Okobojiville

So here I am on 4th of July sitting by the Edgewater Condo pool with my computer (is that weird)? The Kid and Her Friend are swimming while I sit in the shade (because after all, there is no sun today). I wish it could get warmer because then I’d be inclined to jump in with them. I wistfully remember 10 years ago when the condo’s kidney-shaped pool boasted an extra springy diving board and 12 foot deep water.  Ahh, how times have changed. Now, 6 feet is the deepest it gets and even jumping feet-first from the cemented sides elicits disapproving looks. I know it’s all about “the liability,” but my kid will never know the joy of diving like I did.

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!

Tags: edgewater condo, swimming

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Everyone in the condo woke up at 11am (there were 2 little girls that decided they had been quiet long enough) and spent the next hour deciding where we should have breakfast. The decision was finally made that The Lighthouse was the closest and we were starving.

I should have known we would get going too late to order breakfast at The Lighthouse again. This time we missed it by 10 minutes.  DAMN. I was in the mood for pancakes and bacon but settled for a grilled cheese from the kid’s menu. The Kid and Her friend ordered mac & cheese.  When it came I thought they had brought the wrong thing.  Have you ever heard of deep fat fried mac & cheese? That is exactly what it was – shaped in little 3 inch triangles. I was going to send it back but we all tried it and decided it was quite good. The rest of the meal’s conversation consisted of  wondering who thought up such a thing and thinking up other foods that might taste good deep-fried.

The service at The Lighthouse today was quick and the food was good. I was surprised that we were the only people in the whole place,  considering the 4th being a very busy time at Okoboji.

Maybe everyone is sleeping in today.

Tags: breakfast, july 4th

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My favorite place to eat in Okoboji is The Coffee Cup.  Nothing fancy about it and you might as well bring a novel to read while you wait for your food (it’s that busy!) but really – it’s the best. The food is excellent (HUGE caramel rolls), the place is casual and the people are nice. The people are ALWAYS nice. We love it and feel it is worth waiting to get in the door after church when the waiting line spills out onto the highway. Really. It’s worth it. If I could complain it would be only that they close by 2pm. The best restaurant in Boji and they only serve breakfast – bummer!

And since The Kid pointed out the tiny spider on the ceiling in the bathroom, there aren’t any bugs either! There are bugs EVERYWHERE in Boji.

Tags: breakfast, coffee cup cafe

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I am always surprised at how packed church is on Sundays in Okoboji.  Actually, the church we go to is in Arnold’s Park which is just down the street and I’m not sure where Okoboji ends and Arnold’s Park begins. It’s all Okoboji to me anyway (no offense but to me Arnold’s Park is just that – the park. The amusement park to be exact. Anyway, back to the church thing…

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.

Tags: church, lakes church

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Whodathunkit? Finally, sun in Boji! The Kid and The Niece wanted to go on the boat but The Man decided it was too much work so The Kids and I went to the pool. Now, when I say “went to the pool”, it’s not like we had to travel. It is only like 25 steps and a couple chat stops with neighbors to get to the pool. The Kids jumped in and I settled myself on a lounge with a beer and my Blackberry (bringing a Blackberry to the pool does not invite as many stares as the laptop).

I lost my beer a couple times and thought I might be drinking them too fast before I realized the gale force winds were using it to water the surrounding greens. So much for relaxing.

The kids had a blast splashing around in the warm water and I even ended up jumping in a few times. One game The Kid likes me to play is “Crocodile” which involves me swimming underwater and grabbing her feet when she least expects it. Note to Self: 4ft is too deep to dive into (no matter how good you think you are).  We will have to go back soon to find the elbow fragments I left there…

Tags: beer, pool, sunny

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Raining in Okoboji again. We slept till noon for a change and then The Man took The Kid, The Niece and me to lunch at The Endzone. The club sandwich I had was pretty good and the weather was comfortable for sitting outside. My only complaint is the chairs on the patio (those kind that have you way back in a reclining position so only your knees touch the table.)

From there The Man dropped us (The Kid and The Niece) off at Arnolds Park. Now, I had previously bought a summer pass for The Kid and me so I figured it I wasn’t going to go on any rides, then The Niece could use it. No such luck. The Kid and I got our wristbands and I quickly ducked behind the Tipee House to peel mine off and put it on The Niece. Problem solved although not without the guilt of knowing The Kid was wondering if Her Mom just did something terribly naughty.

Tags: Arnolds Park, Endzone, rain

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I love storms. I always have. The more volatile the weather, the happier I am. I wonder what that says about me? Anyway, there are severe thunderstorms and tornadoes around west of us. I just want to hear thunder, see lightening, and smell rain…in that order. In fact if I had my way, I’d be sitting out on the deck (covered deck, I might add) during it all but then The Man would grumble that a wayward raindrop might find it’s way into the condo and perhaps leave a remnant of it’s presence on a microfiber of carpet or perhaps attach itself to me and then God knows where it could end up. Besides, the door open for any length of time during humidity could induce  allergy attack in The Man worthy of an extra Wallmart trip for meds which would in turn end up costing $200 because while we are there we might as well pick up some groceries (which will go bad before eaten since the restaurants need our business during these recession times.)

God – some people are so high maintenance!

Tags: lightening, rain, storms, thunder, thunderstorms, tornadoes

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I was cleaning out my dresser the other day and I realized I have as many “okoboji” clothing items as I do “Harley Davidson.”  For years, I’ve had a special drawer and closet shelf for my Harley clothes, but I didn’t know I had this many Boji clothes. I think most of them say “Barefoot Bar” on them. I probably should just leave them at the condo so I don’t have to pack anything when I go there. I haven’t checked out the new Okoboji Harley Davidson yet. I’m sure I will drop a house payment at that place.

Tags: barefoot bar, Harley Davidson, okoboji

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I am not going to Okoboji this weekend. No, I’m not complaining about Okoboji or the Condo or The Man (well…that depends) but just the whole “have to” thing. Since we have a condo in Boji we “have to” go every weekend. Heaven forbid we waste one precious weekend of something that has been paid for. So, consequently, I get a little bucky about going to Okoboji and DAMNIT, I’m not going this weekend! I have things to do and I hate feeling like I “have to” do anything so…I AM NOT GOING.

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

Tags: condo, okoboji, sioux falls, weekend

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The Man promised The Kid that I would take her to Arnold’s Park today. I am not sure how that happened but after a little nap I was ready to go (well I could’ve used another hour or two.) The Man was busy helping to get a friend’s van started so The Kid and I went by ourselves. When we got there, the first thing we did was get our season pass. for $52 its a pretty good deal for those of us coming to Boji every weekend. Then it was off to get a Nutty Bar for me and a cone for The Kid. She is even fussier than I am. She only likes vanilla ice cream – what’s up with that?

It took all of 5 minutes for The Kid to realize she is now tall enough to ride the roller coaster. I didn’t really want to but I was hesitant to let her go by herself. Usually when I ride it I’m unable to move for a couple of days due to strained muscles in my back. I suppose it’s an age thing. The Arnold’s Park roller coaster was the first one I ever went on when I was a kid and I remember that day well. I didn’t want to wreck the moment for her so I strapped myself in and arranged myself so there would be the least amount of jostling to my aging organs.

When it was over, her ear to ear grin made me (almost) forget the fact that I could only move my head about 10 degrees each direction.

Tags: Arnolds Park, nutty bar

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