“Or is it just my imagination runnin’ away with me?”, so goes the song.Really, if only I own this house.
The weekend was beyond my wildest dreams. An invitation from our friend Sheila which I almost declined turned out to be a delightful mini-vacation I could only imagine.
It’s a lakeside house at the very tip of the island at the end of a private road in a hamlet in Candlewood Lake, Connecticut. Picture windows, glass patio doors that open into wooden decks offer a full view of the lake from all sides. Woods and lush vegetation and the lake surround this gorgeous vacation house. Steps lead down from the patio to another deck way down below right next to the lake. My dream house, but it is not quite built for my wondrous agility or lack thereof.
Sheila was waiting, coffee on the stove and a warm welcome. After a quick tour of the house followed by wine and cheese at one of the porches with a magnificent view of the hills and lake, we sat and talked, I busy catching some snapshots of boats, kayaks, and wave runners cruising up and down the lake. The conversation that ensued covered just about anything. The stories of their adventures aboard the schooner Windjammer were just so fascinating. Meanwhile Sister Therese’s ears must’ve been burning; it was a riot and I think Sheila was just too funny.
Lunch was hot dogs and burgers with Judy minding the grill. Carol prepared a healthy looking and great tasting salad of greens some of them harvested from her garden. For Judy and Maria, lunch couldn’t have ended sooner.
Eager to go kayaking, Maria and Judy headed down the beach channel area, then the rest of us followed suit and relaxed as the two explored the lake.
So I can’t swim, but did I have to wear a pfd on dry land? These ladies just won’t quit; Carol asked me to get into the kayak but hey, I’m not going to take a crack at learning how to swim or kayak now.
Dorothy immersed herself into her House Beautiful magazines fishing for ideas on decorating her new home. Nobody seemed to have the time to help her pick colors and designs but she didn't mind after all we're here just to have fun, not to review color charts and swatches. That's way too cerebral.
Carol decided to skip any of the water activities and left all that to the live wires Maria & Judy. She must’ve been reading up on the rules of the game we didn’t know we will be forced to play after dinner that night – Mexican Train Dominoes. That was a nightmare – the rules kept changing as we played on, blame it on Dorothy's expertise.
Or maybe Carol was trying hard to finish her book, the beauty of which there was no due date on the report. She must’ve read less than 10 pages of it. I was always sneaking up behind her, crouching on the ground, snapping shots of the weirdest stuff, such as the oversized mushroom and the perfectly shaped maple leaf.
And how many people does it take to haul up a single kayak? Four sailors, one of them with a bum shoulder, and three who can’t decide which direction to pull. Where is Judy?
What a rare treat, thank you Sheila for inviting us. Next time we promise not to make a big mess in the kitchen. And I'll stay away from the kids' playroom.
Lunch was hot dogs and burgers with Judy minding the grill. Carol prepared a healthy looking and great tasting salad of greens some of them harvested from her garden. For Judy and Maria, lunch couldn’t have ended sooner.
Eager to go kayaking, Maria and Judy headed down the beach channel area, then the rest of us followed suit and relaxed as the two explored the lake.
So I can’t swim, but did I have to wear a pfd on dry land? These ladies just won’t quit; Carol asked me to get into the kayak but hey, I’m not going to take a crack at learning how to swim or kayak now.
Dorothy immersed herself into her House Beautiful magazines fishing for ideas on decorating her new home. Nobody seemed to have the time to help her pick colors and designs but she didn't mind after all we're here just to have fun, not to review color charts and swatches. That's way too cerebral.
Carol decided to skip any of the water activities and left all that to the live wires Maria & Judy. She must’ve been reading up on the rules of the game we didn’t know we will be forced to play after dinner that night – Mexican Train Dominoes. That was a nightmare – the rules kept changing as we played on, blame it on Dorothy's expertise.
Or maybe Carol was trying hard to finish her book, the beauty of which there was no due date on the report. She must’ve read less than 10 pages of it. I was always sneaking up behind her, crouching on the ground, snapping shots of the weirdest stuff, such as the oversized mushroom and the perfectly shaped maple leaf.
And how many people does it take to haul up a single kayak? Four sailors, one of them with a bum shoulder, and three who can’t decide which direction to pull. Where is Judy?
Judy was the grill master again that evening. Dorothy made her artichokes dish, Maria watched while it cooked and everyone did the rest of the chores because like a concert pianist I'm saving my precious fingers for more of the same - lousy snapshots.
If there's anything I learned, it's to stay away from arguments in the kitchen, what with all the sharp knives around and the No, No, No's from all five housemates for the weekend. Imagine more of the same - No, No, No during our game of dominoes and why did Dorothy have to pick the Mexican train? Nobody really knew how to play it. I was accused of not knowing what a double is, Maria not knowing how to count, oh it was a mess. I don't blame Sheila for dozing off in the middle of it, she must've hidden some of her tiles just to the end the game. Hohum...
Sunday morning it is, and as usual Carol and I were admiring the scenery and there it was a low-flying plane hovering over the lake. Quick and shoot, but in a second it was gone. Sheila said it's one of the neighbors going off on a Cessna to pick up his morning coffee and the Sunday paper from the small island on the other end of the lake.
Huh? Pinch me, am I still dreaming?
What a rare treat, thank you Sheila for inviting us. Next time we promise not to make a big mess in the kitchen. And I'll stay away from the kids' playroom.We concluded the weekend by attending church services on Sunday on our way back to New York and that included Judy. She called it the Church of St. Edward the Professor.
No, No, No, it is the Confessor. But then again what does she know, she is a Protestant.
One thing I know I will be dreaming about Billy's house for a long time.
