2016 Part 6 August - Front Half

Regretfully, I'm still telling the story of 2016 at this late date in 2017. I started late on this project (April), and have been able to not only maintain my tardiness but add to it. It's a gift. My last post got us to the end of July and a long weekend at the lake with friends and family. So on to -

August

 After another day or two of cottage chores,

I hung up my sanding block and staining brushes and welcomed the Texas side of the family to the our little piece of paradise. This entourage included my son Ted, his kids Leili and Cyrus, and Ted's girlfriend Summer. Also joining in the fun were my mother Dolores (still escaping the Florida heat), daughters Christine and Cathy, and son-in-law Matt. So we had a crowd brewing. Here are some shots of the fun. First up Leili and Cyrus offering their approval of the healing waters of Lake Huron.

Daughter Christine had journeyed to China earlier in the year, and had brought Chinese kites back as gifts. Here is Cyrus showing off his kite-flying prowess.

Of course there was the usual amount of beach construction work.

 With an appropriate level of father/uncle supervision.

Here's one of the local workman sleeping off a little too much time in the sun.

After each day's fun in the sun, the usual recovery period was conducted, commonly referred to as happy hour. They were well attended, as shown below. Here we have three generations of Burk girls (Nancy, Christine, Dolores and Cathy).

Son-in-law Matt (known by our four-legged family member as Uncle Matt).

Ted, head of the Texas clan.

And his charges Leili and Cyrus with first-time cottager Summer.

And here we have the customary dinner hour picture with the gang eagerly awaiting grilled hamburgers and corn on the cob.

There were also plenty of after-dinner activities, like Ted modeling my classic winter-grade, ear-flapped Tigers hat. This seems only just as it was he who gifted me with this rare treasure.

There was also ping-pong, a recent addition to the Wiser Times rec room (read garage).

And Quirkle, a favorite family parlor game well-suited for multi-generational play.

There were several other interesting activities that took place during the Texans' visit. One was my personal favorite, testing the knots of our rope hammock to make sure they were still secure. As this photo attests, all is well in hammockville.

There was also the initial interview of the "new girl", here being gently grilled on a broad range of issues by the official welcoming committee (my Bride, my sister Cindy and of course our matriarch Dolores). Summer must have done all right as she is now considered a member of our extended family.

Here she is again enjoying a victory drink with the other female member of the Texas clan.

Another family ritual practiced through the week was the post-barbeque s'mores party, also well attended.

There was also some kayaking,

Some sitting around,

More kayaking,

Some more beach play,

and a final happy hour in the gazebo, confirmed by this shot of four generations of happy vacationers.

So you can see August was busy for us. But this only takes us halfway through the month. To finish the story I need to go to my next post. See you there.

Grosse Pointe Charles