The end of summer.......

Well, we were the first ones in the water.....and we were the last ones in the water!!  Today marked the end of a short, but sweet, Minnesota summer for us as the Queen B took off for her winter's quarters.  Very bittersweet!

On another note, these pictures following our own picture were taken by our nephew Joe Korkowski and are of the boat lifts just taken out on Lake Mary.  Can you believe the zillions of zebra mussels attached to everything??  That is simply unbelievable! Let's hope that's not what our lifts and docks look like next week when being pulled out.

There is nothing better than fall in Minnesota......

Sometimes we have to pinch ourselves that we have access to this beautiful lake we call 'home'....at least nine months of the year....and tonight was the epitome of lake living at its finest!  Temperature was around 70 degrees with no wind (unusual, I know!), and the beauty of the lake was evident at every angle.  It was one of the finest, if not THE finest, evenings of the year!  Judge for yourself......

Impromptu works great!!

Sometimes you can plan for weeks or months...and sometimes just a day or two....and all of those ways work out well.  But, these impromptu 'happy hour at the beach' gatherings are becoming very successful.....even with the dark threatening skies and our knack for picking the rainiest or coldest of days!  Nice group tonight, even with the holiday weekend and many of you having family visiting.  Those joining us down at the fire pit were the Carl & Jennifer Guderjahn (Carl doing great just 10 days out from his surgery!),  Burke & Nancy Kiger with their new grandson (and their own son), Roger & Vicki Hermes, Dick & Peggy Dronen, Jeanne Hoyme, Herb & Nancy Balk, Dick & Jeanne Krogh, plus Cliff & Bev Korkowski.  Lots of good snacks and then the burgers and brats on the fire!  When the first raindrops fell, we all scattered until next time....there should be another time or two before winter, right?

The weather gods cooperated.......

It wasn't looking very good by mid afternoon yesterday with dark threatening skies, winds that came out of nowhere, and a drenching rain, but all we could do was hope for the best come 5:30 for our 'meeting at the fire pit'.  And believe it or not, the evening turned out beautifully!  There were seven couples around the tables with yummy appetizers, and brats/burgers/hot dogs on the grill to follow.  Everyone had a great time!  And, the next planned activity involves a turkey and potluck.....more on that to follow soon :)

Those who could make it last night were Carl & Jennifer, Cliff & Bev, Dick & Jeanne, Burke & Nancy, Roger & Vicki, Barb & Dean, and Norb & Bette.  (Most arrived by their chariots as you can see.)

A casualty of the strong gust of wind....

The lakeside 'parking lot'

We snacked very well....

...and caught up on the latest....

...while the men discussed world events!!

The 4th of July 2014....at the beach!

Over 40 EWB residents and guests started the day on the beach with the annual boat parade around Lake Cowdry where the skies may have been cloudy and the wind brisk, but it didn't deter the boaters from taking their decorated boats and pontoons out for a spin.  

The Stockwell's ready to roll....

Anyone know whose boat this was?  It was a fun 'entry' in the parade this year.

Geralyn Anderson did a FANTASTIC job on making the cupcakes and displaying them

Lastly, 'Lady Liberty' (aka Nancy Balk) sported the red, white and blue!

We're done waiting......

Who wants to come out and play??? C'mon, friends, let's get those boats in the water!

It's spring......somewhere!

On Saturday evening, our little 'meet and greet' went on as planned, even though there was a chill in the air!  We basically had everyone who was 'home' come down to the fire pit for a bit of liquid refreshments and some grilled meats.  It was great to see everyone, and even the new neighbors came down for a bit to introduce themselves and meet us all. And, to put the finishing touch on the night, there was a special cake for Norb & Bette Olson to commemorate their 55th wedding anniversary on the day prior.  It was so nice to see everyone again.....and we'll do it again soon.

This the group who braved the chill....and on the far right are our new neighbors...Ann and Elaina

Norb and Bette celebrating their 55th anniversary