A Week with the Parents

Todd went fishing the morning of June 6th while I busied myself in the kitchen.  Todd’s parents, Bill & Marilyn, arrived early Monday afternoon and we adjourned to the dock to visit.  Later that afternoon we were joined by Mo and Chuck & Pip for cocktails before retiring to the boat for dinner.

Hanging at the dock enjoying the shade and good company.



Marilyn, Chuck and Brenda.



Bill, Mo and Pip.



Late Tuesday morning Todd and Bill shuffled the Jeep to Pickwick Lake while I again played in the kitchen and Marilyn read on the sundeck.  Then I spent a few hours Tuesday afternoon writing and posting the blog through Monday morning, June 6th.

Working on the blog for the previous week.



Momma goose and her goslings visit the dock.



Our shady slip at Bay Springs Marina.



After an early dinner we took a sunset cruise on a borrowed pontoon owned by dock friends of Chuck & Pip’s.  Thanks to Chuck for asking permission for us to use it and to Bill & Belinda for granting permission.  We certainly enjoyed it!

Enjoying a sunset cruise on Bay Springs Lake.







Still in love after 57 years of marriage.  Aren’t they cute?



We spent a quiet day on the boat on Wednesday and then got together on the dock for cocktails and appetizers supplied by Mo, followed by a fish fry that evening.  Todd contributed bass and Chuck contributed crappie.  And we had Chuck & Pip’s wonderful hush puppies along with my cole slaw and pasta salad and Pip’s mini key lime pies for dessert.  It was all very good!

Enjoying happy hour on the dock.



Gearing up to fry fish.



Dinner is served!





Diane, Mo and Marilyn sitting down to eat.



One more picture before we all dig in!



We left Bay Springs Marina shortly after 9:00 a.m. Thursday and made our way to Aqua Yacht Harbor on Pickwick Lake where we pumped out the holding tanks before pulling into another covered slip about five hours later.

Bill captains “Life’s2Short” as Marilyn enjoys the view.



Todd and Bill on the flybridge.



Since the motor home was only about ten minutes from Aqua Yacht, Bill & Marilyn decided to move their personal belongings back to the motor home at Pickwick Landing State Park so that Todd & I could have our bedroom back.  While they were doing that, we visited with our friend Kelly who had stopped by in his Bayliner to say hello.

Bill & Marilyn returned about 6:00 p.m. to take us out to dinner.  Unfortunately, we chose Freddy T’s and had a very disappointing, yet pricey, meal.  After dinner we went back to the motor home to play a couple of games of Skip-Bo before taking the Jeep back to Aqua Yacht that evening.

Friday morning we picked Bill & Marilyn up at the motor home and drove to Corinth, MS to get Bill’s dog Ginger who had been in a kennel there since Monday.  After a little shopping we returned to the boat and Bill & Marilyn took Ginger back to the motor home, returning at 5:00 p.m. for cocktails and dinner.  A short time later, our friend Bud, a.k.a. the Iceman, stopped by on his Sea Doo to say hello.

Greetings, Iceman!  Some things never change!



After dinner we played two more games of Skip-Bo and were now tied 2-2, guys versus gals.

Bill & Marilyn came over at 10:00 a.m. Saturday for a late breakfast and then we drove over to Bud’s house to borrow his pontoon so we could spend the afternoon touring the lake.  One of the places we went is called Whetstone which has a grotto that Todd, Marilyn and Ginger swam and hiked in to see while Bill and I manned the pontoon.

Marilyn and Ginger hiking up to the grotto.





Looking back toward the pontoon from the grotto.



Marilyn and Ginger posing behind the waterfall.



Not bad for a 79-year-old, huh?



What a fun day on the water!  Thanks Bud-man for so generously offering the use of your pontoon.  We very much appreciate it!

After returning the pontoon to Bud’s boat house, we stopped back at the motor home to change clothes and then went to a Mexican restaurant called Nuevo Vallarta’s for a very good dinner and a round of margaritas.

On Sunday Todd cleaned on the boat all morning while I made potato salad and banana cream pie to take to Bud’s that evening.  Bill cooked up a mess of ribs before leaving Colorado and we wanted to share them with Bud at his home Sunday evening, accompanied by Marilyn’s famous Texas baked beans, one of Todd’s favorites.

Bill & Marilyn came over about 2:00 p.m. and we played the Skip-Bo rubber match, which the girls won hands-down thanks to a run of bad luck that the guys just couldn’t overcome.  Then we headed to Bud’s for a wonderful meal and a fun evening at Bud’s beautiful home,  aptly named “Our Sunset Point of View.”

Ribs, anyone?



Having a nice visit with Bud.









Looking across the lake at sunset from “Our Sunset Point of View.”



We said our good-byes to Bill & Marilyn Sunday evening when they dropped us off at Aqua Yacht Harbor before heading back to the motor home.  They will work their way back to Colorado over the next several days, visiting friends along the way.

Today is Monday, June 13th, and Todd is working diligently to get the boat ready for a potential buyer who is flying up from Ft. Myers Beach on Thursday.  Unfortunately, that means we are essentially dock-bound until after his visit.  But if all goes as planned, we should be in our place at the Waterfall by next weekend.  And we are both very much looking forward to that!