Pine Lake Waterpark

It's been a while but Dusty can still dive!!



Aaron has a blast jumping off the platforms



Dusty starting one of his dives

Jacob and not sure if Stevie or Aaron on teeter toter...great fun

View of platforms, back of Dylan's head

Racing slide..even I had a blast

Taking time out to talk to our daughter Tina

Here goes Dylan!

Well today we are getting some welcome rain....but means it will be really muggy later today as it is suppose to get up into the 90's.  With the weather so warm the park is really quiet.  But last week we went to Berne, IN to the Pine Lake Water park and had a blast!!!  We went with Derek, Angel and their 3 boys and Scott.  The boys had a blast racing us adults down the racing slide and having the men jump off the 20 and 30 foot platforms.  Dusty hasn't dove in a long time...he was a State Diver when he was in high school...and did perfect dives off the 20 ft.  But the men went on up to the 30ft, Dusty didn't want the boys to think he was chicken and he hesitated on diving or jumping....let's just say he should have dove...the way he hit the water was painful and he has payed for it all week.  In fact he and Derek were pretty sore on Monday, Scott said he wasn't too sore and Dylan and Jacob were walking a little carefully on Monday...but the boys spent also most 8 hours in the lake and didn't stop.  They were disappointed when we had to pull them out of the water and go home.  Of course Dylan was up for Pizza ..surprise..surprise and we stopped at Pizza Hut on the way home.  It was a great day and the boys can't wait to go back, but it will have to wait til next year for us as we are down to two weeks before we pull out.
My cold has lingered on and when Dusty went for a check up yesterday the doctor gave me some antibiotics and my throat isn't as sore today as it has been.  Dusty's check up went well and that is good, he will have his big annual at Stanford when we get to CA.
So Monday and Thursday evening was spent at the Legion, Wednesday we had a great Happy Hour at Jeff and Tammy Clark's and here it is Friday already!!
Happy Birthday to our daughter-in-law Traci!!

Aaron...daredevil

Derek makes his jump...nope Angel and I didn't do it!

Boys at top of racing slide

One of the boys on the buoy

Dusty, Scott and Angel headed to the platforms

Scott, Derek, Dusty and myself (I think in the water)

Pine Lake Water park

The boys on teeter totter, they had so much fun

HOT HOT HOT

Poor Rob cooked for us on the day Ft. Wayne was the 2nd hottest place in the USA...THANK YOU ROB!



and Steph made homemade fries and worked just as hard as Rob..THANK YOU STEPH!!



We still had Happy Hour, small crowd but still fun!!

Just a short blog to say that in the five years we have been coming here to Ft. Wayne area it has been the hottest this week.  In fact on Wednesday it was the 2nd hottest place in the USA with the heat index 119 degree's.  The park has been dead...everyone staying inside with the air conditioner and I have had a terrible summer cold....spent 3 days in bed and so Dusty just came in a we got caught up on watching some movies.  But even with the hottest day of the year we had Happy Hour on Wednesday at Rob and Steph's they out did themselves.  Rob cooked 30lbs of chicken wings over a open fire, they made homemade fries and pasta salad.  We had a smaller crowd then usual but those of us that came had a wonderful meal and hats of to Rob and Steph for cooking on such a hot day.
I felt better yesterday and we went to see Harry Potter 2 and we thought with it being 100 degrees out that the theater would be crowded....we had the whole place to ourselves other then one man coming in just as the movie was getting started....now I thought that was an omen that it would be as boring as the 1st half but I must say we really enjoyed it.  We saw it in  3D and Dylan really enjoyed it and it was a great way to stay cool for the afternoon.

 Hope wherever you are that you are staying COOL!!!

Little Wilson "Caden" learns to ring the dinner bell...Happy 1st Birthday early Caden!!

Ahh...so precious...Caden is hot, full and sleepy after Happy Hour..his 1st of many I'm sure!!

FOOD...FUN....& SUN!!!!!

Dylan is the tall one on the dock....it's been perfect weather for swimming!!

Dylan had Jacob spend the night and being a good host he took the floor, but he has gotten so tall his feet stick out the door!!

Hog roast at Jim & Linda's  Julie, James and Betty Boob

Dusty in background with Julie and James and Betty closer

Calvin Stevens getting things ready for the hog

Cal and Kenny compare notes..both great cooks!!!

Linda's two grand kids, Eric and Haley and great-grand baby Chanel

Chanel and Eric spend a touching moment



Now this is one big HOG...YUM YUM!!!!

 The weather has been wonderful!!!  And this week it is suppose to be in high 90's.  I do believe this is the warmest summer we have had here since we started coming in 2006.  But it still doesn't compare with the summer of 1988 when we lived in Wapokaneta, OH...that was one HOT summer.  In fact it has been so warm here that I actually had Dusty buy me a float and I may for the first time venture into the lake here...that is if my cold doesn't get worse.  Dylan had a cold last week and I came down with it on Saturday.  But that hasn't kept him from swimming with the boys.

The "Man" and his cooker with a wonderful hog

Kenny taking the chicken off the grill

For Connie..Your boys are fine!!

Now comes the time to get the pork ready to serve...Dave Wilson waits patiently...but definitely over ate that day!!  Right Laura?

Food on and you don't have to tell this group twice!!!

How about this...I got Jennifer to take our picture for a change

Dusty telling Tony and TJ how nice it is to see them out here

Sure glad Calvin brought the tent..it was warm out

Dusty enjoying his meal

On Saturday Jim Scanlon and Linda Gradeless had their annual Family & Friends Hog Roast.  The hog was over 365 lbs. and as usual Cal and Sandy Stevens and helpers out did themselves.  It was delicious.  Kenny also was doing chicken but I am afraid I didn't eat any but heard it was great.  There was a huge crowd there and it was nice not to have to be the hostess and get to relax and enjoy the time with friends.  Danielle Stevens and I are having a great time getting to really know one another...thanks Danielle, of course maybe it is because for years now I have said that her husband was my boyfriend because his name is Dustin and we call him Dusty and I said that way I wouldn't get confused on names...LOL.  But they are a great couple as well as this year we are getting to know his brother and sister-in-law Jared and Nikki.  But at the hog roast there was so much food and believe me not very much was left except some hog and chicken and it was very kind of Linda and Jim to offer us some to take home, dinner is served tonight!!
Sunday we went to get some new sun room furniture from Laura Wilson's parents.  The wicker set we had in the sun room was getting kind of worn and her folks were getting rid of some of their furniture and it was really nice.  Dylan had been spending the day with his Aunt Sarah and when he got home and saw the furniture he whooped and hollered and immediately flopped down on the love seat...that is why the wicker was getting a little broken down!!!  I looked out this morning and saw Dusty comfortably sitting in the chair reading.  He has been doing a great deal of reading this year and has way surpassed me in reading books.  Of course I had spent hours figuring out our Florida trip and now I am working on our trip West.  We will be taking the high northern route to WA state since we have never been that way and plan on stopping at the Mall of America in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  I do believe the highway is I-94 so if any of you have been that way and know of someplace for us to stop at please let me know.  We plan on visiting Dusty's dad and sister in Post Falls, Id and his aunt and uncle in Spokane,WA (cousins too) and then on to Puyallup, WA my home town to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary.  There we hope to see other family members and then stop by for at least lunch with my aunt & uncle in Portland, OR.  We will arrive in CA in time for Labor Day and Dylan to start school and spent a few days with Tina before we start our new job at Sugar Barge Resort on Bethel Island.  We also have two trips planned to the Napa Valley region one being with my niece and her boyfriend...which we are really looking forward too.  Twenty-five years we lived in CA and never made a trip there.  But we have booked our cottage and executive SUV all through Groupon and LivingSocial..seriously if you are not signed up for these great deals you need too and of course can let me know first and I will send you an email to do so and then I will get $10 and when you refer friends you will get $10.  So as usual busy busy busy.
Like I said before Dylan spent Sunday with is Aunt Sarah and they had a ball.  They went and played Laser Tag and had the whole place to themselves, went to the go-cart track and that was a first for Dylan, went to Tokens and Tickets, had lunch at Arby's where he had been wanting to go and dinner at Wild Wings....thank you Aunt Sarah for doing this with him he had a great time.  While he was off playing we were getting the new furniture and then we drove up to Bronson, MI for a steak dinner with Derek and Angel.  Now we have never been to a place that you could get a 30 oz Porterhouse steak for $22.95 that came with two sides!!!  The steak was cooked perfect and delicious and of course I shared with Dusty and even though it cost $4.00 for an plate it came with two sides of my choice...a great deal.  It was a beautiful drive up and was less then an hour away and it was so nice to get away and have an adult dinner and conversation...thank you Derek and Angel.  They have 3 boys so it was really nice for them to have an evening to themselves.

Bill's Steakhouse, Bronson, MI...can you see the sizes and prices...unbelievably!

Derek says now this is one big steak!

Dusty, myself, Angel and Derek..having a great meal

Dusty cutting into his steak...and yes he ate it all (OK he gave me some)!!

Jennifer my niece and her boyfriend Greg..aren't they a beautiful couple?

Scott being silly

Come on big brother wear my glasses says Haley

A beautiful full moon

So again the weekend was filled with food, friends and happily SUN!!!

The Weeks are Flying By!!!

Boy he is excited..new XBox came!!!!

Jerry Custer celebrated his birthday this weekend...Jerry & Lois



Scott Sattison is taking care of Joe & Connie's place while they are with Connie's mom...he is also the official dog watcher!!!



Dusty wired and put in new spot for Jim Scanlon's smoker and Bar-b-Que...good job Honey

We are really enjoying having Scott around and poor guy takes so much ribbing from all of us...he likes those Cougar's!!!!
P.S.  You can get some pointer's from Dusty!!!

I can't believe it is already the 12th of July....time is going by so fast and with this being a short summer here at Indian Springs..it is hard to take.  Seems like we come here with so many plans to do this or that and they never get done.  But the time spent with friends is important and we enjoy all of them.  We had the last "informal" Happy Hour last week and go back to our full Happy Hour meals this Wednesday.  Last Friday a large group of us went to the American Legion for their chicken dinner which we all love.  Dylan loves the chicken but isn't crazy about the mashed potato's and green beans but ate most of them when grandma told him too.  Dylan took his birthday money and money he gets from mowing lawns here (but the grass isn't growing because of lack of rain for the last two weeks) and bought himself a XBox 360 with a Kinect.  Now he said he didn't want a Kinect but we had gotten Eric one for Christmas and he loved it, so wanting Dylan to move a little more while doing video games kind of insisted on it.  We haven't gotten to try it out because of lack of room in the trailer and when the Motor-home gets back from having the brakes done will take it over there and try it out.  Last week Best Buy had buy one get one for Kinect games and shame on me for not going to get some.  Had planned on it when we went to get the motor-home but it wasn't ready last week and before I knew it the week was over.
Saturday the 9th was Jerry Custer's third...LOL..67th birthday and he had a nice group turn out.  Lois did a wonderful ham and as usual around here there was plenty of good food.  Who ever made the raspberry pie...OH MY..it was good.  I only had a small bite of Dusty's but wish I would have taken a piece!!  The whole day was spent between Jerry & Lois Custer's and it was a hot one.  Here we went with weeks of rain and then we have two weeks of no rain and hot weather.  It finally rained yesterday and it was a good thing to settle the dust here but I know of 3 people who got damage to their awnings and Shelly Caywood got hit in the head with a piece of awning while her and Sheila were trying to save Mr. Bill's awning and had to be taken by EMS to the hospital.  We hope you are better Shelly.

It was a hot day but the guys all come together at Jim and Linda's

Jim is the Official Supervisor

Jim keeping a close eye on the guys

Yep...they are working hard!

Work in progress



The men did a great job and Jim and Linda are very pleased



Jim cooks a "Thank you" meal on his grill and in his smoker

On Sunday Dusty went down to help with Jim and Linda's new sidewalk and patio for his new smoker ( which he is very proud of) and his Bar-b-Que.  He had a great deal of workers as Jim has not been real well and wasn't able to do the work himself.  That is one way to really see the friendship here come together.  Afterwards they had a cook out for the helpers and Jim made a ham in his smoker and chicken wings and they were delicious...thank You Jim and Linda.  Linda had all three of her children out for the day also and grandchildren and great-granddaughter...so was nice to meet all of her family.  After dinner we all went to Cal & Sandy Stevens for kettle corn and got to meet their new neighbors Liz & Bill...WELCOME.  It was a small crowd for popcorn as it was after 7pm on a Sunday and most people were gone, but Linda wanted her family to experience it and I don't blame here...it is good!!!
Monday brought the storm and welcome rain.  I started a new book and Dusty got new tires on the car.  He also got a Shed-in-the-box and spent the late afternoon putting it up and at 7pm we went up to the Legion with Scott, Jim, Linda, Jerry and Lois.  No winners from our group this week   :(  So that brings us to another week here at Indian Springs!

Haley "Bug" likes grandma's new sidewalk...isn't she a cutie?



Linda's family

It was so hot they decided to cook over propane instead of building a fire for the kettle

Amy and Laura already for the popcorn

And the race is on to fill those bags..and believe me that popcorn is hot

Whoops what is that in the popcorn????????
It looks terrible but is sugar that didn't melt...tasted good but the men decided next time to build the fire the propane just wasn't hot enough

Fred takes a turn at making popcorn...