Tag Archives: Playhouse

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

Kev & Beck at the Lake (a Late Post)

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So, it was a month ago that Kev and Beck joined us at the lake for our annual weekend together. We spent some time that weekend trying to figure out how many years we’ve been making the early summer pilgrimage. I think we landed on this being our 7th year. The trip has typically been a weekend before Memorial Day event, though this year we pushed it into the weekend after Memorial Day so as to ensure a little warmer weather. With it being such a cold, wet spring, we’re glad we did. We had wonderful weather and, as usual, a great time together.

The thing about the weekend with Kevin and Becky is that the agenda is pretty simple:

  • Breakfast and conversation.
  • Sun and conversation.
  • Lunch and conversation.
  • Boat ride and conversation.
  • Drinks and conversation.
  • Dinner and conversation.
  • Wine, chocolate and conversation.
  • Sleep.
  • Repeat.
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.

Wayfarer's Journal

The Playhouse Opens for the Summer!

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Summers mean sun and fun on the water for Wendy and me. This is the time of year that we’re chomping at the bit for summer and the beginning of regular migration of family and friends to join us for time at the Playhouse on Lake of the Ozarks. Wendy and I have already made a couple of trips to get things out of storage, do spring cleaning, and prepare for the season. The weather in March and April was too cool and wet for our liking. And, while Memorial Day weekend is the official start to the summer season at the lake, we got an early start on the festivities when our friends Matthew and Sarah joined us last weekend.

Friday was overcast and drizzly with a cold north wind, but we still found our way down to the dock for snacks and chat while huddling in jackets and blankets. We headed to Cap’n Ron’s for pizza in the evening and then returned to watch Midnight in Paris. More conversation followed while Matthew melted into the couch. This is not surprising. We call it the “Lake Effect” when guests (as Grandma Jeanne puts it) melt into little puddles. I had to give Matthew a hard time because he’d been talking about looking forward to an early morning cup of coffee on the dock, but he slept far later than anticipated!

The sun came out Saturday. While there was a stiff, cold north wind the temps were in the low 70s and the sun was hot. We went out for a long, slow boat ride down to Bare Bottom and back, then ate lunch on the deck and chatted the afternoon away while getting nice and sunburned. We stoked the grill, opened a nice bottle of wine and had surf and turf for dinner: Prime Rib and smoked salmon. While we had discussed watching another movie, the dinner conversation kept us at the table until almost 11:00 p.m.!

As always, time flew too fast and the time to come home came too quickly. We got the place cleaned up and headed home on Mother’s Day. Wendy got calls from the girls and we arrived at home to find a nice card from Madison in the mail and gifts left at the house from Taylor and Clayton.

Let summer begin! The Playhouse is open!! 🙂

Chapter-a-Day

Spiritual Home Improvement

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shack at the landfill
(Photo credit: margaretkilljoy)

Chapter-a-Day 1 Corinthians 3

Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. I Corinthians 3:12-13 (NLT)

Down in Missouri, on the lot next to our Playhouse there sits a house on a poured foundation. Years ago the owners poured a nice concrete foundation and began to build on top of it. They enclosed the house, furnished the inside and added a patio door that opened toward the lake. Then, they abandoned it.

No one has been to the house on the lot next to ours for decades. The roof collapsed. The furniture and walls are covered in black mold. Local wildlife have lived on the inside and caused more destruction to the contents. The house is a health hazard and an eye sore. But, the foundation is still solid. We have more than one friend who has eyed the property and come to the conclusion that you could bulldoze the house, clean off the foundation, and start building a new home on it.

That house (or what’s left of it) is the perfect word picture of exactly what today’s chapter is trying to communicate. When we come to the point of decision and choose to follow Jesus, the Spirit of God indwells us and pours a rock-solid spiritual foundation in our hearts. From that point on our motivations, our thoughts, our words, and our actions are the construction materials with which we build our spiritual “house” on that foundation. As we live day-to-day, the quality of our choices and lives determine the quality of the spiritual house we’re building. Some of us throw up a shack and are content to live in spiritual squalor. Others take the time, develop the discipline, and make the sacrificial investment to build a spiritual mansion. Like our neighbors at the lake, some of us abandon our spiritual building and its foundation altogether.

Today, I’m meditating on this simple word picture and considering the quality of the spiritual house I’m building on the foundation of salvation Jesus poured in my heart 30 years ago. As all homeowners know, the work is never finished. I have sections of the house I’m proud of. I have other sections that need to be gutted and renovated from the ground up. As one company reminds us: “never stop improving.” As long as there is life and breath, the building and renovation of my spiritual house will continue.

 

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Wayfarer's Journal

What I Did On Summer Vacation

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It’s July and Wendy and I are spending a little 4th of July vacation at the lake. We arrived late last Thursday night. The Mathias’ had spent their honeymoon here at the Playhouse, and then the Hops came in for a little family vacation. Thanks to both of them for taking such good care of the place. Wendy and I were so pleased to arrive and find everything so spic n’ span!

Wendy and I spent early Friday getting a little work done and preparing for an onslaught of fun. The JPs arrived late in the afternoon on Friday. We had a lot of fun in the sun with excursions to Bear Bottom and Bulldog’s. The Pella VLs arrived late on Monday night and we’ve had two days with the Playhouse rockin’ from the combined kinetic childhood energy. There’s been a lot of fun in the water from swimming, splashing, jumping, tubing, skiing, boating, and wave running. There’s been lots and lots and lots of intense sun with hot temperatures which has necessitated keeping cool drinks handy (I think we should just plant a lime tree).

It wouldn’t be the 4th of July without thinking of our personal firecracker, Taylor, who celebrates her birthday in Uganda today. She called early and we were able to Skype and catch up on all the festivities she and Clayton have planned for her big day of celebration in Africa.

Captain Ron’s will be shooting off fireworks tonight and we’ll anchor the boats in the cove off the dock to get a front row view. The JPs will head home tomorrow while the VLs will stick around for another day or two. It’s always fun when you get our three families together!

Wayfarer's Journal

The Calm Before the Storm

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Wendy and I spent a working vacation at the lake this past week. Our friends the VLs had been there for a family weekend when we arrived on Sunday and we got to spend an evening together before they headed home. I call it a working vacation because we both had work to do which was accomplished remotely on our laptops. It was also a working vacation because, while we enjoyed the quiet of the lake for a few days, there was a lot to do around the Playhouse. I power washed the deck and sealed it – a task I’d been putting off for two years. There was also a long list of little “honey dos” that we worked on throughout the week.

On Thursday Wendy and I took a personal respite, got out on the water, and enjoyed a meal at one of our favorite haunts. By Friday morning it was clear that I didn’t do a good job of putting sunscreen on. Yikes! My chest and belly were splotchy patches of alternating beet red burn and pasty white.

On Friday, our friend Cyndi arrived with Megan and Ben and we got to play for a few days. We enjoyed time on the water. I got to teach Megan how to drive the Waverunner. We watched movies and enjoyed an afternoon and evening meal at Bear Bottom Resort, one of our favorites.

Our friends left late on Sunday morning and Wendy and I had a couple of hours to get things cleaned up for our next round of guests. Newlyweds Michelle and Austin arrived to spend their honeymoon week at the Playhouse. I was also pleased to get Father’s Day phone calls from Madison in Colorado and from Taylor and Clayton in Uganda and enjoyed catching up with them.

So, the (semi-)calm week is over as I stare down a stormy couple of weeks with multiple business trips around the country along with some impending big deliveries for work.

Wayfarer's Journal

Good-bye Old Tree

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The old oak trees at the Playhouse are dying. By the end of last summer, two of them stood bare and leafless. We lost another one in the winter. Yesterday, the three of them were cut down and their remnants hauled way.

A few months ago I began listening to The Tolkien Professor, Corey Olsen, on iTunes U. I’ve been working my way through his lecture series on J.R.R. Tolkien‘s works (and enjoying it tremendously!). Yesterday as I listened to the chain saws buzzing and the crack of boughs being cut from their lifeless trunk, I recalled a section of one of Olsen’s lectures with which I truly identified. After reading Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings countless times, you don’t look at trees the same way. Trees become characters. They become living creatures with lives of their own. I can honestly say that I felt pangs of grief as the old oaks were cleared away, and more pangs of grief as I realized that what little life is left in the remaining oak trees is quickly waning.

Those trees had shaded the old Playhouse. My daughters grew up running around them and playing under their shade. They were part of the place like old friends standing sentinel while we went about our lives beneath their watch. They were friends. The lawn looks so empty and bare without them.

Today Wendy and I will visit a local nursery and start the process of contemplating new trees to plant and watch grow up around us.

Old things pass away. New things come.

C’est la vie.

 

Wayfarer's Journal

At the Lake with Friends

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We spent this past week with our friends at the lake. One of the reasons we wanted to make sure we had a lot of room at the Playhouse was for the opportunity to have a lot of family and friends together. Mission accomplished. We had six adults and four kids which made for a loud, busy, action-packed week.

There was a lot of great food, great conversation, and warm laughter as we made plenty of memories together. As you might imagine, there are more stories and anecdotes than I have time to write about right now.

As I look back however, the highlight of my week probably came on Thursday night out on the deck. My little 2 year-old buddy Aaron acted out in a moment of toddler rage. He looked up at me and caught my glare at him. He immediately ran to hide behind his daddy’s legs crying “No papa (that’s what he calls me). No want time out!”

When it comes to giving the “dad look,” I guess I’ve still got it 🙂

Wayfarer's Journal

Hall Family Weekend at the Lake

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Hall Family at the Lake

We had a wonderful weekend hosting the Halls this weekend. Food, conversation, and rest were the only things on the agenda. We enjoyed a beautiful, cool boat ride on Friday evening as a big, almost full moon rose over the lake.

Being morning people, Tom and Mr. Ed spent the pre-dawn hour at Daylight Donuts while the rest of the family slept in. Of course, they felt obligated to provide goodies for the crew!

There was a lot of conversation around the table, on the dock, on the deck and in the living room. There were Mario Kart races on the Wii, rides on the Waverunners, and plenty of alone time as people read, slept, and rested. And, of course, Wendy kept everyone well fed.

Can’t wait until the rest of the family can come to the Playhouse and join in the fun!

Sophia feeds the Bluegill that live under the dock.
Shelob LIVES!
Quiet conversation on the dock.
Mmmmmm. Daylight Donuts with dinosaur sprinkles. Thanks Grandpa!!
Mom & Dad Hall