BBQ with the neighbors

Dear Family and Friends,
What an interesting day. Ken and I walked to start things off, then knowing that they were having a party this afternoon I decided I needed to clean up the back deck. So I set to work. All the trash, dead plants, dirt had to go. Tonight things look a lot different. I got so inspired that I drove to Lowes and purchased several colorful flowers, some potting soil, came home and planted them adding a touch of color to the three levels of deck.
Several times during the day I stopped to talk to our new neighbors to the west. They are great people, have a new lab puppy and really know how to enjoy the lake. They have done wonders to the little house. Well this afternoon we were talking again and they were tossing cookies to Starr and Lady and trimming the tree that is between our homes, he suggested that I move the BBQ to a different place on the deck and one thing led to another and soon we were seeing if the BBQ was working and I had grillers cooking and they brought burgers and we ended up eating and watching the sun set over the island. He really knows his way around a BBQ. They are both really looking forward to Dana and Ronnie and Marilyn and anyone else who manages to visit this summer. We had a really enjoyable time and got to witness something very sudden and very startling. Starr realized that a person was passing by fishing for bass in a small boat. Since she had the run of the entire yard today, not just confined to the upper decks she raced down to the dock and didn't stop soon enough, she slid right into the water, splash and disappeared. We I raced down since I was not sure she could manage the water. Others nearby could see her under the dock and could see that she was swimming toward land, well she did and pulled herself up and out, shook off the water and was very shocked at what she had done. I chased her down with a towel and dried her off some. She was very surprised as this has never happened before in her life. Of course she begged for food as we were sitting around the table eating and now she is sitting in the recliner with me sleeping and drying off and making some very foul smells as a result of all the cookies and meat she has eaten today.
So a very dreary day turned out to be a very positive one. Ken and LeAnn invited me over to their party but I had intended to work all day. Well I did but it was just not all computer work, it turned out to be hard physical work but the deck looks so much better now all around.
I hope your weekend is going well and that you are enjoying your family. What a blessing to live in this amazing country, to bask in freedom even as our young men and women fight to keep us free of an enemy that wants us dead. Sobering yet very gratifying as well. There is no place like America.

love to all

Tim