Borthers Assembled, Pt. III

(contd.)

Day III

"The Gang's All Here"

Folks slept in the next morning, seeing how late everyone was up the night before, and I was one of the first ones up and around. After some coffee and a shower, the girls started bugging me for jet ski rides, so - prior to the making of the traditional Bloody Mary (because parenting) - I started whipping kids around the lake. There was like nobody out on the lake, the surface was like frickin' glass. I took Abby first because Alayna, who turned 16 this year and can drive, wanted to learn how to operate a jet ski, and that would take awhile. My parents demanded my girls take a Boaters Safety course first, but upon me learning that my nephew Bradley never took one, and they still let him drive it around, I confronted them and they relented.

Alayna took the jet ski halfway around the lake, but she was pretty skittish with the throttle and didn't want to go very fast with it. While we putted along I gave her some no-brainer, boat traffic tips, but with the lake as dead as it was there wasn't a lot of boat traffic to move about in order to show her the ropes. We came back into port about twenty minutes later.

As we pulled in, I had her kill the engine and jump off the jet ski and into the water in order to catch it before the jet ski hit anything. That was kinda funny.

And, wouldn't you know it, the second we got back Abby came down, asking for a second ride around the lake. So back out we went. All in all, we logged about an hour and a half of jet ski time in before I told the girls that I needed a break (but also a Bloody Mary.)

Awaiting a late-morning breakfast (or early lunch, however you wanna look at it) and playing Guess Who with Jax and Kinsley (Jeff, Carissa and her had rolled in while we were out on the jet ski.)

I used to crush this frickin' game.

Dad, Lucy, and Brian White (who's not having a great morning.)

There's a lot of stuff in this pic that I can't identify. . .

Kris, the Cannonball, and Brent's wife (I always forget her name. . .)

Dad makes some friends in the kitchen after grabbing some food.

The entire gang, minus Dad and Cindy, decided to hit up The Sandbar again in the early afternoon, once everyone had gotten some lunch. We had to load up Brian's boat with our family, Jeff's, and the Whites, while Bryan, Chelsey, and Brent's family loaded up into his sister's pontoon (she had to sneak in and use the neighbor's dock, since we didn't have any space on ours, what with the boat hoists.) As we were pulling away, Watson ran out to the dock and watched pull away.

Abby, Kinsley, and Alayna.

Anchoring the boats at the Sandbar, and settling in for a couple hours of shallow water chill time.

Houghs, Whites, Rowleys, and Michaels.

After a half an hour or so, some of us decided to get a volleyball game going. Carissa plays in a travel league, and did in college too (I think), so she was pretty good. The rest of us?  Well, see for yourself. . .

Scary clouds on the horizon. Fortunately, the weather held (thank God - we've had super good luck this weekend.)

Alayna reorganized the entirety of Brian White's boat while blasting her K-Pop playlist, moving things from cooler to cooler, creating a trash bag, etc. She also handed out drinks and snacks, so we kind of hand our own little, underage bartender while we were out there today.

Jeff and Calista (as Jill calls her after a few seltzers.)

Abby photobombs a selfie Kris requested.

I was still finishing up my Bloody Mary from a couple hours ago when we first got up there, so once it was done I do what I always do, and chucked the pickle into the lake. Bryan came along later and stepped on it, thinking it was a dead fish, only to discover later it was the dreaded Lake Pickle. Beware the Lake Pickle, folks. . .

Pretty much had the Sandbar to ourselves this afternoon, which was weird for a Friday, what with the weather being as nice as it was - usually that place is slammed on the weekends.

The Brians decided to take the jet ski out for a romantic spin at one point, antsy from standing around in shallow water too long.

Bryan and Chelsey went through a few of these over the course of their stay. At least one per day, which is just nuts.

Worn out from the sun.

Packing up and getting ready to head back to the lakehouse after a couple of hours at the Sandbar.

While we were away, Cindy made her usual taco dip to put out for folks to snack on, and that shit was destroyed within minutes of everyone getting back. Nothing gets folks hungry like the Sandbar.

Brian offered to take Abby out on a tubing ride after we had gotten some food in our systems, seeing how she hadn't gotten a chance to go the day before.

Having one kid on the tube made it harder to tip, but Brian was able to throw her off a couple times before she had had enough of the lake and wanted to return to shore.

In the late afternoon, as some people started food prepping for dinner, a group of us were hanging out by the fire pit when Kris made a new friend. . .

Bryan, cutting up. . . whatever this is. Lettuce? Cilantro?

While kinda-patiently waiting for dinner, the adults kinda ended up hanging out under the deck. Like a bunch of f***ing bridge trolls. 

Jeff, double-fisting up at the lake.

Another game of baseball breaks out in the yard.

Dinner time, at long last.

This is the piece of meat Brian had started smoking the night before. It was awesome.

Abby and Samson

After dinner, Kinsley asked me to pitch a few balls her way so she could 'practice.'

My aim is questionable, at best.

Brian took a turn pitching, too - we wear out faster than kids these days.

Sunset over Eight Point (we didn't do a cruise this evening, opting instead to stay ashore and have a fire.)

Jeff, Yours Truly, the Cannonball, and Brian White, spilling tea.

Bryan Rowley gets another evening fire going. . .

We ended up hanging out by the fire for a few hours, with folks drifting off back to the lakehouse and condo as they got tired. Stay tuned for the thrilling final chapter, folks.

- to be concluded. . .

Eight Point Lake '21, Pt. I

Samson, relaxing on the beach.

What's up, folks.

So usually this time of year, the middle of July, would see the Houghs converge on Eight Point Lake for a two-week stint of boating, boozing, feasting and corn holing.  I've mentioned all this before, but due to the fact that we own our own family lakehouse now, and can go up to the lake whenever we want, there's no great gathering of family for days and days at a time.  In fact, we're now to the point where if any family stays up at the cottage, it's a big deal.  The days of nearly week-long adventures on the lake are now distant memories.

So this weekend, folks, was a big deal.  At least by 2021 standards.

Abby and the Larson kid, Sophie.

This weekend was our 'big' annual weekend at the lake:  both my family and my brother Chris' family stayed a couple nights up there, with the Whites driving up every day to visit (they live 20 minutes away, there's no point in crashing at the cottage.)  We allowed both girls to bring up a friend with them, seeing how they're now to that age where hanging out with your parents, sibling, and extended family is no longer cool, and kept them all in the lowest level of the cottage to isolate their noisy asses from my brothers' super-young kids.  Our annual Cornhole Tournament was held Sunday, and we had huge grillouts for dinner all weekend, as well as almost-continuous boating, tubing, kayaking, swimming, and sandbar'ing.

Typical Eight Point Lake business, just on a much smaller scale.

Check it out. . .

We rolled in Friday, late in the morning, with Kris hauling up Abby and her friend, Sophie, and Yours Truly bringing up Alayna and her friend, Cristina, who came up to the cottage a couple years ago.  After arriving and settling in, Alayna and Cristina opted to hang out downstairs in the kid level of the cottage (nice because they have their own bedroom, living room, and bathroom down there), watching frickin' anime, while Abby and Sophie immediately hit the water to kayak.

My new JBL Xtreme 2 bluetooth speaker, supplying the waterfront with jams.  Thing has ridiculously good sound, is waterproof, and is practically indestructible.

Sun wasn't completely out yet, so it was a little too chilly for most other folks to get in the water yet.

Out comes the Lily Pad. . . 

After the kids swam for a bit, they started asking for golf kart rides around the lake.  Kris had to run into town to help out her mom, so Yours Truly was left on solo-parenting detail for awhile.  Fun.  Times.

All four kids wanted to sit in the back (who knows why), so I had to force Alayna and Abby to take turns sitting up front with me.  Kids fight about the stupidest shit.

These things are, admittedly, pretty fun to drive.

A new toy up at the lakehouse this year - we haven't had a jet ski on Eight Point Lake in probably 15 years or so.  This became a HUGE hit with the kids, and because Yours Truly doesn't feel comfortable docking other folks' boats on the dock hoists, this allowed me an opportunity to buzz kids around the lake at a moment's notice, ferry kids to the sandbar and back, etc. without issue.

Cristina and the Cannonball.

Coming back in after doing donuts with Abby and Sophie for a bit.

Back to kayaks.

Now it's the older kids' turn. . .

Getting dangerously close to knocking themselves unconscious on the dock.  Frickin' kids. . .

Snack time with Nana in the kitchen.

Taking a break with some Donkey Kong (Dad set up the Nintendo Classic I got him for a Christmas a few years ago downstairs - it works out well.)

Guess Who.  An Eight Point Lake staple.

Back in the water, later on in the evening.  The sun finally out.

Later on in the evening, Cristina and Alayna watching a sunset on the dock.

Built a fire for the evening so the girls could do s'mores.  We were going to take out the pontoon for a sunset cruise, but dad messed up something on his hoist and the battery that powers the lift was dead - he had to charge it overnight so we could use the pontoon the rest of the weekend.  The girls were disappointed, but the prospect of s'mores cheered 'em up.

'Merica.

Roasting some marshmallows.

Cristina, Abby, and Sophie

Sunset pictures on Eight Point are required by law.

Cindy plays Truth or Dare with the girls.

Sure, let's turn every light on in the Cottage.  F*** the electric bill.

That's it for Day One, folks - stay tuned for more. . .

- Brian