Archive for August 2011
Family Fun
We are thoroughly enjoying friends and family for a couple of days before most everyone will return to their respective homes and Cyndie and I will linger in our paradise for the week. Yesterday was filled with activity on the lake. We went kayaking and got close to one of the young eagles perched in a dead tree. It presented a beautiful sight when it finally spread its wings and leapt to fly with the (most likely) sibling that had floated into the vicinity over the bay. We swam a bit after we got back to our beach, and then, when the gusts of wind seemed sufficient, hopped on the catamaran sailboat that was recently added to the collection of boats on the beach. The wind was inconsistent, but we enjoyed a few good runs that more than sufficed to make it a special treat.
After more lounging on the beach, there was some tubing and skiing to be had with the speedboat, and then, as more folks arrived to the beach, plenty of silly roughhouse play on the floating rafts. I played some guitar. We played a few card games, and a round of Scrabble. Then it was Coop’s Pizza for dinner, picked up and brought back to the cabin.
This morning, the youngest nephew, Beck, (almost 4-years-old) came downstairs looking for me, since everyone else was up communing in the porch. I was in the bathroom. He knocked, and when established it was me, announced, “I’m going to wait right here for you.”
Then, “Are you pooping?”
Who can deny such an innocent question? I affirmed my activity and then gave him a play-by-play that I was washing my hands. We marched together up to the porch where he gladly pronounced what he had found me to be doing. That was a big hit with the crowd.
Weak Justification
When what matters, doesn’t seem to matter, and the words we’ve already heard, all seem to fall hollow, landing on deaf ears, it can increasingly feel like the hopelessness running rampant in waves of public opinion, while the masses clap along in perfect time, laughing in desperate hysteria, all come from the sudden realization that the backup singing on the song, “A Little Help From My Friends,” as performed by Joe Cocker at Woodstock, was actually provided by men singing falsetto.
At the same time, it’s as if the music that can be heard was actually coming from Joe, himself, performing an amazing rendition of “air guitar.”
If it weren’t for the miracle of all the movie cameras capturing the scenes, we would be forced to rely on snopes, or notarized certifications of eye witnesses.
There. Don’t you think it sounds like I need a vacation?
Great Anticipation
It is Thursday and I am now just two days away from a week of vacation, when I will be free from the demands of the day-job. Since I didn’t get a chance to take my usual week off for a bike trip back in June, and Cyndie and I didn’t take the 3 weeks off in July to travel to Portugal, I have claimed a week in August, while there is still some summer in the air. I intend to catch up on some sleep. I plan to watch some movies. I hope to create some art. I’ll probably take some pictures, and swim in the lake. Most important, I won’t be at work. I will be at our favorite getaway place, at the lake in the woods of Wisconsin.
One of the movies I want to watch is a repeat. I want to see “Dances With Wolves” again. Last night we stumbled on a television broadcast of the making of Dances With Wolves. That movie was made over 20 years ago. My, how time flies. It was interesting to see interviews with people who have aged since the filming and to recognize the passing of that amount of time by the changes in their faces. Obviously, the actors who were just kids at the time, show the most dramatic transformation.
I am a big fan of the movie. I do not feel swayed by any of the negative things I have heard in relation to it. The back story of the making of the movie revealed a fair number of instances where the project seemed unlikely to succeed. It is a marvel that all the potential hurdles were overcome and the final result received such acclaim.
I am looking forward to seeing it again. I am also looking forward to overcoming any hurdles that may arise to threaten my planned week of vacation. I am enjoying the simple pleasure of anticipation for the week that is to come. It is the first step in a process of getting the most out of time-off from work.
Unintentional Memories
For all the lambasting I do about commercials and advertisements, I remember way too many of them. I guess it is logical. Instead of simply ignoring them, I allow myself to notice them and become annoyed. Then I end up finding the tag lines stuck in my head for the rest of my life.
I suppose the fact that I also am all-too-willing to brag up the few specific ads that I find clever or funny, may contribute to my affliction of “commercial memory” syndrome.
I am afraid that this is a classic case of me not practicing what I preach. I proclaim that the majority of advertising doesn’t deserve our attention. But, then I end up allowing the ads to catch my attention and take me prisoner. It is not something I am proud to admit.
Some of the memorable lines are understandable, for the almost universal attention they garnered:
“Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”
“Where’s the BEEF?”
“A little dab ‘ll do ya!”
“Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is!”
“Mikey will eat it!”
Why do I also still remember the following lines?:
“Think about it, won’t you?”
“There’s no whipped cream on mine!”
“Haveyougotthe microwave workin’ yet?”
I don’t remember what products these lines were meant to sell, but I still find myself reciting them at various odd times, in informal social settings. It is like having an odd ‘tick’. Only my peers seem to recognize the true origin. Anyone too young to have heard the original commercials must wonder what the heck I mean, as they try to interpret a literal meaning from the phrases.
I guess that could explain the looks I frequently get from them in response to my ramblings.
Lake Scenes
While I’m on a run of lake scenes, I’ll post another one as a closer of our fantastic weekend. It was so beautiful that we stayed till Sunday evening and drove home with hardly a moment to spare, getting unpacked with minimal time to get ready for a few hours sleep before Monday morning demands my attention. The activity level didn’t leave me much time to write. In addition to the power lounging we did on floating mats in the lake, we got in quite a few family card games. I enjoyed an incredible run of favorable luck over the weekend, and I was the winner in every game I played. I mentioned to Cyndie that we should maybe make a run to the casino, something I never actually do. I think it surprised her a bit. I quickly talked her out of it, because, instead of truly believing my luck would make that a logical thing to do, I expected that my luck was probably all used up at that point. We did enjoy some additional luck last night, though, in the form of an incredibly picturesque display of the sunset during our drive home to the Twin Cities. It wasn’t far off from the color show we were treated to on Saturday night, when we rode the pontoon boat home across the lake after dinner at Famous Dave’s restaurant.
Brief Reflection
Being totally absorbed in the luxuries of lake life can come at the expense of writing thoughtful exposés on the same, even though, it is very often the very fodder for doing so. That is just my wordy way of saying that I am going to continue the recent trend of posting a picture in place of writing about this wonderful place I am enjoying right now. It is absolutely beautiful up here this weekend!
Relative Something 