summer | Change Is Hard

I’ve been home a couple of days now and I’m sorting through photos. There are so many that you didn’t get to see. If you follow me on Facebook you saw the daily good morning lake photos, and quite a few of food we ate. But there was more to my trip than just the lake or food, or even family. Though all of that was a huge part of a wonderful trip.

Last boat ride back to the house.

I drove down to Alabama, and there was plenty to see along the way. I’ll try to share a bit of the trip with you here.

Kentucky tobacco field.

I only saw one field of tobacco the whole trip. I happened to get off the freeway for something else, and noticed barns. Well. You know me and barns..and the next thing you know I’m driving out on a little two lane road that twists and turns through farmland.

Tobacco barn

Sure was pretty, as long as you ignored that it was tobacco. Soon enough though I needed to get back on the road. I could spend hours, probably days, wandering in the country looking at farms but I had to stop it and just move on.

These people at the Tennessee Welcome Center are sort of moving and stopping all at the same time too.

Frozen in time.

It’s an art installation and I thought it was kind of cool. So did lots of people; almost everyone stopped to have their picture taken, or to take their kids’ pictures, in part of the exhibit.

While I was in Alabama I visited my brother at another large lake. We watched an osprey sit on a high tension electrical tower and eat a huge fish.

Lunch

This photo kind of makes me think about Edgaer Allan Poe. Don’t know why…just does.

On my way back home this past weekend I happened on these two old trucks in Kentucky. It was another nice find while I was driving a two lane road between tiny little towns.

Resting

Two lane trips are just so much more photogenic than freeways. Especially when you have the time to wander. Right after I saw the photogenic trucks I ran across a swimming hole…

Summer swimming time

…for cows. I couldn’t believe I actually saw cows swimming. I had to turn around and go back. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, it was really hot that day. The two cows in front were swimming across the pond so fast they actually had wakes behind them. Just like little motor boats.

And on the last day of the drive home I stopped for lunch at a truck stop that sold Subway sandwiches. After I got my sandwich I noticed this across the road:

Barbecue goodness

It’s a sign for a barbecue place. Probably should have gone there instead. I guess you can figure out what they serve. Can’t you?

Summer in the South. Somewhere there’s probably a good song or two about it. I hope you enjoyed a few of the sights. I know I did.

Floating

September 6, 2015
by dawnkinster 12 Comments

WordPress photo challenge: Connected

My mom’s been gone eleven years now. Sometimes I still feel very connected to her.

Peaches in my mom’s old yellow bowl.

Like when I’m standing in her kitchen preparing peaches for the freezer.

You can see other interpretations of “Connected” at the original post. Or check out a few of my favorites here, here and here.

What makes you feel connected?

September 4, 2015
by dawnkinster 16 Comments

Black & white photo challenge: Shadows and reflections

Shadows and reflections. Having spent the better part of two weeks on the lake I’ve been struck by the many beautiful reflections I’ve seen, and I’ve used quite a few of them in the last few posts. Maybe, just maybe, there’s nothing new to show you.

Still. Cee’s black and white challenge is intriguing and I haven’t done enough of them. In fact, I had to go back and watch the you tube instructions again because I’d already forgotten how to convert a color photograph to black and white since I did my last black and white for Cee’s challenge a few weeks ago.

After I figured out how to do it, the question became what to use. I had a couple of ideas but what it came down to was the still water right in front of the lake house, and the reflection we look at in all different kinds of light whenever we’re here, of the house across the way.

Early morning stillness.

You can tell the weather just by the way the house reflects in the water. If it’s dimpled there is rain. If it’s ruffled there is wind. If it’s perfect it’s water-ski water!

So I guess you can tell what we did right after taking this picture earlier in the week.

Yep, it involved a boat.

September 3, 2015
by dawnkinster 21 Comments

Flying through clouds

Glassy water

I’m resting after more than a week at the lake house. A week filled with lots of water activities, lots of family, lots of sun, good food, laughter and quiet conversations.

Last night I randomly read blog entries from years past, blogs about hanging out at the lake. I came across this one written in 2010 that talked about being afraid to try water skiing after years of skiing only occasionally during summer visits.

It seemed appropriate because in the past couple days I’ve water skied twice. Neither time was for a very long distance, though I got up on the first try each time.

But it was still scary.

Scared

You think about how hard it’s going to be to get your heavier person up on that ski. How the boat will pull. Lots of water rushing over your head. Falling. You think maybe it’s best to retire from skiing. After all you’re older then you used to be. You’re no athlete. You might get hurt.

Then you think about your mom who was older than you are right now and still skied once a year just to prove she could. And you think about the fact the lake is absolutely still, the boat is running well, the sun is shining. There’s no one out there but your boat filed with your family.

Breathing relief

It will never be any better than this.

So you put on the life jacket and whine a bit about being scared. You slide into the water and put on the ski which feels unfamiliar and clunky.

You feel clunky and awkward and the ski rope is moving as the boat slowly moves away from you and you can’t remember which side of your ski it’s supposed to be on and you can’t remember if you normally put your back foot into the boot or trail it as you get up. And you’re wobbling back and forth in the water and the rope is tight and everyone is waiting for you to say “HIT IT!” and so you do.

And the boat surges ahead and the water rushes over you and you remind yourself to just hang on. HANG ON and it will all work out. Balance over that ski and hang on. Let the boat do the work. And soon you’re popping up out of the water. Not gracefully. But you can breath.

You’re no expert skier, not throwing big rooster tail spray, not preforming tricks. You’re just out there, but oh the water is glass, the clouds are reflected beneath you, the sun is shining, the lake is beautiful and soft.

Flying

And you are smiling, because you are skiing through the clouds, and because you didn’t give up on yourself.

Lesson learned. Again.

Summer fun

Wordless Wednesday from Mom

September 2, 2015 by dawnkinster 18 Comments

August 31, 2015
by dawnkinster 22 Comments

Gift of water

Last summer days.

My dad was always a water person. He played, as a boy, on the banks of a river and he and my mother went on a canoe trip down that river for their very first date. During his entire life he wanted to live on water, and he accomplished that when I was a kid, and then again later in life.

Reflective.

The love of water is one of the gifts my parents gave us. And another is their home. Tucked away on a big lake in a warm state it’s a place their kids gather to relax and spend time together.

Water that goes on forever.

I was thinking about what a wonderful gift the love of water is as we were out on their lake today. Big puffy white clouds interspersed with ominous dark streaks floated above us as my brother skied, as we floated near our favorite island, as we visited the mountain near where their ashes were spread eleven years ago.

Mountain balances lake.

Water. The basis of life. Magical, ever changing. Beautiful.

Evening falls.

Aren’t we lucky that our folks passed on their love of water and then made sure we were able to enjoy it for years to come.

They are always near.

And aren’t we lucky we get to spend time on a beautiful lake while thinking about them, telling stories about them, appreciating them.

Remembering them.

Island stands tall.

August 30, 2015
by dawnkinster 15 Comments

Plans

Diamonds and cobwebs.

Yesterday three members of my family joined me at the lake. We had the best intentions of spending the majority of the day out in the boat. You know; bobbing in the warm water around the islands, talking, laughing, catching up. Relaxing.

Raindrops were falling on our heads.

Plans sometimes change, but a storm blowing rain up from the south didn’t deter us. We sat in the boat, boat still in the boat lift, and watched the rain.

Twisted web.

It was a beautiful thing.

Rain on water.

And then we did what any typical northern family does in a rain storm in the south.

We went swimming.

Come on in, the water’s fine!

August 28, 2015
by dawnkinster 11 Comments

Lounging

Southern pine

I have much to tell you, much to show you, but at the moment no WIFI where I am. So I am sitting at the public library (where else!) but there’s nowhere to plug in for electricity and my time is limited. Suffice it to say there will be photos later. Meanwhile, here are a couple of pretty things where I’ve been hanging out.