LAKE
HOPE CHRONICLES 2017
The
weather in Nelsonville, Ohio couldn't
have been more cooperative for our annual family reunion at Lake Hope State
Park this year. It was sunny, with high temperatures in the 70s each day and
lows at night that were cool enough to be comfortable around the roaring
campfire. Rich and I arrived Thursday afternoon with our pup, DeeDee, and a
truck load of necessary gear and firewood. Pam and Jim were there to greet us,
having arrived earlier in the day. Amy had only just pulled in ahead of us with
Barbie and Riley in tow. Anne, Drew and
Laurie were there sporting their Florida tans, along with Steve Schieser who
rode up from Columbus with them.
Thursday
evening we enjoyed catching up over tapas and wine at Amy's cabin where she was
assisted by Olivia and Laurie presenting us with a tasty spread. After tapas,
Rich and Steve started the campfire that was to last all weekend. The early
bird group sat around chatting and waiting to greet Matt and Jen who brought
along niece, Addie, and nephew, Jackson. They were a late arrival because they had
stayed to watch Mason's football game. Mason and Emmy, who is away at college,
were unable to attend this year and we missed them. Olivia had to drive back to
Ohio University late that evening because she had a morning class on Friday,
after which she would be rejoining us at Lake Hope. Yay!
Early
in the day on Friday, a couple of Jim's bike riding friends came up and went on
an extended bike ride with Jim. Friday
afternoon after classes at Ohio State University, Kammie and one of her
roommates, Lina, joined us for the rest of the weekend. It was great to see
Kammie and be witness to all of the teasing that her dad was able to heap on
her to make up for lost time. Matt is an expert at getting her goat and Kammie
is such a cutie in her responses. I'm afraid that poor Lina has never seen
quite as crazy a family as ours.
Amy
made a short trip to the Lodge in the morning to try to get on their wi-fi to do a little business. Later in the
day, Laurie drove Amy, Jen, Kammi, Lina,
Riley and Barbie down to the Lodge just to look around in the gift shop
and use the wi-fi once more. It seems that it is a bit of a tradition just
to check out the lodge and see if anything has changed in our absence. The old
lodge was destroyed by fire a few years ago and the one rebuilt in its place is
beautifully rustic, reflecting the environment of the Zaleski national forest
area.
Also
arriving Friday was Ian and his long time buddy, Jesse. Although low key, Ian
is always fun to have around the campfire. If you listen carefully, taciturn
Ian has some great one-liners to add to the conversation and Jesse is the kind
of guy who has never met a stranger. He can hold his own in our crowd! Once
Drew and Rich get started with their "voices" we laugh until our
sides hurt, or groan in disgust depending upon the nature of their comments!
Friday
night was the annual food preparation competition; this year the category
appetizers. Those of us who wished could prepare something to be judged by
impartial judges. I forgot my elaborate puff pastry appetizer and so had to compete with an improvised
loaded tater-tot recipe. Amy had a great loaded baked potato dish. Ian and Drew
each had a differently delicious Buffalo Chicken dip preparation. Jen made
sausage pinwheels and Laurie entered a mini taco dish. Rich had a scrumptious,
bacon wrapped spam chunks with honey-mustard drizzle recipe. Jen won with her
pinwheels and Amy came in second with the potato skins. Rich got honorable
mention with the bacon wrapped spam. Jim's friends were the impartial judges
and did a great job. After the competition we celebrated Barbie's 40th birthday
in our cabin where Annie and I had done a stealth job of decorating and Laurie
had herded people one-by-one into the cabin evading Barbie's notice. We were
able to surprise her with music and a huge chocolate cake! Afterward we all
returned to the fire where we laughed heartily until late in the evening.
On
Saturday morning, Ian and Jesse wandered off down to the lake to go kyaking and
hiking for a couple of hours. Drew took a group down to the iron furnace area
for the annual Lake Hope Fall Nature walk and bean soup lunch. Amy, Olivia, Jen
and a few others that I can't remember took the dogs down to the lake for a
swim. (the dogs, not the people!) Jen took Tybee, Amy walked Chili. Olivia took
our DeeDee and she had the opportunity for her first ever swim. Olivia has the
cutest videos of Dee leaping like one of our alpacas in the shallow water. Rich
and I are going to have to take her down to our friend's house often for a swim
in their pond. Before this weekend, DeeDee had suffering doggy anxiety since
she had witnessed Callie being killed by a car. The vet had prescribed more
socialization for her - with both people and other dogs. I think that the
running and romping with her buddy, Chili, and the other dogs this weekend has
been a great cure for her. Just about everyone in our group is a dog lover and
so Dee got a lot of positive attention from humans and dogs alike. After we
stopped in Nelsonville for breakfast, where we gave her a birthday sausage
patty, (today is her first birthday) she slept all the way home. After running
around and sniffing the grounds to make sure that nothing had changed in her
absence, she came inside and curled up
on her pillow in the living room where she is still snoozing almost four hours
later!
While
everyone was strung out in different directions, Rich and I went into
Nelsonville to check out the annual Smoked Meat Festival and Steve stayed
behind to tend the fire. Intoxicated by the smell of smoking pork, beef and
chicken, we strolled through town stopping only at the Nelsonville Emporium
where they sell products from local artisans. I purchased another handmade mug
to match the one I got last year. It's by a local artist named Dale who does
lovely work. I like these mugs because they keep my coffee and tea hot and fit
comfortably into my hands, warming them on cold winter mornings.
When
we returned from Nelsonville, Rich prepped the pork loin and put it on the
tri-pod over the open fire where he tended it the rest of the afternoon. Amy had gone back to the Columbus area to
Max's cross country meet and brought him back with her. He's sporting a knee
high boot on his right food as he recovers from a stress fracture. He didn't
run but went to the meet on the team bus to support his team mates. I was lucky
to be able to sit between Olivia and Max at the fireside that evening. Since
Amy's cabin was packed, Max spent the night in our extra room. Rich and I always
enjoy spending time with our grandchildren.
This
year Rich experimented with an apple upside-down cake cooked in a skillet over
the open fire, along with his pork, potatoes and corn spoon bread. There were
several positive comments on his experimental dessert but on the way home he
was already revising the recipe for next year! Once again, on Saturday night we
all gathered around the campfire to imbibe in our favorite beverages and
politely converse. We never exactly solve the problem of world peace; ok, maybe
we don't even try, but we do have fun.
True
to form, Rich and I were the first to pack up and leave this morning. We awoke
later than usual, around 7:30, because DeeDee was so tired from running with
the pack this weekend, that she slept in, too! We tried to quietly take down
all of the Halloween decoration and pack up our food leftovers and the assorted
"comfort items" that I bring along, so that we wouldn't wake Max. I
think he barely noticed when I knocked gently on his door and kissed him
goodbye on his cheek.
Brother
Jim heard us and came out to assist in the loading up. Matt joined us shortly as did Amy who had to take
Chili out for his morning constitutional. Chili and DeeDee had one last tussle
before we left. Annie and Drew came out at the last minute to send us off and
say good bye until Christmas when we will see them in Florida.
By
nine o'clock the truck pulled out, fully loaded, Dee in the back seat, Rich at
the wheel and me as the navigator (Who am I kidding? After I had my coffee I
slept most of the way home). The ride home was uneventful. We unloaded and I've
been doing laundry all afternoon. Rich went out to pick up a pizza for Sunday
dinner to close out the weekend, and that's the end of another successful
family reunion at Lake Hope State Park. Until next year, au revoir!
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| DeeDee and her buddy, Chili |
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