July 06, 2004 - 10:32 p.m.

Life on the Lake

Now that I am back from NH, have caught up on email and online diaries, and the Sox are up 11-0 in the 6th, I can divert my attention to updating. But not before I express my joy that the Red Sox are showing signs that they are a real team and are no longer channeling a little league team (and not even a good one!) This is the way they should have been playing for weeks.

Anyway, my vacation began just about perfectly. The weekend in NH, at the employers' lake house, was incredible! It was all I could've hoped for and more.

The drive up on Saturday with the dog was sunny and pleasant. I got an early enough start that even with my AC on the fritz yet again the heat was bearable. Still, both Zeke and I were thrilled when we finaly reached the house. The house, the property, and the lake all far exceeded my expectations, even though I had seen pictures. The place is right on the shore of a smallish, quiet, very clear lake. The house itself, with its wood floors, beadboard wainscoting, arts and crafts period details, and almost wall to wall windows is practically my dream house, even without taking into account the gorgeous boathouse, barn, cottagey landscaping, and a couple hundred feet of shoreline. Oy. I am so glad they bought the place so I can visit periodically, and overjoyed that they trusted me to use it with friends this weekend. The weather, at least for Saturday and Sunday, was perfect, too. It was all a dream.

On Saturday, after getting acquainted with and gasping over the house and going for a swim with the dog, I met up with a few friends at Funspot. There we played all kinds of old school arcade games, my favorites being Centipede, Galaga, Pole Position, Dig Dug, and Tron. I got on the high scores list of a couple games and also played lots of skee-ball. It was really fun, but a little trippy becoming reacquainted with the games of my childhood. Afterwards we all headed back to the lake house where everyone hung out, threw sticks for the dog, and swam while I cooked dinner. I created a steak marinade on the fly that turned out really well and also made red skin mashed potatoes with a touch of cream cheese, and fresh, young, farmstand broccoli, which was delightful even without the dijon mustard sauce I made to top it. I haven't cooked without recipes in a while, so it was gratifying to throw together a meal and have it turn out very tasty. We also got to see some fireworks from the porch. They weren't spectacular, but they did add to the festive feel of the weekend, though the mosquitoes that munched us while we watched did not... Eventually, after some Boggle playing and TV watching some folks took off, and the rest of us turned in for the night.

On Sunday, there was more eating: bacon and pancakes with blueberry syrup for breakfast, maple curry grilled chicken (another very successful experiment), balsamic marinated grilled veggies, curried lentil salad, red and yellow tomato salad with fresh basil, and corn on the cob for late lunch/early dinner, and red, white, and blue berry trifle for dessert. We enjoyed the sun and sparkling water some more, and bocce ball was played. The dog was picked up by the grandparents, and two guests left just as my brother and a friend of his arrived. We spent the evening chilling until everyone took off and left me with the house to myself.

I had originally planned to leave on Monday, but had so fallen in love with the place that, since I had nothing I had to do until my volunteering shift Wednesday morning, I decided to stay until sometime Tuesday. Alas, Monday dawned cool and rainy. I spent much of the day putting the house back in order and hoping for a break in the clouds that never came. Still, even in the rain, the house was cozy and comfortable and the scenery lovely. The highlight of the day, though, turned out to be my trip into nearby Ashland to have lunch at The Common Man. Back during the summer after my freshman year at Williams, when I worked in the area at a family camp/resort, I had fallen in love with the place, though I only went there twice. I was eager to see if it lived up to my memories, which it did and then some!

The atmosphere of the place is cozy and homey - part English pub and part family room. The bar and grill section, where I ate, has the usual stools and high tables, but also several nooks furnished with comfy couches and armchairs grouped around tables stocked with board games. There are also bookshelves crammed with titles, a stone fireplace, a player piano, and a foosball table. It's my ideal bar (though before I discovered it, I thought the phrase "ideal bar" was an oxymoron, at least for me), and if I lived in the area, I bet I would be a regular there. At any rate, it was a perfect place to while away a couple hours of a rainy afternoon. I ate a delicious lunch, then claimed one of the couches, tucked my feet beneath me, and buried my nose in my book. The rather cute bartender came over to clear away some dishes from the table in my nook and struck up a conversation with me. He recommended a book he had just read (a true story about an elephant that, he confessed, made him cry in public - sounds right up my alley) and we also chatted about how busy the place was thanks to the rain. It wasn't until a few minutes had passed after he returned to the bar that it occurred to me that he might have been flirting... :) I actually wondered, as impractical as it was, whether there was a graceful way to leave him my number. If I make it up to the lake house again this summer, which I certainly hope to, I will almost certainly go back to The Common Man and perhaps he'll be there. I intend to seek out the book he mentioned, and who knows where a conversation about it could lead.

Today, the weather was lovely again, though a bit windy, so I spent most of the day reading on the dock before heading home. It was really hard to leave, and I hope to get back soon if R and S will have me. I am even willing to give up my child-free time on the weekend to get back there. The place is just that beautiful.

Tomorrow I volunteer at the hospital, since I will be in Wisconsin on Friday when I usually go in. I think I made a good impression when I asked if I could come in on a different day to make up for the one I miss while on vacation. I really am loving the volunteering. It has amazed me how rewarding it is and how well I have been able to relate to kids of various ages and with various physical ailments, at least so far. I am increasingly convinced that Child Life really is the career for me.

I have already written far too much, and it is time for bed. Adios, all.

�

flutter back - fly ahead