Lake Time in Indiana

Roger here....  Beautiful Lake Cordry, located in Brown County in Southern Indiana, is a well-kept secret.  The lake is not huge, but with its various fingers and large central area, it is perfect for boating of any type.  It is surrounded by well-kept lake homes, complete with decks, landscaping, and swimming areas.  It is not an RV spot; in fact, I would be hesitant to drive our RV on the twisty, hilly, narrow roads with the one-foot drops from pavement to ditch.  The low hanging branches that at times resemble a tunnel could also be an issue. 

 HOWEVER, we are fortunate to have long-time friends, Jay and Nancy, who own a "cottage" on the lake.  The "cottage" has a three-car garage, four bedrooms, three bathrooms,  endless outdoor decking that flows down the hill to the water, complete with an enclosed boat house with a wide porch for sitting down close to the water.  It is a very nice "cottage."

We have spent many weekends with Jay and Nancy at the lake over the years.  We watched their kids, and ours,  grow up there -- lots of skiing, swimming,  card playing,  and good eating over the years.  When Jay and Nancy invited us down for the weekend, we jumped at the chance.

We alway enjoy sitting by the water, sometimes reading, but often just watching the water.  Dianne here:  When you've been friends for 40+ years, there's no strain to have to make small talk.  The four of us can sit very contentedly together, reading, Sudoku (Nancy taught me how several years ago), catching up on each others' kids, or just lake-watching.  It could not be any more relaxing!

A cool thing about Lake Cordry is that it is a no-wake zone until 10:00 a.m., and then again after dusk.  Only kayaks disturb the calm -- extremely clear -- water.  The deck is a very quiet and peaceful setting for lunch and dinner.  Each morning we enjoyed  coffee and breakfast, even the Sunday paper, on the porch of the boat house, down by the water. 

 Jay and Nancy have taught us everything we know about wine, so each evening we enjoyed watching the sunsets and having wine and snacks on the deck. 


 At 10:00 a.m. the atmosphere shifts to a frenetic pace - an endless parade of skis, wakeboards, speed boats, pontoon boats, and tubers.

But, sitting is far from the only pursuit that we enjoyed.  This weekend we took a long walk across the dam and along the southern, cottage-filled shore.  We took several trips in Jay's newest toy, a beautiful pontoon boat to complement the latest in a series of ski boats.  I don't know if it is because we are older, or because the lounging features of the pontoon boat are so enticing, but we decided that we now prefer the pace of the pontoon boat to  the speed of the ski boat.  

We always eat well at Lake Cordry - lots of colorful fruit and healthy food (at least this time) to go along with an endless supply of snacks.  (We decided to go with leftovers for our last lunch together.  Check it out; with leftovers like this, who needs to cook??)

  We always spend a lot of time floating and swimming in the clear water.

From my perspective, there were two highlights from this particular weekend.  I GOT TO GO TUBING!  I haven't done this for a long time.  It was just as much fun as I remembered, and my sixty-year-old bones held up well.  Another plus was that I was not thrown from the tube in the choppy water around the point -- bounced around a lot, but not ejected.  Being thrown from the tube is considered a sign of weakness in the Lake Cordry community.

The other highlight was the restful evening time sitting on the porch of the boat house by the water, as we watched a distant thunderstorm pass.  Quite a light show!  The lightning was far enough away for us to be safe (30 miles or so), but the display was spectacular.  We were so mesmerized by nature's fireworks that we dug out the camera to capture some of it.  (Dianne again:  I'd never seen a lightning display like this one, and neither had the rest of us.  It went on for over an hour and a half.  We didn't capture the biggest lightning displays, only a small snippet.  Some were like giant spider webs all across the sky, lighting up the entire sky!  To see a small snippet of the hour+ show we enjoyed, click on the movie above.  (Ignore the background chitchat; Roger told us all to be quiet, but no one listened to him as usual!)

Bye, Bye Furniture!

Hi all -- Dianne here.  Well, vacation was over, and it was back to work.  We returned to Indiana on Monday, July 12.  Our POD was delivered early Tuesday morning.  Wow, what an interesting process to watch the POD delivery!  The POD is secured onto a frame, which is independent of the flatbed truck it arrived on.  The frame has its own motor and by using levers, the driver can maneuver it off the truck bed, into the driveway, and then lower it into place.  The frame then is "driven" back onto the truck bed and driven away.  

After two men that we hired helped move the five heavy furniture items for us into the POD from the house, Roger and I wrapped them in blankets and shrink wrap and secured them with rope into the POD, using eye bolts that are spaced four feet apart.  

After the large, heavy items were in place, we carried everything else from the house and it was like working a giant puzzle to get the boxes and items into place and secure so that they wouldn't shift in transit.  This took a couple of days in the 90+ degree heat and humidity. 

When we were finished loading, Roger gave me endless grief for my "handy hint" of using an old tennis ball to enclose the padlock to keep the elements from corroding the lock mechanism.  I pointed out to him that yes, the POD was on its way to an indoor warehouse for five or six months, but in order to get to Texas it would be riding on the back of a truck over a thousand miles in the dead of winter.  I rather like my little tennis ball lock protector!!   Roger will like it too when the key slips easily into the lock next January.  (Roger here....  What Dianne did not tell you is that it took her more than a half-hour of struggling to get the tennis ball to slide over the lock - many ugly cuts with a hand saw and lots of exertion trying to make it fit.  The best part, though, was when she told me that she did not know that tennis balls were hollow!  Pretty amazing for such a smart girl :-).

Friday the POD driver returned, added a name tag to my tennis ball lock, loaded the POD onto the frame, jacked it up, and expertly backed the truck under it.  


 It was a great feeling to wave good-bye to our POD.  That means we are one step closer to our full-timing goal and our new life as Winter Texans.

As soon as the POD left on Friday, we left to spend a wonderful, relaxing weekend at the lake with our friends Jay & Nancy.   Roger will update on that next.

Holland, Michigan - part two

Roger here...  Here is the second part of our week in Michigan with friends.  Just so ya know, ice cream was important to each day.  Thursday was winery day.  I know, I know... It sounds like we go to wineries every day, but that is NOT the case.  We just like to sample wines from different areas of the country.  We think it is fun and part of the culture of the area, and we do write about them every time we visit.   

We crated the boys and headed to the Fenn Valley Winery just outside of Holland.  The free wine tasting included a variety of wines.  Dianne and I, of course, opted for the dry reds.   We bought a couple of bottles that we liked, and a mini-box of "BIB," (bag in a box.)  The whimsical part of the visit was the pictures of our friends, and us, in the cut-outs in front of the winery.  Doesn't Pat look cute as a winery maiden?  I bought a silly t-shirt at the winery, which means I now need to throw one away.


We followed the wine tour with a visit to the country store near Holland State Park -  two million ice cream flavors....  I had chocolate coconut.  Dianne had cherry-amaretto chocolate.  Yum!!!!!!  (Dianne again:  We ate so much ice cream this week that we are all starting to resemble the chubby wooden cut-outs above.  The feeding frenzy last week definitely took its toll on my Amazon-thinned figure from last fall.)

The next day was doggie day.  We went to the Holland dog park where the boys and Sophie had a great time.  Lots of chasing, running and sniffing.  Chaplin, who has not been himself lately, had a wonderful time running and chasing the other dogs.  So did Jasper until, OUCH!, he ran full speed (35 mph) into a chocolate lab who was chasing the same tennis ball that I threw.  No broken bones, lots of yelping, but all turned out OK, despite our worries.  By the way, the owners of the chocolate lab that Jasper bounced off of, were a very caring couple from England - now U.S. residents.


Dianne here:  The heat wave we experienced in Michigan the first few days took its toll on my whippets; they were skin & bones from not wanting to eat.  You can see in the photo of Jasper taking the ball (this is before the collision with the lab).  You can count his ribs.  I read on the whippet message board about "fat burgers" that others feed their whippets to help them put their weight back on.  Anyone have any opinions on this?  They are made with fatty hamburger, Total cereal, eggs, and I forget what else, fed to them raw.  Chaplin is putting his weight back on, but Jasper is still TOO skinny.  I see some fat burgers in their future.  I'll post updates if it works.

We then checked out Holland State Park on BICYCLES for our next visit.  No crashes for Dianne.  The beach at Holland State Park, the light house, the waterway filled with watercraft, and the sandy bluff were amazing.  A trip back tomorrow is a must.   Another visit to the ice cream place at the general store.  Dianne had coconut- chocolate.  I had a gatorade drink ----- very thirsty.

The next day was beach day.  We crated the dogs, since they are not allowed on the beach, packed a lunch and headed for a beach that rivals those anywhere in the south.  Say hi to the silouettes in the sun (too much light).  Say hi to our friends (+ Dianne) waving next to the shore.  The sand and the bluffs were an amazing setting for a quiet day.  We had a wonderful time watching families playing in the sand and water.  The waterway was filled with all sorts of watercraft.  A great day on the beach.


The trip back included a stop at the general store (more ice cream).  Dianne repeated her cherry/chocolate selection.  I had sleeping bear dunes chocolate with caramel and chocolate covered almonds.  Wow!

We said goodbye to Audrey and Pat on the next day,  but the ice cream extravaganza did not end.  After a drive by Macatawa lake, looking at luxury homes and beautiful settings, we landed at Captain Sundae's in Zeeland.  We all (Chuck, Cindy, Dianne, Roger) indulged in a Tommy Turtle Sundae while the doggies watched with envy.   Chocolate is NOT good for dogs.  There were lots of pics of George W. Bush's (I liked the ice cream anyway) visit to the shoppe.   After a dip in the campground pool and frozen drinks we landed at Steak and Shake for burgers and more ice cream in the form of milk shakes (for everyone except the ever-temptation-resistant Chuck).  


Ahhh! So many calories.  So much ice cream.  Time to return to the grind of moving from Indiana to Texas where it is DEFINITELY time to eat healthier.

Saugatuck, Michigan

Roger here...   We escaped the constant packing of the "stuff" we are shipping to our new coach house in Texas for a few days and headed to Michigan.  We met up with friends (Chuck & Cindy and Pat & Audrey).  We are staying at the Dutch Treat RV Park in Zeeland, Michigan, which is located just outside of Holland.

Dianne here:  We're not usually this quick to update our blog while we're on vacation with friends, but this morning it is pouring down rain, so Roger took the opportunity (with help from Chaplin) to get us updated.


It has been sooooo hot and humid here the past three days that we have not felt like doing much, other than sitting in the shade, eating, sitting in the shade, eating, and occasionally jumping in the pool.  Yesterday was the first day that we ventured out to explore parts of the area.


Cindy and Pat left early to play nine holes of golf (I hate golf).  Chuck and I wanted to investigate the area bike paths that Holland is known to have.  By the time we returned from the office where we picked up a bike path map, Pat and Cindy had returned.  Pat and Audrey joined us on our investigative journey. 


 My main purpose for the trip was to see if the bike paths were something that Dianne would feel comfortable on.  (Remember her bike phobia?)  We only intended to be away for a few minutes, but.........


The map (worthless) was just accurate enough to get us into trouble.  Audrey did not want to take a long ride, so she headed back after a mile.  She probably knew that the Three Amigos (Chuck, Pat, and me) were destined to get lost.  Some of the roads were not labeled and some of the roads were labeled with different names than those on the map.  


We managed to go three or so miles into the city of Holland and to eventually figure out how to circle back to the campground, but it was not easy.  At one intersection, we missed the bike path, and traveled for quite a distance along a four-lane divided highway (going the wrong way).  I was pretty frustrated for a while.  


When we finally hooked back up with the bike path, the road taking us back to the campground was completely closed.  The bike path map was truly worthless at this point - not enough detail to help.  So, we had to figure out our way back based upon
a sense of direction and where we thought the campground was located.  Pat talked with a nice lady in front of an elementary school who was able to aim us in the right direction. 


 By the time we got back, it was lunchtime, the temperature was near 90 degrees, and we had ridden about eight miles.


After Cindy fed us a tasty lunch (pork loin sandwiches) it looked as if we might be vegging in the shade in front of a fan for yet another day.  No one seemed to be moving.  We talked about doing something, but could not decide what, so we sat.  We talked about a bike ride by Lake Michigan, but it was too hot, so we sat.  We talked about going to a local winery, but Thursday during a predicted rain would be a better day for that, so we sat and sat some more.  We looked at brochures and found several interesting options, but no one seemed to be able to decide for the whole group, so we sat.  


Cindy suggested that I assume my former administrative role (I was a school principal) and make a decision.  So I did.  I determined that we would put all the options (they all included a stop for ice cream)  on a piece of paper and draw one out of a hat.  I designated that Pat, who was absent at the time, would draw an option out of the hat.  When Pat returned and I read the options before the draw, Pat said, "Let's go to Saugatuck."  Decision finally made.

Did I tell you it was hot at the campground?  Well, it was also hot at Saugatuck, but what a pretty place.  The town is located on an inlet adjacent to Lake Michigan.  A walk along the boardwalk next to the water took us past hundreds of expensive boats and yachts.  What an interesting life living on a yacht would be. 

 The town is filled with shops, bars, restaurants, and more ice cream parlors than I have ever seen in one place.  We spent our time ducking into air conditioned shops and nosing around.  Dianne, a self-proclaimed non-shopper, was the only person who made a purchase.  A new t-shirt to wear during daily dog walks (now she has to throw one away), and some local cherry preserves.  Chuck and I found an air conditioning register on the floor of one of the stores where the cold air gushed straight up.  We spent some time standing on the register while pretending to look at nearby merchandise.

Dianne here:  Saugatuck is my kind of town:  an ice cream parlor on almost every corner!  Cindy and Chuck had been to Holland before, and Cindy was on the lookout for a Kilwin's outlet.  Wow, what a wonderland of fudge (of all types), carmel corn (of all types), and ice cream (of all flavors)!  Roger's choice was vanilla with chunks of Mackinac Island fudge in it, and mine was a concoction called "cinnamon crumb cake."  Yum!!  We were too busy slurping them down to get a photo (sorry).  We stayed inside in the air conditioning as long as we dared while eating our ice cream, but finally reluctantly went out front to finish them.  

I'm sure we'll come across another Kilwin's before we leave this area.  Next time I plan to try the "Traverse City Cherry" flavor -- boy, did it look good!!

Back at the campground the group engaged in some more sitting, while I (Roger) used our new blender to make a pitcher (well, two pitchers; OK, three pitchers) of frozen pina coladas.  Did I mention it is hot here?

The last statement above was meant to be end of this post, but when I looked out the window I saw a strange sight.  What is Chuck doing on the top of his fifth-wheel in the pouring rain?

Dianne was Right Again!

Roger here....   In the middle of the packing frenzy, Dianne wanted to move all of the furniture that we are shipping to our coach house in Texas to the position it will be in after we move in there.  I balked, at first.  I always balk at extra work, and besides, it seemed like we had more important things to do.  HOWEVER, Dianne wanted to do this, so we did.  I must admit that it was fun seeing what we had drawn to scale on paper actually in place.  Dianne was right again.  Good job, Dianne!   (Dianne here:  Truth is, I can't visualize things on paper like Roger can.  I really needed the actual furniture in place to get a feel for it.  We ended up moving things and tweaking it a bit before we were through.)

The front room of the little house in Pendleton is almost identical to the front room of our new coach house - the coach house being one foot longer.  We moved the heavy items in place and followed this with tape on the floor indicating windows, doors, cabinets, sink, counter tops, fridge, etc.  Since the interior wall separating the main room from the bathroom has not yet been constructed, we decided to adjust that wall a bit so that the washer/dryer could be in the bathroom.  We probably would not have adjusted that wall, had we not seen how it will actually look.  Dianne was right again.  Good job, Dianne!

Dianne took a series of pictures, including a couple of me pretending to be a wall while holding up some of the pictures that Dianne wants on each wall.  If nothing else, I am pretty good at pretending to be a wall -- not much skill involved.

Looks pretty good to us.  Plenty of space for the only furniture that we are keeping.  It does not feel crowded.  We can't wait to have it in place in Texas, but that won't happen until after January.


After all the furniture moving was done and the pictures were taken, we had a good discussion about driving (in our car) to Texas in mid-August to meet with the contractor who will be doing the interior of the coach house.  (Assuming that the Pendleton house closing goes as planned.)  He could be putting up the drywall, laying the tile floor, constructing the vaulted ceiling, finishing the trim, putting the stucco finish on the walls and ceiling, installing the plumbing and electrical features, and maybe even doing the shower, stool, and washer/dryer in the bathroom.  If this works out, that work could all be done and we could move our "stuff" in as soon as we arrive in January.  We would have time to do this after my consulting work and before we leave Indiana on Labor Day.  We would not have thought to do this if we had not moved the furniture.  Dianne was right again.  Good job, Dianne!

Before ending this post, we wanted to show you the progress that we (Dianne) has made in boxing up the mess that you saw in the last post.  Dianne's experience in selling many, many of our items on Ebay has made her an excellent packer.  Good job, Dianne!  Packing is one of the tasks that I am not allowed to do.  However, I am allowed to carry the boxes, and I also do a great job at pretending to be a wall.  

We also wanted to show you the view of the corn field that is across the street from the little house (the house with the newly-rearranged furniture).  We've been watching it grow since May.  When we were growing up, our grandparents used the expression, "Knee high by the Fourth of July," to indicate the liklihood of a successful corn crop.  In the small town of Pendleton, Indiana that expression should probably be "Basketball Center High by the Fourth of July."

(Dianne here:  I've always loved summer in Indiana, hot and humid though it is.   We've been so busy this summer, that the only aspect I've been able to enjoy is the purple coneflowers, which to me signify summer.   They are in full glory here at the little house right now.  These were originally transplants from our Main Street house, which were transplants from our house before that in Fishers, Indiana.  Right now they are swarmed with bees, yellow jackets, and butterflies, especially tiger swallowtails.  Later this fall they will be covered with goldfinches, feasting on the seeds.  If all goes as planned, though, we won't be here to see that, or to harvest the tomatoes that I planted in May.  We're ready to move on!!  Anybody know whether or not coneflowers would grow in South Texas??)