We didn’t get here till midnight last night, although our “plan” was to come down on Thursday. Nevertheless, I am just happy to finally be here and The Kid is ecstatic that she got to bring a niece along. Actually, it makes my life a lot easier when The Kid has a friend or relative to play with.

I was wondering what I had left here from last year and was happily surprised to see a drawer full of clothing that I apparently bought at the end of last summer. But of course -  my elation turned to depression when I realized I am a hell of a lot bigger than I was last year. Maybe I will wear them next year…

Kelly and Denny, some Sioux Falls friends,  joined us for breakfast at the Lighthouse. I was happy that we got there before noon so I could order breakfast. This was the first time I ordered the eggs benedict and it was great! Since it’s my first weekend at the lake this year, it’s 4th of July weekend and any other justification for boozing before lunchtime I could think of, I also had 2 mimosas. Yummy! Afterwards we stopped at the Barn Swallow (I have a rant on another post).

I grew up next to a 12 foot high board that made me feel like the most graceful swan ever to grace Slayton, Minnesota. The lifeguard was a handsome, tanned, future-doctor that in retrospect I should have spent more time talking to rather than being whistled at for all the wrong reasons (breaking the pool rules).  But damn… I could dive!

Church is packed into this large building on the main street. The sides are garage doors which depending on the weather, maybe pulled up or not. There is nothing boring about this church and sometimes I wish church could have been this fun growing up. Maybe getting up on Sunday morning wouldn’t have taken so much effort. Usually there is some story (I say story because it isn’t anything like a traditional sermon) sprinkled with anecdotes and personal details of the life of the storyteller/paster.  Looking around at all the visitors – some in lake attire consisting of flipflops and wrinkled Barefoot Bar t-shirts, I can’t help but smile at all the college kids.  I always assume their parents encouraged them to get a dose of spirituality after the previous night’s lake party but that is probably presumptuous. We are, afterall, in Dutch country.

Have a great weekend, everybody. I know I will! 

Later, a phonecall from some friends prompted us to head over to The Barefoot Bar again. We tend to go there for most of our entertainment needs for various reasons, including the fact that there is a children’s play area for The Kid. Whoever planned for this bar to be “a family fun place”  is a marketing genius. No need for a sitter. The parents have fun, the kids have fun and everyone wins.

I don’t know who the entertainment was since I was engaged in conversation the whole time. I am rather proud of myself that I didn’t spend the usual hundred bucks on Barefoot Bar clothing and accessories…not today anyway (yesterday was a different story.) By the end of the summer we are usually well outfitted in Okoboji clothing and most of it advertises either The Barefoot Bar or Okoboji Boatworks. Did I mention genius marketing?

While waiting to be seated at the Lighthouse, I had to go outside for a bit due to a severe hotflash. Immediately I thought of the book I had at home (given to me 5 years ago by a  grinning friend) called Hot Flashes and Warm Bottles.  The book is a humorous look at being a “late in life mommy” which is just another way to say, “you won’t live long enough to see your grandchildren.”

OK…back at the restaurant…my cheese omelet was great (lotsa cheese, just the way I like it) but the hard and crusty toast sucked. We had the same waitress as  yesterday who was very cheerful and friendly considering it was standing room only. 

BFF and her 17 year old showed up on the way back from a graduation party in Spirit Lake and decided to stay the day. Back at the condo, The Man turned on the TV and got comfortable, which made me wonder if we really would get the boat in the water today?

3:00 comes and goes. By 6:00, I’ve met a new neighbor, pulled some weeds outside, finished all the laundry and mopped the kitchen floor. The bags are packed and sitting by the door. The Kid is running to the door whenever the dog barks just hoping that it’s her Daddy is pulling up.

9:45 PM and we are on our way but still we need to stop at the Get-n-Go to fill up the truck and the boat with gas.  Oh yes, and The Man says needs to go back to his house and grab some clothes. What? FINE.

12:45 AM and we pull up to our Edgewater Condo. The Kid bolts upright from her deep sleep in the backseat and jumps from the truck. We have arrived at our summer weekend haven.

Yes, I guess I’m taking this to a new direction … I thought it would be fun to blog about my Okoboji weekends and learn about blogging at the same time. If you take the time to read this, please don’t have any expectations!

Boji Girl