Summer Lakation

Oh boy do I love vacation. Especially when it involves Lake Champlain. I had such a wonderful time last week that I didn't want to come home. I enjoyed every minute of lake time, family time, nature time, all of it! Spike and I left town on Saturday and arrived in the homeland in time for a competitive game of bocce and dinner with Terry and Art. On Sunday, we went up to Grafton Lakes State Park for the Run for the Roses, which I ran with my dad. Spike served as an excellent spectator/photographer and was able to catch the photo finish between me and a 10-year-old squirt. I let her win, just for the record.We continued on to Schroon Lake to see Sue and George and their fabulous camp. I jumped in the lake but decided not to join in the water skiing and instead left that up to Uncle George. After a fabulous dinner, we journeyed to Willsboro and Random Rocks, where Aunt Maura was waiting for us with Terry and Art. Although it was a bit too cloudy and chilly to go in the water, I could already hear the lake calling my name.

The next few days, I spent as much time in the water as possible. Thank goodness Spike is part fish because he was in the lake more than I was and it's always good to have a swimming buddy. He was anxiously awaiting the arrival of David because I guess he's a little more fun to play with than I am... Especially with the addition of Severus Snake and Peus, the Pink Princess Trident, that the guys won at the fair.

Once Erin and my mom arrived, we also took a trip to Lake Placid to check out some of the Olympic sights and Erin and I went to the top of the ski jump for an amazing view of the Adirondacks. After the fun-filled week of being in the water and taking the traditional trips to Willsboro Point, Ethel's Dew Drop Inn, and the Marina, it was time to head south. But not before stopping at the Saratoga Race Track! I didn't win big, but I did come out ahead and had a wonderful time eating clam chowder, drinking from the Big Red Spring, and yelling for my horses.

But now it was time to get to the serious business of celebrating the 60th birthday of my mother and Aunt Maura. We had a celebration in Essex at the Rudder Club on the actual day, which was lovely, but a surprise wine and cheese party was planned for my mom (and aunt, kind of) at an inn in the homeland. We had been planning for months and a lot of her friends were coming, so I was a little nervous about everything going smoothly. Thankfully, it did! Spike, Erin, David, and I worked our butts off the whole day and threw a tremendous party that I think my mom really enjoyed! We will be eating cheese for the rest of the month and drinking wine, hopefully, for much longer, but it was a successful ending to a wonderful vacation!