Red House 2014: Day Eight (Friday, July 18)

Friday, July 18

This morning, we took the keys and headed out on the boat while Grumma and Grumpa were still asleep.  I cruised us up the lake a couple of miles and then back into some coves and inlets where it was really pretty.  Though it was cool, we all had a nice time, and we returned to the dock before 11:00...the dock.

Yeah.  The dock where Piggy misjudged the distance and spa-looshed over the side of the boat in 30 feet of water.  Poor kid must have been scared, but she was a champ.  She held onto the dock with her front paws, and The Hubbs and I were able to hoist all 84 pounds of her up out of the water to shake off.

11:20 am: After convincing us that she absolutely must go to the pool right
this very minute, The Princess wouldn't get in because the water was
cooler than it has been. 

She'd stick a toe in, or even get up to her ankles when she was feeling brave.

And then Momma threw her in, causing this slightly unhinged adorable
little grin.

1:04 pm: Everyone else in the world is wrong.  This is the only way to swing.

Happy girl and watchful pup.

She'd really get going and fly like Superman on this thing.

Swinging isn't the only fun thing to do out here - climbing
is great, too!  That's our cabin in the background.

1:38 pm: Waiting with the baby channel for the rest of the family to be
ready for our last hurrah boat ride.

2:37 pm: Just about ready to take off, Piggy explains the finer details of
the back deck to The Hubbs.  This is her place.  She loves it back here.

My failed attempt at getting a whole family selfie - my big fat head totally
blocks the puppy, who is sitting directly behind me, but I love The
Princess's expression in this one.

Bald cypress trees

4:29 pm: Cruising with Da.

5:10 pm: Stupid finger!  But otherwise a great picture of Piggy.

6:30 pm: The view from our front porch.  The little cabin on the right, just
behind the playground, is the one where The Grumps stay when they're
here on their own.

By the time this last picture was taken, Grumma and I had already started packing.  It's always sad to leave, but it's also nice to be home.  I'm happy to report that this beautiful view is already reserved for next year, when we will return for our second annual family vacation.

Red House 2014: Day Seven (Thursday, July 17)

Thursday, July 17

Today was kind of lazy.  We went to the pool in the morning, ventured to a Mexican restaurant in town for lunch and then spent a long time at the playground before coming inside to discover the baby channel on TV.

Someone was a very smiley girl today, and her puppy loved watching her play on the swingset.  Piggy was sitting with me the whole time we were out there, and I've rarely gotten so many puppy hugs in a day.

Red House 2014: Day Six (Wednesday, July 16)

Wednesday, July 16

Here comes another big one, y'all.  After fresh fish and eggs for brunch, we went to a different beach today, and there was much to explore.

But first, we had to stop off somewhere else.  Anyone want to venture a
guess as to where?  Anyone?

11:32 am: The Princess, showing off her mad skills in the deep end.

Never happier than when she's in the water, this one.

Trust me: you're getting off easy here.  I have WAY more pics of her in the
pool that I could have included, but I thought I'd save ya the trouble of
looking at all of them.  You're welcome.

But these few pics were just too good to skip.

Go ahead.  Tell me this girl isn't happy.

11:34 am: Liftoff.

11:34 am: Hangtime.

11:34 am: Re-entry.

11:34 am: Submerged.

2:44 pm: Waiting patiently to board the party barge for some more beachin'.

4:17 pm: At the beach, sunning herself post-swim, Piggy drifts off into a nap.

It was cooler again today, and The Princess didn't want
to stay in the water as long.  Here she is rehydrating
before we figured out an excellent warming-up
activity.

4:22 pm: I'm up on shore now, and that's The Hubbs, Grumma and Grumpa
doin' their thing.  Just wait until you see what The Princess and I have
going up here.

But first, look!  The Grumps are pretending to like each other!

4:24 pm: Pretty clouds and our boat away from home.

Sleepy Piggy.

4:28 pm: Here's Momma's brilliant plan: dry off, put on cover-ups and walk
barefoot in the warm sand.  A certain little girl was a big fan of playing on
the beach today.

That warm sand feels so good on my feet, Momma!

We don't like each other.  Nope.  Not at all.

4:32 pm: The Princess has improved upon the original plan, plopping her
tushie in the warm sand and fliddling to her heart's content.

Sand is super-duper awesome.

5:05 pm: Back into the water!  She got in trouble more than once for
throwing those rocks, though.

This could be one of my favorite shots from the entire trip right here.  Piggy
had a blast exploring this beach with Jessie.

She even asked for help getting back into the boat.

Reader poll: would you rather fliddle sand or water?  They're two of The
Princess's very favorite substances.

5:07 pm: Piggy doesn't want to be on the boat after all.

5:08 pm: Jessie exploring the beach.

5:17 pm: Piggy patrolling

5:30 pm: Grumpa and Jessie

5:38 pm: The Princess has launched herself off her daddy's knee and out of
the frame, but I like this pic of my love and our pup.

It's not often that I get a picture of The Hubbs and me that isn't a selfie.

7:24 pm: The Princess is experimenting with fashion -
these are Da's pajama pants, and she's wearing one
leg like a skirt.

And right about here, Da had a lovely idea: he took his ladies out to Dairy Queen for Blizzards.  We enjoyed our tasty treats and took a ride through town, returning to the cabin at about dusk.

10:54 pm: My smallest fish so far, and I've named him - Rocky.  Rocky the
warmouth.  He was hooked really good, so I decided to drop him back down.
The way he had hooked himself, he wasn't going to make it anyway, so I
thought, "What the heck?" and wanted to see what would happen.  As soon as I
had decided he wasn't gonna do me any good, BAM! He got hit hard by a huge
catfish.  Unfortunately, the hook didn't do any good at that point, and  poor
Rocky didn't make it, but - selfish girl that I am - I thought it was fun.

7/17/14 12:38 am: Our dock by the light of the moon.

7/17/14 12:39 am: Hercules the horny toad, chillin' in the parking lot.

After heading back up to the cabin, Grumma and I sat out on the porch and talked for a bit.  I believe this is the evening she informed me that the resort owners have started talking about getting someone to manage the place for them.  Man, is that tempting.  This is my favorite place on Earth, and I would just love to live here.

But don't worry, Nana.  We could never live so far away from you.  :)