Saturday, September 23, 2006

Last Days of Summer...

The cloudy/rainy conditions at the WI cabin this morning were consistent with my mood as we buttoned up (over the past several days) and prepared to come back to IA. We enjoyed at least nine weeks up there this summer, including visits by several good friends. I know we can and will be back, but I just wasn't quite ready to come home yet. Anyway, I wandered around a bit this morning taking a few pictures that seem to mark this transition.

Kathie and I, with considerable brute force and some help from a block and tackle and a hand winch, managed to pull the dock and the boat lift out of the lake and park them on the shore. It became a challenge which our stubborness insisted we meet.

In the three weeks we were there, the leaves went through an amazing transition, treating us to the most colorful viewing we have had in years.


Some bird evidently dropped a sunflower seed after enjoying our feeders, and a single, last sunflower appeared near our burn ring, and we didn't have the heart to burn anything lest it be destroyed. In turn, it treated us to a full blossom just this morning.

Our friends, the Canada geese, spent days on the lake near us feeding, squabbling, and preparing for a flight south.

Finally, a view of the house, steps, and decks in their new colors, along with the work we did to build new chairs, organize the garage, rebuild dock steps and add a lakeside deck, gave us a sense of all the very nice improvements we accomplished through the summer. We really have made the place ours. Next summer, we should really enjoy being there and can spend more time fishing and playing. I'll be ready to return anytime.



2 comments:

Betsy said...

Ahh....the melancholy end of summer.

Also, a pet peeve of mine....but it's Canada Geese. Not Canadian. Think of it like the Iowa Hawkeyes, not the Iowan Hawkeyes. Speakingofwhich, your grandson says "Go Hawks!" and "Hawkeyes!" now. He's looking forward to your visit!

W.F. Decker said...

OK, OK. I fixed the error.