied to the hook and use it as a big swing out into our little bay. Fellows finished up their last couple of rounds of beer and went to the Resort and lowered the crane to the ground. From what Vic told me on the phone they did not have any problem getting it down, getting it up again is something else.

This morning finds me without telephone service and the lights were down for a while to. I slept right through the big storm that came through around three or so. I didn't think much of it as I went out to the garden to pick strawberries and the grass was already dry. Something ate one of the broccoli plants, I'm thinking a rabbit. The wife was none too happy when I told her. Picked my first ripe raspberry, about time. Rain is gone but the wind sure is blowing. About twenty degrees cooler then yesterday so it is doable weather to work on the playhouse today. I will have to wander over to Elmer's dock and see if he has any sucker minnows in his bait bucket. Maybe toss a line out and give Barney something to watch besides those bluegills under the dock here at Lake Iwanttobethere {72,343}

[Bobby Bass]

A PRETTY QUIET morning here at Lake Iwanttobethere. All I hear right now is the singing of a robin through the open window here in the den and the panting of Duncan under the desk. Not much of a wind so the wind chimes are quiet. Almost noon here as I write this Bud and Barney are already deep into their afternoon nap. Have been without phone service for two days, didn't miss it at all and as a matter of fact I turned off my cell phone so I would not have to answer it to have someone ask me if my phone service was back on yet. The mother in law unable to call her daughter drove over instead. They chatted in the kitchen while I did some weeding in the Garden of Weeding. I brought in a bowl of strawberries and rinsed them off in the sink and then sat them down on the kitchen table. The mother in law somehow got the impression that they were for her and she proceeded to eat the bowl of strawberries. Of course as she did she made several comments about how these berries are so fresh and sweet and so much better then the berries you have to pay for at Ma and Pa's Grocery.

Lucky for me we are having a bumper crop of berries this season and every morning I go out and pick fresh berries for breakfast. The raspberries are ripening now so soon I will be changing over to them for breakfast. I can see some jam in my future, maybe even some strawberry jam if I can keep the mother in law away from my pickings. Been busy the past few days, Granddaughters play house is coming right along on schedule. Walls are all up, sheeted and the metal roof is on. Waiting on my order of cedar siding from down at the Lumber Yard. Granddaughter will be back from her vacation on Monday so I will be having my first inspection that afternoon I am thinking. Afternoon's have been spent working on the playhouse and evenings have been spent burning scraps of left over wood in the fire pit. Garden is making up for lost time as everything is growing including the weeds. Last of the radishes have been pulled and now we are harvesting spinach and lettuce.

Have not been out fishing much the past couple of weeks, that time of the summer when you have to make a big push to get work done around the cabin. Having the playhouse to build is just something extra on the list of things to do. With all the rain the grass needs mowing as it is still growing. Usually during the summer I have grand kids here all the time but this summer they are staying home. There goes my cheap labor and now I have to do all the garden weeding and watering all the flower and gardens myself. Having installed a couple of more rain barrels and with all the rain the barrels never get drained and I can't use the hose without the wife looking at me over the top of her glasses and reminding me of all the money we are saving by buying rain barrels. Them were my words this past spring.

Stormy Clearweather is calling for a nice dry spell coming so it looks like I will be having no excuse for not doing some staining on the cabin and maybe even the deck. I do have some days penciled in for some fishing as we can't spent all summer working and not fishing. Of course I am spending more time just sitting on the deck and enjoying the quiet mornings here. Have even been going a few days without turning the computer on which is good. There might be some stretches here where the fishing reports are few and far between, Just means that I am fishing or laying on my back watching clouds sail by here at Lake Iwanttobethere {72,517}

[Bobby Bass]

RAINING HERE AT Lake Iwanttobethere this morning and I am torn between saying it is welcomed. A few drops were falling this morning when I made my way out to the berry patch to pick a handful of strawberries for breakfast. I was the last one up and the dogs had already been outside so when I opened the door and they saw the rain falling they just turned and walked away from the door. Overcast sky and a few drops were falling, the grass was wet and I thought there for a sec I should have put on a jacket or at least worn a hat. I let myself in through the garden gate and moved leaves around looking for some nice plump red berries. Leaves bounced from the weight of rain drops hitting them but they were few and far between. I had brought a quart size yogurt cup out with me and it was about half full when the rain drops starting falling harder and there were more of them.

Closes spot to get out of the rain was the under construction play house and I made my way there just as the shower turn to rain. Last night I spent some time in the playhouse as I was waiting on a thunderstorm. I had a cigar burning and I was sitting on a bench, the idea was I was checking to make sure there were no leaks in the metal roof that I had put on. I smoked the cigar and watched the thunderstorm just pass to the South out over the lake and except for a few drops nothing really fell. Today as I sat on the bench the metal roof was loud from the rain drops pounding it. No leaks so that was good and the big overhang that I had put on was keeping any water from falling where the window was going to go in. The play house is small only 6x6 and the roof is only a foot over my head. The sound of the rain hitting the metal was pretty loud and I can only imagine what it will sound like when it gets its first thunderstorm down pour. Hail should be a real blast to listen to inside it, might have to keep some ear plugs in there.

Sixty degrees out and with the falling rain I leaned back against the wall and watched it rain through the cutout for the big window. I think the grand kids will like the place once it is done. I figure I might as well enjoy the view for now as I am pretty sure it will be a "No boys allowed" once the granddaughters start decorating inside it. Guess it will be payback from when the grandsons sit inside the wood shop with the roll up door rolled all the way to the top. During rainstorms they will sit on overturned five gallon buckets just inside the door and out of the rain. I didn't do it on purpose but the big window of the play house is directly across from the roll up door of the wood shop. I can hear yells of "Taste Great, Less Filling" being shouted back and forth between the two groups even though neither one will know what the cheer means.

Showers are in the forecast for most of the afternoon, just enough rain to keep you from working outside and enough to get you wet if you are in a boat. I do like the cooler weather as I am not a fan of the hot summer, matter of fact give me a nice sunny fall day year round and I would be very happy. Shower ended but big drops from the Maple tree still fell and rang off the metal roof. I made my way back to the cabin and the wife asked me where the berries were. I looked into my plastic cup and it was empty, guess I had eaten them as I watched the rain fall here at Lake Iwanttobethere {72,565}

[AndreGahan]

WINTER HAS RETURNED to Lake Iwanttobethere but it is the more seasonable tourist kind of winter. Winter is winter, I can hear you saying that as you read but I am talking about twenty degree temperatures and it is snowing. I think everyone would rather have twenty above then twenty below. So far this morning there is about four inches of new snow on the ground and everything is a clean white again. The snow banks have gotten pretty dirty both in town and along the roads. Frank the plow driver has already been by pushing snow up to cover the end of my drive but I have not gotten the snow thrower out so I don't mind. Still another band of snow on its way so I will wait till later this afternoon and clean everything all up at once.

A few tobacco seedlings have already popped up in the trays I have over by the south windows in the den. Kind of surprised as they are supposed to take a little longer but even seeds have over achievers. Going to plant the celery and some cherry tomatoes today, figure I might as well get them started. The good news is that we are now less then three months away from the opening of fishing. I don't know how I let that date slip past me. Last night I spent some time on the Internet searching for best prices on some fishing gear, can't believe how much they want for wacky hooks. Nothing on TV to watch but repeats which I think may be a contributor to what we call Cabin Fever. With the weather finally warming I like everyone else will start to spend some more time outside. Matter of fact I am even thinking of just going ahead and pulling the snow off the cabin roof so I don't have to worry about my ice dams getting any bigger next week when the red needle on the bass thermometer is supposed to get above freezing.

Of course it is still winter and things break and need to be fixed. The Tahoe sprung a leak in the power steering hose and that needs to be fixed but I am going to wait for a thirty degree day to do it. Dodge is buried in a snow bank and maybe I'll start to clean some snow off of it but we still have a lot of winter left. Maybe I will just put it on the do list and let mother nature take care of it for me. Over at Chucks he has started to clean snow off his wedding shack foundation. Needs to get a roof on it and the wall sheathing now that the weather is improving. Won't be too much longer and he will have to get ready for Maple Syrup season so his days are going to get long real soon. Going to be a lot of snow to melt and ice out I think is going to be late again this year. Sunshine Ray is forecasting a cooler summer here at the lake since there is so much ice on the big lake, means our weather is going to stay cooler longer.

Lodge business has picked up some with the warmer weather as members are coming in for a tap beer, some conversation and maybe a few hands of cribbage. Word about me growing tobacco has several members offering to try out the final product. Of course they want me to hand roll them cigars and ask if I will be also making cigarettes manufactured by e cigarettes manufacturer. I usually reply with I will trade you one of mine for one of yours and the conversation usually changes then. The secret smallmouth lake is not so secret anymore either, but most of the guys at the Lodge are walleye fishermen and all they do is bad mouth the bass fishing. I always tip an ear in there direction when they are doing the bad mouthing as that is how I get some pretty good bass fishing lake tips.

Middle of tax season and guys who have received their refunds are coming in and clearing up their bar tabs and paying ahead on their membership and locker fees. I have noticed a few guys are actually cleaning up their lockers and making room for golf clubs and newly purchased fishing rods. Always nice to have a place away from home to weather your new purchases before bring them home slightly worn and passing them off as old stuff. Not every husband does that to his wife but I have seen where the guys who do it always seem to end up with more fishing rods and the latest sand wedge. I know few guys who would like to be able to do it with boats and atv's but we just don't have the space at the Lodge to store that kind of stuff, at least not without an increase in Lodge fees. I see the snow has started to fall again so I better get to planting some seeds here at Lake Iwanttobethere {64,244}

You do live in lovely place..Which seeds have you planted this time.. I hope you will like to share your experience..

[Bobby Bass]

FASHION IS PAINFUL that is what I heard a twelve year old boy yell at his mother outside of Al-Mart this morning. Made me chuckle as I watched a young family heading into Al-Mart with the young lad making his "Fashion Statement" leading the way. The fashion statement I guess was that he was wearing baggy, heavy black sweat pants with shoes a tad too big, he had on a black hoodie that was a couple of sizes too big and it looks like he had on an even bigger long sleeve sweatshirt on underneath. It was eighty-one in the shade and dripping humidity out with thunderclouds hanging overhead. I am guessing that his mother had asked him if he was a little over dressed and his answer was the fashion is painful statement. I on the other hand was wearing a tee shirt, shorts and flip flops carrying my wallet and my truck keys. Made me wonder if I was making a fashion statement to, for old people .

Had to go to Al-Mart for some rice, For some reason Ma and Pa's were sold out and I need some for Bud. Bud has had a bad week and has been sick so we are giving him some TLC with a diet of rice and some chicken. Stomach has been acting up and he is not himself. There is some worry going on here as he is almost fourteen and a half and at that age it does not take much to put an old dog in some serious problems. Duncan knows something is up as he will not leave the old dog's side and they are both together every time I check. I was going to do some fishing here but I have put that on hold as I am staying around to keep an eye on the old guy. The wife gave me a little bit of a hard time when I told her I had to drive to Al-Mart to get the rice but I told her I would do the same for her. I came home and found her boiling chicken for Bud.

Been raining off and on the past few days so I have been pretty lazy. Not working on the playhouse even though it did pass the first inspection from the grand daughter. She did say it was small but then I explained I had plans in the works for a deck that would be double the size of the playhouse. That met her approval and I got the green light to move on with the project. Of course she did have to climb up on the metal roof to look that over much to the dismay of her mother who spotted her walking on the roof and started to yell at her from the kitchen window till she saw me standing at the bottom of the ladder. She then just shook her head and disappeared from sight. No doubt to complain to her mother, my wife about me and my granddaughter her daughter.

I should be up at the Resort working today, Vic called me and told me one of the big white pines blew over two days ago. I called Chuck who told me that he and Hammering Hank were already on it. A big tree they cut the trunk up into seven nine foot sections and hauled them to the wood shop where the saw mill is set up. To much weight for the tractor they had to put the mower deck on the back end and then stacked some railroad ties on top of that. Only way they could move the logs and keep the back wheels on the ground. Fellows offered the use of the crane but they were working on a track that had come off so it was quicker to just use the tractor. Chuck told me that the saw logs are too big around to fit on the saw mill so they will have to be cut down some. We should be able to cut up some really nice wood out of the saw logs through. Going to have to start doing that here pretty soon, we are getting a pretty good pile of trees that need to be milled. Well that's it for right now, time to get a feeding in on Bud and rub his ears, he is getting a twinkle back in his eyes so I hope he is on the mend, I am not nearly done having him around here at Lake Iwanttobethere {72,808}

[Bobby Bass]

NOT A LOT to report today, has been pretty quiet here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Time has been pretty much spent with Bud as he is not doing well. The other night we gathered around the table and we finally talked about what we have been all thinking. That it may be that time when we bring Bud to see Mike the vet and he does what every dog owners hates to do but knows it is best for the pet. Very hard to write about so I am just going to leave it at that for now.

In other doings here at the cabin the playhouse is coming along. I did make it into town yesterday and picked up the siding. I may or may not work on that today as Stormy Clearweather is calling for some humid weather this afternoon and a chance of a thunderstorm. Last night I was at the Resort for awhile. Had to pick up Bud and put him in the Tahoe but he enjoyed the ride and had his head hanging out the window. He walked up the stairs to the Clubhouse and acted like a celebrity as the Fellows were there and everyone took turns rubbing his ears and giving him pats. I exchanged glances with the guys and no words were exchanged about Bud, we have all had dogs and we all shared the passing of a buddy. Bud soaked up the attention and I even saw him wag his tail a few times.

I caught up with Vic and he told me that Dock Burriem and him have been following a school of crappies around the bay, they pretty much have them figured out where they will be at dinner time and fishing has been good. Arlo has been coming in just about every afternoon looking for night crawlers. The trout are still biting up in the creek and as long as they are he will keep feeding them worms. Vic is also trying to make friends with the red fox, he has seen the fox running away from the garden twice this last week with what looks to be rabbits. With the rabbit problem reduced there should be no need for Elmer and Marv to climb back into their ghillie suits. Chuck has been up in the wood shop. The portable saw mill is now set up outside on a level area and he expects to start cutting wood here soon. The nine foot white pine logs may have a future ahead of them as planks for some raised garden beds. We first have to cut them up on the mill and see where we can stack them to dry for next year.

Of course having the Fellows all together at one time I had to ask them what their current money making venture is. Gary was happy to tell me that they have a real money maker going now but they have not yet decided on what they should call it. I sat down with them at the big table and asked them to "Pitch it to me" Gary started off with they want to call it either the "Last Word" or "The Profanity Machine" I sat back trying to get my head around the names and figured I was already lost as to what they were trying to sell. Steve said they got the idea when one of them saw the propane tanks for sale in the rack outside of the Gas-N-Go and read the sign wrong. Anyway they want to market a machine that you can shout profanity at and it will swear back at you. The idea is that you can mouth off to the machine and know that no one is going to take a swing at you. The wife or girlfriend version would let you lip off at your better half and get the last word in. They figure for a quarter it would be a hot item. I nodded at the guys and told them to get back to me when they get a model running. In jest I said maybe a mother in law version would be nice. Gary grabbed a napkin and took out his pencil from behind his ear and I think he wrote that down. Hey if this works it was dreamed up here at Lake Iwanttobethere {72,980}

[Bobby Bass]

A LAZY SILENT Sunday here at the Resort on the banks of the small bay on Lake Iwanttobethere. I came back out to the Resort this morning as I was going to help Chuck cut some of that white pine on the sawmill. I brought Bud back to the cabin last night after Vic had slipped him a bagel with peanut butter and bacon on it. The dog didn't have any problem eating it and I figured I might be getting a little conned over his upset stomach. When Bud got home I told the wife nothing of his bagel eating and she proceeded to hand feed him a can of soft dog food. He looked at me between spoonfuls and I kept his secret.

This morning I left Bud at home and brought Duncan to the Resort. We arrived to sunny sky and a slight breeze. Ten minutes later and it was raining, five minutes after that it was sunny out with a slight breeze. Twenty minutes after that I was using a towel to wipe down the seats in the Tahoe, had forgotten to roll up the windows. With Duncan at my side I was walking to the wood shop when it started raining again, are you sensing a pattern here? I ducked under the porch roof of Dock Burriem's cabin and he came to the screen door and said I should get out of the rain. He open the door and let Duncan in his cabin but closed it before I could get in. He looked at me through the screen and said he was talking to the dog not me. Duncan wagging his tail didn't even look back at me as he followed Dock to the kitchen and his waiting cup of tea and saucer with a couple of cookies.

The rain stopped and I left the cover of the porch and headed to the wood shop, Dock will let Duncan out when he is done with his tea and after he shares his cookies with him. I found Chuck waiting at the wood shop, water dripping from the eves and he was wiping his hands with a old blue towel and looking skyward. "So are we cutting wood today" I asked. Chuck just kind of shrugged his shoulders and said something about not really wanting to work in the rain. We stood side by side looking at the wood mill and the sky and both came up with the same idea at the same time. I headed over to the Fellows camp site. The idea was to have the Fellows start up the crane and lift the metal hut from its resting place where we were using it for a cover to split wood and put it over the portable saw mill. It is nice to have a crane at your disposal, we keep finding so many uses for it.

I made it down to the Fellows camp just as another rain shower started up. I could hear whooping and hollering and I went up to the door to see them all inside gathered around the TV watching a hockey game. Some of you may think it is a little strange to be watching hockey in the middle of summer but once again the crane comes into play. You see the Fellows have put a dish on top of the crane and have the crane pointed north towards Canada. There is always someone playing hockey in Canada. I let myself in and saw that the game was tied at two so I had not really missed to much, with the third period just starting I decided to watch the end of the game and have a brew here at Lake Iwanttobethere {73,076}

[Bobby Bass]

GRAND DAUGHTER WAS here yesterday, she brought over a big bag of stuffed animals for the play house. For her very first birthday I bought her a big stuffed black bear and have been doing it ever since for her birthday and Christmas. Her Dad has joined in on it and now she gets four big stuffed animals a year, she is seven so you do the math. She also has a zoo of smaller stuffed animals and her mother, my daughter has threaten to hold a rummage sale to reduce the animals and make room so her floor in her bedroom can be seen. I made the mistake of saying some of the animals could come to the new playhouse and yesterday the first load arrived. She had maybe six animals in a fifty-five gallon clear plastic trash bag. At first glance all you could see were eyes and mouths smashed against the clear plastic and it did not take to much of an imagination to see they were pleading for their release.

I was sitting on the deck in the shade and the granddaughter sat down alongside of me and asked why I was not working on her playhouse. Told her I was pretty much done for the day already as it was after six and when the sun starts getting lower in the sky I start running out of get up and go. She then looked at me over the top of her cup with the straw dangling from her lips and said "Are you Solar Powered?" After I got done laughing I told her I do believe that I am. That would explain why I don't want to work when it is raining out and why winter seems to be so long. We sat on the deck and talked for awhile, me with some ice tea and her with chocolate milk. Soccer has started and she told me about her first two practices. I told her I already had her games marked on the calendar and I should be able to come to all of them.

Today finds me working away, must be because the sun is shinning. With almost the first week of August out of the way this summer looks like we might not have a long hot spell. I noticed the grass is pretty green as we have been getting rain every few days and the garden is doing pretty good. Still have two months of growing to do and I think I am going to have a wealth of tomatoes and cucumbers. No cauliflower as something got my last plant. I noticed that this morning when I was picking spinach. That and there is still a chipmunk left, I saw him zip through the lettuce and through the potatoes before going through the fence and heading towards Elmer's garden. I was lazy this morning and used the garden hose to water. A nice fine spray got everything wet and it moved the leaves around to reveal a half dozen strawberries that were ripe and ready to be picked, so I did and then I ate them as I watered.

From what I have been hearing fishing has been slow, some fish are being caught but no stories of any big ones either caught or ones that got away. I always seem to spend the middle of July to the Middle of August on dry land. Must be that I have projects to do or it is just too warm and I am waiting for the cooler weather of fall. Speaking of work the saw mill is up and running, as I write this Chuck is cutting up one by boards and stacking them to be cut down to working size wood. The saw mill is a one man operation and I would just be in the way, at least that is what I have been telling him. Told him he has a real Little House On the Prairie Mill going and then I ducked the chunk of bark he tossed at me. Well my battery is full so I better go out and mow the grass, have to get it done before the sun goes down here at Lake Iwanttobethere {73,230}

[Bobby Bass]

WALKING WEDNESDAY HERE at Lake Iwanttobethere. We call it that because over at the golf course on Wednesday no riding golf carts are allowed. Most if not all golf courses up here require you to rent a riding golf cart, that way they get golfers to move along quicker and get more golfers on the course. Mike who owns the golf course likes to fish and several years ago he changed Wednesday to walking so he could spend the day repairing his golf carts, this way he does not have too stay late during the day and can get his fishing in. Surprising a lot of the tourists who come and play the Lake Iwanttobethere course find a relaxing nine holes of walking golf to be quite refreshing but a little hard on their pocketbook.

All golf holes on golf courses have their own local names, here we call hole number eight "The Money Maker" six days of the week it is a dicey little par three. You have to shoot across the creek and up over a small cliff to a green you can not see from the tee. You then have to cross over the bridge and follow a winding trail up to the green to see where your ball landed. Normally a nine iron shot but we have seen tourist use a variety of clubs. No grass grows on the cliff face as balls are repeatedly driven in to the face of the cliff to fall back into the stream where mike later collects them and sells them in the Golf Shop.

The reason us locals call it the money hole is because on Wednesdays Mike will move the hole to the left side of the green normally it is on the far right protected by a bunker you can't see. There is a natural funnel in the ground there and if you hit within ten feet of the hole the ball will trickle down into the cup. Tourist gets a hole in one and everyone in the clubhouse gets a free drink on the tourist. Mike sells enough extra booze to cover the down time on his golf carts and everyone is happy. Of course locals only get to take a two on their scorecard to be fair.

Yesterday day I got the playhouse all covered in felt, had to search in the wood shop for enough paper to cover it all. Today with any luck I will start siding and see how far I get with that. I shot a round of golf early this morning and that is what brought up the golf course. I mention that because the Fellows were all there as they are every Wednesday. Fellows are not ones to pass up on the chance of a free drink or two or three. Dock Burriem, formerly known around these parts as Doc Berrium was also there. He does not look out of place at all as he was wearing his plaid kickers and checkerboard yellow shirt. Back in the day when Dock used to golf a lot his clothes were in style for the golf course and now in retirement his old wardrobe is back in style, at least on the golf course.

With my round of golf in I feel almost like I should go and take a nap but I am sure I will find something to do. Still early here at Lake Iwanttobethere in the middle of the week in the middle of summer and not yet the middle of the day. Wife must have seen me eyeing the easy chair and she brought over the clip board with the Honey Do List on it. Duncan came in with a ball in his mouth and Bud who is feeling much better just dropped his food dish on the floor in front of me. Phone just started ringing and someone is beating on the screen door. So much for a chance at an early nap here at Lake Iwanttobethere {73,285}

[Bobby Bass]

HAS BEEN A pretty nice week here at Lake Iwanttobethere, the kind of week that you call your relatives out of state and brag to them about it. No rain, no high winds, a great week to be staining or painting or in my case enjoy the fact that I did not do any painting or staining. I sat in the shade on the deck and enjoyed watching butterflies float by and bees work on the deck planters. I had a cold glass of something always close at hand and I spent time calling relatives and old friends and rubbing it in how they should be here alongside of me in the empty deck chair. I got a round of golf in, mowed some grass and spent time early in the mornings picking stuff from the garden to munch on later in the day. Last of the strawberries have been picked but raspberries have taken their place. Small carrots are growing and I have been thinning them by pulling them and eating them right in the garden. A couple of ripe tomatoes have found their way to the supper table along with some cucumbers. Peppers have finally appeared and potatoes are fully flowered. Just watching stuff grow in the garden can be an easy way to waste a day away.

Granddaughter had a soccer game and they won, the level she plays at now has goalies and they keep score. A few of the players actually play their positions so it is not like watching a school of fish swimming in a tank. Playhouse is coming along, started putting siding on but got sidetracked. Granddaughter is busy with soccer so she is not in a hurry any more to move in. Neighbor Chuck came over yesterday and sat for a spell. He was looking for an excuse to just enjoy the summer day instead of working. We sat on the deck and talked fishing, gardening and made plans for the boards that will be cut from the big white pine that fell. Right now we are planning making raised beds from the wood which of course led us to talk of what we will be planting in the new beds next spring.

Late in the afternoon yesterday the van with the soccer team came by to drop off the granddaughter, I spoke with the coach who set they had to cancel practice because of a scheduling conflict. Told him I just mowed and if they wanted to kick the ball around here they were welcomed. A few minutes later and I was sitting on the deck with the fly swatter close at hand and the air was filled with the sound of seven year olds kicking soccer balls and girls giggling. The Shyster twins play on the team with my granddaughter and they are good enough kids, they just seem to get in a lot of trouble because of their last name. After an hour or so they all loaded back up in the van and they were gone. Peace returned to the cabin and the grass was a little trampled but none the worse for wear. Elmer came wandering over and he had that look about him. He shuffled up the stairs and sat down on the deck chair next to me. Rubbing a couple of days of growth on his chin he was looking around and finally I broke the silence and asked him what he was looking for. He said he was taking a nap and he had a dream about being back in grade school and hearing the Shyster sisters laughing.

I nodded my head but did not tell him anything about the little soccer practice. Elmer sat back in the chair and closed his eyes and I did the same. I was not thinking about the Shyster sisters but I did have some passing thought about the Hayes twins here at Lake Iwanttobethere {73,463}

[Bobby Bass]

YESTERDAY WAS SILENT Sunday and I did my best to keep quiet but it was also baby M's birthday party. I hauled a load of chairs over in the Tahoe and arrived a half hour late but yet I was still on time. Even though the outdoor party was to start at two there were still family and friends showing up till after three. Kids running around and the slip and slide was in operation. I found a nice place under a tree and set up my chair and sat back to be an observer not a participant. I am the grandfather and I watched as my son in law tended the grill and my daughter made the rounds of the tables serving soda and coffee. I was not alone as the wife was with me when she was not in deep conversation with the other grandmother and trading sewing ideas and the recipe to her brownies. The two dogs as soon as they spotted me came over to get pats on the backs and rubs behind their ears. They left every time someone new came to the back yard but they always returned to sit under the tree with me.

A peaceful day as there was not the sound of any construction in the air just kids having fun and the background noise of several conversations at once. I sat under the tree with a small table and my glass of ice with some soda and relaxed. That morning I had finished putting the last two pieces of siding on the playhouse. Put all the tools away and the next step is staining but that was not going to happen that day as rain was in the forecast. As I sat in my chair the first drop fell, well at least the first drop that I felt. The drop had to work its way down through the canopy of leaves and branches before it hit my knee. Didn't even make a splat as it was just a little drop. The other grandmother made noise about how it was raining and fled inside the house. Kids who were playing in the pool and on the slip and slide didn't even know or care that some rain was falling.

Ladies headed for the inside of the house but the menfolk formed small groups and stood under the leaves of trees. Paper plates were held in one hand while hot dogs and brats were eaten with the other. It never rained hard, just kind of a sprinkle fell. The kind of rain that you would not even bother putting on a rain coat if you were out fishing. After a while the granddaughter came out to tell all the menfolk that cake was going to be served and she was not going to bring it out to them. We left our chairs that were still dry where we had sat and made our way inside to cake and presents and the off key singing of Happy Birthday.

I drove back to the cabin with the daughter and a load of damp chairs. The rain followed me and I had to turn the wipers on. Arrived home and let the dogs out who ran and played on the wet grass. Guess it has been a week or so since we have gotten any rain and as I walked around the yard with the dogs I did notice that the ground was showing cracks under the grass. I went and stood under the big overhang on the new playhouse and watched as the dogs with noses down worked the wet grass. The rain lasted almost till this morning. I woke up once as I had the window open and I could hear the water coming off the roof to hit the rain barrel. The barrel must be full again and the rain coming off the eve was playing a tune on the plastic cover. A little wind was blowing and it must be moving the falling stream of water as it sounded like it was hitting the barrel and then hitting the deck and back again. I didn't listen to long, I was soon back to sleep here at Lake Iwanttobethere {73,643}

[Bobby Bass]

CHANGE IS COMING I can feel it in the air, this morning as I sat out on the deck with my first glass of orange juice of the day I could feel just a little nip in the air. It might be because the deck chair I was sitting on was damp from the surprise rain that fell last night just at dusk. It was not supposed to rain at least it was not in Stormy Clearweathers forecast but that does not mean that it could not happen. I was at the granddaughter soccer game and I saw the dark clouds coming in over the tree tops and I had a feeling it was going to get wet. The youth soccer games are held in the outfield of the softball field. A large portion of the crowd that comes and watches these games are grandparents and for most of us we have not stepped on the grass of an outfield of a softball field for decades. For us old folks who were not smart enough to bring a fold up chair we sat on the ground and watched the game. When it was over we helped each other get up off the grass and no excuses were made about bad knees or sore hips. We were old and it just takes a little help getting up off the ground these days.

The long finger of civilization is getting a little closer to the cabin here at Lake Iwanttobethere. On my ride back home I saw they were getting closer to paving a section of the road that goes by the point where I have my cabin. It will be nice to be that much closer to pavement but then again having pavement that close takes away some of the country out of living out on the point. When I got back home last night Duncan ran out to greet me and did his normal jumping and running around the Tahoe. Buddy still recovering from being sick took his time walking out to meet me halfway. I reached down and gave him a pat on his side and he head bumped my knee before the two of us walked to the cabin taking our time. Barney just sat on the deck and gave me his "What's up look" before lying back down on the deck and going back to the nap I am sure I interrupted.

This morning I am a little sore and moving a little slower, might be why I am thinking there is a change coming. Of course yesterday I hauled a load of wood down to the high school football field. School is starting up here soon and already the call went out for wood for the homecoming bonfire. I had a mess of plywood from the old shed and a couple of stumps that I donated. Made the wife happy about getting rid of the wood as if it stays around long enough she knows I will build something out of it. Told her that when I finished siding the playhouse that I would clean house so I hauled all the wood scraps down to the field. A couple of the football players helped unload the Dodge so that was good. They were holding a captains practice and were using the field. Of course they are not supposed to be on the field but somehow this time of the year the lock on the gate is gone and instead there is a big chain that hangs loosely from the gate to the pole. Funny how there is enough slack in the chain to let people enter the field now.

County fair starts up this weekend and the week after that the kids are headed back to school, where did summer go? Seems like it was just last week and the kids were jumping off the dock to go swimming for the first time. I am already noticing less lights on the lake at dusk, seems like some people have already started to stay home and not come up to the lake. Another three weeks and the lake will go quiet and I will be fishing alone. Best time if you ask me, no jet ski's and no waiting at the launch. Trouble is then you have to decide between working on the cabin, fishing or going to take a walk in the woods with Duncan, What a terrible problem to have here at Lake Iwanttobethere {73,845}

[Bobby Bass]

TAKING A BREAK from staining and painting outside. Other day I got the sprayer out and spent ten minutes spraying the siding of the playhouse and then thirty minutes cleaning up the sprayer. I sided the playhouse in rough pine siding and the sprayer was the way to go, I would still be out there with a brush if I did it that way. So today I am brushing all the trim on the ground. It is all cut but needs to be stained then when it dries I will go ahead and nail it up. While I was at it I had some corners that needed to be done for the shed and shop that I had not gotten around to so what should have been an easy job became a chore. I was all set up with the saw horses and had the wood all laid out when the sun decided to appear and I was soon sweating away and a pleasant task became work. I hate work.

Now I am waiting for the sun to slide around to the other side of the cabin and I will have shade to work in. The time was not a loss though as I had lunch, wife cooked up some polish and I followed it up with a nice slab of ice cold watermelon that I bought last night out at the produce stand on the highway. I bought the watermelon, the whole thing not just a slab. The melon has been sitting in the fridge overnight and has chilled to the proper temperature. Granddaughter had another soccer game last night, better outcome as her team won 7-2 after being down 2-0 I took the round about way back to the cabin as it was a nice night and I was in no big hurry. I saw Clive was still manning his stand and I pulled into to chat some and check on his produce.

Clive and I exchanged HIYA's and we made small talk, the usual stuff, wife, kids, grand kids. Been out fishing much where ya been catching them at. A few little fishermen lies were exchanged and Clive went to help a little old lady who was picking through his sweet corn and dropping the ears back on the table after tearing the husk back and poking the kernels with her finger nail. I heard her say to Clive that she can buy better corn then this down the road, and cheaper to! I then heard Clive tell her she better be on her way and get there before they close. I chuckled some to myself as Clive came back to me and we both watched the lady make a scene for another couple who were looking over the tomatoes. Clive started to clap his approval and to my surprise the family joined in and so did I. The lady left in a huff and Clive said to me, "Sometimes I do so love having my on business"

The young family waved at Clive and he went over and put fourteen ears of corn into a paper bag and then charged them for six. The family left with a promise that they would be back. A few more minutes of chit chat and I told Clive I needed him to pick me out a good watermelon and he reached under the table and held one up for me to see. "I was going to bring this one home for myself, but its all yours for five dollars even." Clive looked at me and I smiled and replied, "You know down the road I can get that same melon for four dollars, BUT I think I would rather have yours instead." Money was exchanged and I headed back to the cabin, the watermelon sitting in the granddaughter's car seat behind me. Would not be a proper day for staining unless it was sunny and I had chilled watermelon here at Lake Iwanttobethere {74,001}

[Bobby Bass]

WAIT FOR IT that is what I am thinking here at Lake Iwanttobethere this morning. I was up early and out on the deck in time to catch the calm of day break. Most people think that early in the morning it is pretty quiet out but if you take a seat and look around it is actually a pretty busy time of the day. I sat down on one of the wood chairs on the deck and I was alone, dog wise. The dogs were all still sleeping in the cabin and it was one of those rare times when I was alone. Right off the bat a couple of crows flew low overhead, they were so low I could see their eyes as they looked me over as a possible breakfast opportunity. The air was still and the waters of Lake Iwanttobethere were dead calm, not even a ripple and the old wood row boat sat tied to the wood dock and was so still in the water that the dock and boat looked like they were a painting and not the real thing.

Every thing might have been so still because the air was so heavy. The sky was overcast and it was giving that threat of pending rain. I sat on the deck chair and leaned back against the wood slats and waited. Edd and Eddie the squirrels were the next to arrive. They bounced across the grass one following the other without a care in the world. Big busy tails following them as they searched for what ever it is they search for. They were distracted by a couple of chipmunks that zipped across their path. The chipmunks seem to only have two speeds, the o so slow to tease Duncan speed and the hyper light speed that leaves them as a blur. They were in hyper light speed mode and I looked back the way they had come to see if something was chasing them. Nothing appeared so I just figured the chipmunks were being chipmunks.

Seagulls drifted by, these I know were heading down to the softball field to do their morning scavenger hunt. A hummingbird just appeared out of no where and checked the feeder for a second before elevating and heading in Elmer's cabin's direction. The calm heavy air carried sounds from a distance as I heard the barking of a dog from across the lake and as I sat in the chair from time to time I would hear the moo of a cow. The silence was broken as the storm door behind me slammed and Duncan appeared. He walked over to me and stretched and then allowed me to pat him on his head before he slow walked to the edge of the deck and then gathered himself and jumped into a new day.

The moment was gone as Bud and Barney were next out the door and they to came to me for a quick good morning before stepping down off the deck and on to the grass. Ed and Eddie were gone at the sound of the storm door and Duncan was already where they were, nose down and sniffing. I got up out of the chair and the cracking of my knees added to the sounds of the morning and I walked off the deck and on to the grass. I took the path down to the lake and just around the high grass of the bank I spotted a dozen geese. The past week the geese have appeared. Don't know if they are passing through or they are from the other side of the lake and have found something to keep them interested over here now. Duncan seeing me came flying down the hill only to put on the brakes when he saw the geese.

He tossed out a few of his big dog barks and the geese just looked at him and a couple flared their wings and stood tall. Must be lake geese as normally the wild ones take wing but these guys were not giving up any ground. Matter of fact a few of them were heading in my direction acting like winged bullies. I figured Duncan needed some back up so I yelled for the boys. Buddy came down the hill, not running but he had some seriousness about him. Barney saw his brother heading down the hill and followed. Duncan with some reinforcements barked a few more of his big dog barks and the geese answered with a barrage of honks, we had the beginnings of a conflict. That was until Bud put his head down and charged into the geese sending the ones on shore back into the water and Duncan and Bud followed right behind him for support.

With the geese all now swimming out past the dock Duncan ran up on to the dock and gave them a few of his "Don't come back here barks" Barney took up his position on the dock and Bud panting some started the walk back up the hill. He had that look of his on that he gives Duncan when he is teaching him something. I to turned to walk up the hill and the calm was gone. As I started the walk up the tree tops started to sway and I could hear the sound of wind arriving. The leaves made that rustling noise when wind blows through them and then the wind hit my face. I figured I would just go back to the deck and sit in my chair and wait for the rain to start here at Lake Iwanttobethere {74,055}

[Bobby Bass]

THIS MORNING I woke up and laid in bed for awhile thinking that it sure would be nice if we all had stunt doubles. I'll tell you why as you read on. The past four days I have had the pleasure of having my number two granddaughter here. She is my little fishing buddy and the plan was for us to go out on the Puddle Humper and get some last of summer fishing in before school starts next week. She had a break between soccer games so she convinced her parents that she needed some cabin time with Papa. Saturday we were going to spend the day at the county fair but we got rained out. Sunday was going to be a fishing day, but we got rained out. She stayed an extra day and fishing was planned for Monday, but we got rained out. Yesterday she had to go home but the morning was still busy as we found some projects to do on her playhouse, between rain showers.

I made the mistake of taking the granddaughter up on a challenge, the challenge was to see who gets hurt more. The granddaughter is not having the best of summer having fallen off her bike a few times and skinning up her knees and elbows. I give her a hard time about her bruises and she tells me they are signs that she is busy and not sitting on her butt, I agreed. Last week she was with her dad and slipped off a long board, which is just a big skate board and took some skin off her knee. I called her a klutz and she made the challenge that I get hurt more than she does. She may be right or I think she just jinxed me. Yesterday morning with some light rain falling we went into the garden to pick raspberries for breakfast. I was leaning in picking berries and I stepped in closer and put my foot down on the rake that the wife had leaned up against the fence but not in the correct position. The rake as you might have already guessed smacked me squarely between the eyes and I was up one to nothing on the injury scoreboard. To make it worse the granddaughter pointed and me and said "Classic" I question what she meant by that and she said getting the rake between the eyes was a classic Tom and Jerry.

With rain showers still falling later in the day I was working on making shutters for the playhouse, I was in and out of the wood shop going up a couple of planks that serve as a ramp through the big roll up door. I had just told the granddaughter to be very careful of the wood planks as they are slippery and she better go around and use the stairs. Not listening to myself I went out the roll up door with a tape measure in my hand and took one step before my feet flew out from under me and I landed hard on my back and bounced off the planks to land on my side on the wet grass. The granddaughter hearing me hit the planks and then the ground came around the side of the shop and asked me if I was OK, I told her no and she replied with ""I'll go get help."

With the help of the wife I was sitting on the deck a few minutes later. Nothing was broke and I didn't hit my head. I was pretty muddy but the lite rain was washing me off and I didn't really want to go inside the cabin. I was to busy checking out fingers and wrists and my neck to see if anything else was going to be hurting besides my back and ribs. The granddaughter was close at hand and she asked me if I was OK and if I needed anything, told her I will be fine and that is when the wife made a comment about her giving me the peace sign, I knew what she was really doing, the fall was Number Two. So this morning I figured I was either going to be feeling fine and bounce out of bed or would be so sore I could not move at all. I am feeling somewhere in between and that is why I thought it would be so nice to have a stunt double. I am getting to old to be falling on the ground, I just don't bounce like I used to here at Lake Iwanttobethere {74,300}

[Bobby Bass]

TODAY'S UPDATE IS coming to you from the Resort where I decided to hang my hat for a few days to recuperate in peace and quiet. I brought Bud with me as we are both moving at the same pace, nice and slow. Since it is nothing but a bunch of old guys here the lights are out by ten and everyone is up by six, except me who slept in because I am recuperating. Dock Burriem gave me a couple of pokes in the side last night and told me it looks like I may have bruised my ribs some but I should mend. Of course being an old guy it might take some time if I was young I would have just fallen and bounced back up and went back to work. I must admit I do feel a lot better this morning so I will chalk it off as something I don't want to do again. Speaking from a management point of view I did go out and buy a small sticker at the General Store that says SLIPPERY WHEN WET, and stuck it on the door by the wood planks to remind me that the planks do get slippery when wet.

Here at the Resort the wind is blowing briskly and the wind chimes are banging. The red needle on the jumping deer thermometer is bouncing right at sixty and it actually feels pretty comfortable out. Overcast sky and a few rain drops every now and then but I would rather have this then ninety degrees in the shade. Vic told me it was a little wet on the morning boat ride to pick up the mail and paper but it has been the best day of the past week as it has been raining everyday. I think I wrote just last week that we are having two of the very best weeks of summer. We are now paying for those nice days. Grass needs to be mowed but to wet, lots of standing water and mushrooms have popped up everywhere. Fellows have been holding slugs races as there are no shortage of them. Arlo has not been in the Bait Room this week as night crawlers are laying out on the ground free for the picking.

I decided to stay a few days at the Resort because if I stayed at the cabin I would start working on some project and go ahead and strain myself. Here at the Resort there is plenty to do but there are enough guys around that we can all get together and decide to do the work later. Not many campers here but all the cabins are full and of course the Fellows are here off and on and Dock Burriem is here along with Vic, Gus and Elmer. I heard the saw mill running this morning so Chuck must have come while I was sleeping in late. Pretty good stack of wood already cut and there is a big mound of sawdust outside of the wood shop. Just like back at the cabin the strawberries are done here but the wild raspberries bushes are full. I took a bowl out and picked just from the tops so I would not have to bend over and the bowled filled up pretty quickly. I brought the berries back to the Main Room and Marv seeing them told me he could have some tarts made up by this afternoon and I agreed and gave him the bowl. Actually I was hoping that is exactly what he would do with the berries.

A couple of the Fellows came in the Club House for lunch and I saw they had a cardboard box with them that they set it down on the big table. Being a little curious I got up from the booth and made my way over. The box was marked County Fair and when I asked what was in the box Steve told me they had a box of extension cords that they had made to sell at the fair but they did not sell as well as planned. I said I might be interested as I am always short on extension cords and Steve went right into his sales pitch and said " Have you ever been in the position when you are just a little short on your extension cord and you don't want to have to go back to the shop and get a big one? Well here is the perfect solution for when you are short three inches." He then open the box and showed me the Fellows answer to being short a few inches here at Lake Iwanttobethere {74,381}

[Bobby Bass]

SITTING IN BOOTH number one here at the Resort. Water drops are chasing each other down the glass of the big window as it is a foggy morning. Matter of fact the fog is so thick I can't tell if there is some rain falling in the fog. A small fire is burning in the pot belly stove, nothing big just something to make some flickering light and a little heat, it makes the main room look cozy. It is Friday and like most resorts around Lake Iwanttobethere it is check in and check out day. We had a couple of cabins rented out and I feel a little bad for the tourist that spent a rainy week here. One was a young couple who I have a feeling didn't care about the weather as they were not seen out of their cabin to often. The other cabin was by an older couple, they did spend a lot of time apart the guy's name was Kent and he fished a lot off the dock. Didn't catch much but he said he had a great time, his day job is a banker in the big city and not having to put on a tie and fish in bare feet was a vacation all by itself. He even made friends with a few of the Fellows which might come back to haunt him later, him being a banker and the Fellows always having ideas that need money.

By late afternoon yesterday I was feeling pretty good. So I walked up to the wood shop and checked in on Chuck and the saw mill. Wood is stacked high and soon as it stops raining the tractor will be brought around and the stacks of wood will be moved over to our makeshift drying area. I moved about two boards before I reached to far and felt a sharp jab in the ribs. Dropped the board and Chuck had a brief look of concern on his face. He then saw that the board was OK and asked me if I was OK to. Decided I should take a walk and Bud was feeling good enough that he joined me. A slow trip was made over to the garden and then back to the Club House taking the trail where we would run the water tank up to the garden. The trail was pretty overgrown as there has been no need to haul water to the garden this summer. I did notice a lot of frogs and I am too old and to slow to catch any of them but I figure the granddaughter would be quick enough. Made a note to myself to bring the granddaughter up for a frog hunt. Frogs make a great fall bait here on Lake Iwanttobethere

Dock Burriem came in to pick up some Raspberry tarts that Marv had made yesterday. As Marv went back to get the tarts Dock came over to the booth and asked about my ribs. I gave him a little white lie and told him I was on the mend. He looked at me over the top of his trifocals and said "That is not what I heard, do I have to put you on a lifting restriction?" I shook my head no and promised to be a good boy. Dock then said I should have a beer with lunch, for the pain and walked over to Marv to get his tarts. Sometimes Dock is OK but now I have to wai for lunch time.

Looking out the big window the fog is lifting but it is raining, nothing heavy but everything is soaking wet and the falling rain is just making puddles and dripping off the roof and railings. The lake is calm but I don't see anyone out fishing in our little bay. Except for Vic who is sitting in his boat that is tied up along side the dock. Hammering Hank and Skinny have hung a couple of lines out and now the mail boat as we call it is protected from the rain with a big tarp that is hanging from the lines. Next year we are going to put in a covered boat lift in and Vic will not have to get into a wt boat anymore to go get the mail. Now I can see him in the boat and can just make out a bobber floating off the stern. From time to time I see a puff of smoke so he must have a cigar burning. Actually that sounds like a pretty good idea and I think I might just wander down to the boat and see if I can get invited on board. If I can't do any work I might as well be doing some bobber watching here on Lake Iwanttobethere {74,456}