Table Rock Lake

Well, being out in the "boonies" means sketchy internet access and very slow at that. I could not post pictures. Texts were "iffy" too. We're home now and had a fun time. It's a long drive for us---8 hours--although it took us 9 to get home.

Anyway, the lake was gorgeous.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon. The family was already out on the lake. When they got back we all hit the pool and spent some time catching up.

Jeanne asked me to organize the trip since she was in the middle of her move. The plan was that each cabin (we had 5--for 18 of us) was responsible for their own breakfasts and lunches and we would all gather for dinner. Each of the first generation would be responsible for dinner---me, Jeanne, Janet and Joyce. Their adult "kids" could help them. They would cook and serve at their house. The rest of us would bring our own chairs and drinks. That worked perfectly. We had great food and no repeats. Jeanne did brats, salssiccia, and hotdogs. Janet did bbq pork and Italian beef. I did a Mexican dinner. Joyce (and mostly Scott) did this:

A shrimp boil! I was so excited. I've never had a boil in my entire life and now I've had 2 in 2 weeks! It was delicious. Unfortunately, I snapped this picture after everyone had filled their plates.

Speaking of Scott, he brought this jar of his "famous" pickles for Mindy.

When we gave them to Mindy, she opened them right away and shared them with us---just a taste! Scott had some for all of us to eat on vacation. They are the best pickles ever. He grows everything for them, cucumbers, garlic, dill and I don't know what else. He makes some hot. They're really good, not too hot.

Butch and I had planned to do some fishing on this trip. While everyone else likes to go out on the boat and sit for hours, that's just not us. Besides it's too hot. You can get in the lake to cool off, but that doesn't work for me. Yes, I've done the lake thing many times, but never really liked worrying about the creepy things you cannot see in the water. Plus getting in and out of the boat could be a problem for me these days. I'll stick with the pool.

Anyway, fishing these days couldn't be easier. You can just go online and get your fishing license. I just took a screenshot and had it on my phone along with the receipt that I'd paid. We were never stopped, be we never take any chances.

It was pretty hot right off the bat. I caught the first 3 fish.

I don't care how little they are---it's just fun to catch. This one was nearly as big as the lure!

I just love these fish. They are all so different and beautiful. This was my favorite--blue and orange. The colors seems like it would be a danger for them as they don't exactly blend in to their surroundings.

Butch caught one fish and another that got off right before he got it to the boat. On Tuesday, he went without me since that was my day for "Camp Aunt Barb" (all about that in then next post). He caught more than he could count. Figures. We went out again on Wednesday. He caught 6. I only had two bites. I caught trees, bushes and rocks. That made me skittish, so I quit getting really close to where I needed to be to catch fish. Butch said, "Barb, they're not going to jump in the boat---you have to cast out there!" Still, it's such a hassle to have to retrieve your lure. I will say, Butch is incredibly patient about it. He had his share of entanglements. He says that's just part of fishing.

Still, it was fun getting my rod in the water! I do enjoy fishing until it gets too hot. At one point, I asked Butch to find a shady cove. He said, "Barb, the sun is straight up, there is no shade!" I'm glad we're both early birds. We quit about 11. We went back out one afternoon, but it was still stifling.

On our second day of fishing together, he pulled this on me. I though he planned to somehow "steal" the fish! He said that all the pros wear this---to prevent bugs, I think. Anyway, after modeling it for this picture, he didn't really use it. I texted a picture to the girls, since I knew they'd get a "kick" out of it. He provides us with endless entertainment!

We packed up Wednesday night so we could get an early start for home on Thursday morning. We got on the road by 6 a.m.

It ended up taking us 9 hours to get home because of this:

We were stuck behind this RV for 45 miles. He had a long line of cars behind us, but wouldn't pull over. That's the courteous thing to do. Butch handled it remarkably well. I kept telling him to honk, but he wouldn't. My blood pressure was rising, so I just played my new game.

It sure helped pass the time. It's a free app for your phone or iPad. Butch doesn't know it, but I put it on his phone. I know he'll like it. It's so easy! Thanks for sharing Connie! As if I need another time waster!

Up next: Everything you ever wanted to know about Camp Aunt Barb!