Is it Friday yet?

I thought maybe I should post a little something before I lose my loyal following. Both of them.

Where to begin? Last week was rush it up and get it done early. I had a meeting on Thursday and that was the end of the work week as we know it. A few phone calls to and from the office and it was off to the lake. BUT....(we all hate those but's) Not without incident. We took the camper down that night, hooked it up, got the A/C doing the slow stroke so it would be nice and cool when we got back bright and early in the morning with the boat, did a bit of socializing with the friends that were down there already and then made the half-hour trip back home.

Notice in the last paragraph where I said that we would be back "in the morning"? And remember the BUT from before that? Do you need a moment to re-read it? I have plenty of time. Ya'll back with me now? All caught up? Keep that in mind. There'll be a quiz later. So I wake up nice and early, go grab breakfast for the wife and myself and come back to hook up the boat. When I pull it up from the shed to load the snacks and cooler of beer refreshing beverages, my wife walks out to the drive and says, "This ain't good." I walk around the boat and she's looking at the trailer tire. About one-third of the tread and sidewall is missing!! How it was still holding air still baffles me. So immediately, I grab the jack and snatch the wheel off and head to town. 2 tire stores and the local farmer's co-op later, I return home...with a damaged tire and enthusiasm to match. I did find a bit of comfort knowing that I almost found one. The second guy told me, "I just sold the last one I had this morning." Yeah, right!! I would rather have been told that he could order me one and have it here by Monday like the other 2 did.

I get on the phone and start calling the tire dealers in the neighboring towns. My luck has changed!! I find one at the first place I call!! And it's only a half-hour drive. Lucky me!! And JUST as I get ready to leave, my Mom pulls up with my aunt that I haven't seen in 40 forevers. They were "in the 'hood and just rode by to see if we were home". So I explain my dilemna to them and after a short visit, they head out again to God-knows-where to do God-knows-what. When the two of them get together.....let's suffice it to say it can be a bit more than mildly entertaining.

OK, back to the task at hand. I kiss the wife and hop in the bus (the nickname for our Chevy Suburban) and haul ass to the tire store for fear he may "just sell the last one" just before I got there. But I made it without incident and got the tire mounted and was back by 10:45. I slapped it back on the trailer, picked up all the tools, hooked to the trailer AGAIN and made one final walk-around inspection. I noticed the top on the cooler wasn't closed all the way and checked it. It seems there was one too many beers bottles in it so I pulled one out and it closed nicely. Another problem alleviated. But we all know that once they get cold, you can't let them get hot again, then cool them back off. It makes them taste funny. So I check the clock...11'ish. Too early to start drinking. Then it hits me...Daylight Savings Time is today!!! Nothing wrong with a little advanced planning is there? So I run my watch forward an hour...just so as not to forget it tonight. What's this in my hand? Oh it's a...cold, refreshing beverage. Is it too early to drink one, you think? I check my watch and it's after 12 (surprise!!) so I indulge myself with the frosty goodness of the Rocky Mountains. (Note to self: It's lake season again. Call the boys in Golden, CO and tell them to plan on starting the 3rd shift back up soon. At least until Labor Day) Alrighty then...time to head south. Already? Gee, it seems like it's only 11 o'clock. I hate getting used to this time change thing.

So I gather the wife and dog up and we all pile in the bus and head out towards the lake. We have to stop for gas in the bus AND the boat. They have 32- and 40-gallon tanks, respectively. Can you say "Ouch!!", boys and girls? Can I get an "Amen"? How about a low-interest loan? Mind if I rush through this part? My ass still hurts from that reaming. So after we got ripped off ass-raped with no lube the tanks full of gas we made a quick stop by the grocery store and bought what few things we could with the rolled pennies and loose change from under the seats and hit the road. (For those of you playing along at home, it's now nearly 1PM CDST) (And yes, I know I ran my watch up already but it's still way later than I wanted to be starting out. Remember the part about "bright and early in the morning?")

We arrive at the lake around 1:30 or so and We launch the boat and park the trailer at a friend's house. Ahhhhh...I'm finally on the water!! My wife takes the truck on over to the campground while I take my sweet little time motoring across the lake to meet her. I kick up my tunes and notice that the ice in the cooler must have shifted in transit because the lid won't close again. Guess what? Yep, another bottle sticking up too high. I pull it out and offer it to the crew for all the hard work they've done thus far. I accept it and thank the Cap'n for his generous offer and once again partake of the cool, amber refreshment. All ahead full, Cap'n!!

I get over to the campground and tie off and go check on the camper. No problems. Time to cruise the lake. So we load up and ride until dark. Then it's back to the campground for a low-country boil and a social circle around the fire. It's right along here where everyone starts telling me that I got a lot of sun on my face and neck. I pass it off as a mild case and enjoy the evening's events. We go back out around 10PM or so and throw out some hooks on floats, "or jug hooks" as some of you may know them. The next day we ARE up bright and early to cook a really nice breakfast of bacon, eggs, cheese grits, pancakes, coffee and chocolate milk. Off we go to check the hooks. We catch 5 or 6 catfish and bring them back to the campers to clean later. Then back out again to just ride, talk and relax.

Later on, After a few beers noon, I decided I was going to ski a little. And a little skiing is what I did. I am out of shape!! I might have been out there for 10 minutes before I was already telling them that I was ready to get back on the boat. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

After a grand weekend on the lake, I tied the boat up good and we hooked up to the camper and brought it on home last night, planning on me going back tonight and got the boat. Upon arrival home, we got things "squared away" and I just wanted to go shower. Well, folks...It was then and not until then that I saw just how much sun I had gotten over the last 2 days. My chest, stomach and back looked like I was dipped in Pepto Bismol. So I took a cool shower to maybe take some of the heat out of the skin. Whatever I did, it worked.Because this morning I wasn't nearly as sore as I had envisioned I would be. But I don't care. It was a GREAT weekend and I hope to have 26 more just like it.

Man, this was a long post. I just noticed how I started rushing through it as I neared the end too. Oh well. I'm sure you guys can get the meaning of the message from what's written. I hope you all had similar weekends...without the sunburn, of course.

Was I the only one that had a big weekend? Tell me about yours.