Friendly Lake

As Millie said, "Aren't you glad now that Papa plays board games?"  

I have to admit that even though I've never been not glad that John has a love affair with board games, this day was a definite perk of his hobby. John started a game group a couple of months ago, and one of the men he met through this gaming night invited the entire family to his lake cottage for a day. When John first told me, I asked, "Does he know you have nine children?"  

"Of course he does," John replied, after which my esteem for this unmet man rose considerably.

The captain was gone for half the day, but he showed John the ropes first, so we were able to enjoy his lake paraphernalia, including the many kayaks docked near his boathouse.

It was delightful. The water was warm, the weather was perfect, and John shoved me out in a kayak and insisted I swim, too.  Bliss.

Cadence falling asleep on the boathouse floor while John grilled lunch was blissful, too, and a whole lot quieter without her overtired weeping.

After lunch, the generous host himself arrived, and he took us out on the lake in one of his pontoon boats for a couple of hours. The roof was high and flat, designed for sunbathing or jumping, which was exhilarating and slightly scary the first time around. John forced me to jump off and swim, too, because he's a terrible person, and everyone leapt and swam and bobbed about in the middle of the lake until a wild storm blew in right before supper. Then the kiddos and I drove home while John did his time by playing some board games inside the cottage.

What a day! And what a guy, that host who invited a family of eleven without blinking an eye.