Tag Archives: Captain Ron’s

Wayfarer's Journal

Hello Summer!

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Storm clouds gathered. Rain poured. Sirens blared. But we survived the tempest!

It’s well established that summer at the lake starts on Memorial Day weekend and ends with Labor Day weekend. We typically try to start summer early each year because May often provides the weather for it and it’s nice to get in some time at the lake before the summer crowds arrive. It just wasn’t in the cards this year. The spring has been cool and wet, and Wendy and I have been busy at home with landscaping and work among other things.

Cubs on the radio. Moscow Mule. Good book. Hello, Summer!

So, we were really looking forward to getting the summer kicked off on Memorial Day weekend. We headed down Thursday evening to get the Playhouse opened up. The VLs joined us on Friday. We enjoyed afternoons at Captain Ron’s beach and on the dock, boat rides, and of course there was lots of good food, drink, and conversation. We did have some rain, and even a tornado siren or two, but that just afforded the opportunity for reading, eating, drinking, and chatting indoors. The VL boys, meanwhile, enjoyed the addition of the PS3 in the lower level.

The Puddle Effect

The VLs headed home on Memorial Day. Wendy and I stayed for the week and worked remotely. We did, however, afford the opportunity to spend an afternoon at Bear Bottom and enjoy some French Open tennis while hanging out at BWW’s in Osage.

My folks arrived on Saturday afternoon with our niece Emma. We hung out on the dock and went to Captain Ron’s for pizza. Rain washed out our plans for an evening boat ride so we watched a movie. Wendy and I packed up and headed home this morning, leaving the folks and Emma at the lake for the week.

It was a nice kick-off to summer. Here’s to a great season of making good memories with family and friends!

Storm clouds gathered. Rain poured. Sirens blared. But we survived the tempest!
The Puddle Effect
Cubs on the radio. Moscow Mule. Good book. Hello, Summer!
Tom's Photos, Wayfarer's Journal

Happy Independence Day!

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2015 07 03 Fireworks Over the Lake1315 (1)Last night Wendy and I enjoyed standing together on our dock watching the fireworks over the bay. I captured this shot and thought it a worthy celebratory photo for this holiday. We are so grateful for this land, the freedom we enjoy, and the precious blood of heroes and heroines who sacrificially provided it to us over the years.

God, bless America.

Wayfarer's Journal

A Fond Farewell to Summer

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Conversation on the deck over wine and cheese before dinner.

It was a gorgeous fall weekend at the lake. We have, for years, started each summer at the lake by spending a weekend there with our friends Kev and Beck. This year, for the first time, we were able to also finish our summer by spending a weekend together. It sure felt like summer. Sunny and temps in the upper 80s made for picture perfect weekend.

It was a quick weekend. We arrived Friday evening and headed down to Captain Ron’s for a late dinner. As with all our weekends with Kev and Beck, the agenda was simple: Good food. Good drink. Good conversation. On Saturday we got out on the boat and headed over to Bulldog’s to pay a visit to our friend Buff, the lake’s best bartender. Saturday night was steaks on the grill followed by a long evening of conversation on the deck.

We got up this morning, spent an hour or so sitting in the sun on the dock and chatting. After lunch we packed up and headed home. After dropping us off back home in Pella, Kev and Beck joined us for a tour of our house that is under construction.

It was a great weekend to both extend and say a fond farewell to summer.

Tom's Photos, Wayfarer's Journal

Refreshing Weekend

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Wendy and I thoroughly enjoyed our weekend with Mat, Anne, and Madeline. The weather has been unseasonably cool, so temps did not get much out of the 70s all weekend. Nevertheless, we spent Friday afternoon at Captain Ron’s beach and took a nice long excursion to Ha Ha Tonka State Park on Saturday. As with most weekends at the lake, our time was occupied with lots of rest, food, and conversation!

Wayfarer's Journal

Fourth of July Family Weekend at the Lake

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As I mentioned in my earlier post this morning, it was a fantastic weekend at the lake with family. Wendy, her sister Suzanna, and I drove up on Wednesday morning and spent the afternoon getting the Playhouse ready for the onslaught. Clayton jumped in the van with my folks, they picked up Taylor (flying in from weekend with a friend in L.A.) and Madison (flying in from her home in Colorado Springs), at the Des Moines airport and headed south, arriving in time for a late dinner of pizza from Captain Ron’s. My sister Jody, her husband Scott and their kids Solomon and Emma left after Sol got off work and arrived in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

The Fourth of July was spent outside in the sun. Other than a brief, intense rain/hail storm that evening, the weekend was gorgeous with highs in the mid-80s and night time temps falling low enough to open the house. There was a lot of time in the “relaxation station” on the water on Thursday. Tom and Wendy served up a wonderful meal of smoked salmon for dinner that night as we celebrated Taylor’s 23rd birthday. It was a chilly evening and we headed out on the water to watch the fireworks at Captain Ron’s, only they didn’t shoot off fireworks that night (oops). Our neighbors, however, shot off a mess of them and we enjoyed the private show. Taylor brought sparklers and glow bracelets to enjoy.

Friday morning a bunch of the crew headed out on a neighbors boat so that Jody could (attempt to) water ski. The rest of us hung out. Mid-day we headed out on the boat to Bear Bottom resort for fun on the water slide and in the pool. We were going to eat lunch there but it was going to take forever to get served. We tried Captain Ron’s but there was a two-hour wait there, too. So we ate at the Playhouse. Jody and Scott made enchiladas for us that night. A tradition in our house is to answer questions from the “If” book after dinner and we spent a long while gathered around the table answering questions like “If you could read one person’s diary, whose would you read and why?” We learned a lot about one another and enjoyed a ton of laughs. As night descended we sat out on the lawn  by the lake to watch Captain Ron’s fireworks.

Saturday started with the requisite run to Sunrise Doughnuts. Between doughnuts, grandma’s cinnamon rolls, grandma’s chocolate chip cookies, Jody’s monster cookies, and Wendy’s cheesecake, and an anniversary cake for Scott and Jody we all got fat ‘n happy through the weekend. More sun and fun on the dock on Saturday. Scott took the kids into Osage to shop at the outlet mall. Wendy and I snuck off on the waverunner for a while. In the afternoon people kind of did their own things. People read, Maddy and I went out to Bulldog’s Beach House for a daddy/daughter date. People watched movies.

Saturday night was Grandpa and Grandma’s turn to treat with barbecue ribs and chicken. We celebrated Jody and Scott’s anniversary with a cake. That night we played Quelf together and had an uproariously good time. The kids stayed up to watch movies while the adults pooped out early.

Sunday morning Wendy and I made one last, big meal to have together. The crew did a wonderful job of helping pick up and clean and then packed up and headed out a little after 10:00 a.m. leaving Wendy, Suzanna and me in an odd sort of quiet.

Wayfarer's Journal

Memorial Day Weekend 2013

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It was a gorgeous Memorial Day weekend at the lake with the VLs and the VWs sharing in lots of sun and fun. The weather was cool and the water a little chilly, but the sun was warm and the moon was full.

Tom & Wendy arrived on Thursday evening and the VLs arrived late that night. The sun was out despite the air being a little cool for most of the weekend. Tom spent most of Friday fighting with two Waverunners that were fresh from the shop but still weren’t working right. One eventually did work for the weekend but the other one ended up back at the shop. Friday afternoon was spent at Captain Ron’s with dinner on the patio there. Tom received a visit from an old school buddy and his friends in the late afternoon who joined in the excursion to Cap’n Ron’s. The adults huddled out on the deck in the evening as the full moon rose.

Saturday morning was spent playing Disc Golf and enjoying the gorgeous weather. A boat ride to Bulldog’s Beach House was the perfect lunch excursion. The afternoon was spent  with afternoon naps a definite requisite. We enjoyed a leisurely dinner and conversation.

Sunday was a day spent in the sun getting sunburned. Tom inflated the Relaxation Station and we enjoyed floating on the water and soaking up the rays. Chad manned the grill for a burger and hot dog feast and the adults watched a movie together in the evening.

Memorial Day dawned with a run to Sunrise Donuts with the whole crew. The men then managed kid duty while the ladies went shopping in town. We enjoyed one last meal together before the VLs packed up and headed home.