Kravit Scattergories

OK, all of you and us are/were traveling, having adventures in Marco Island, the Cape and up north. Any blogs? Anything beyond 140 characters on Twitter or personal to the Blackberry Kravs? Nope.

But I press on anyway, elevating Katie's good idea with ever more erudite entries in this anthology.

Now to something I really like. Going skiing up north. I came back from a grueling 30 hours in Denver (see previous Post); settled the damn case (again); got home wanting only sleep. Katie wanted to go up north before I was summoned to Denver. The weather was dicey (it sucked -- rain, rain, etc.).

Saturday morning. Raining here. 2 hours of argument and satellite/radar watching (what did we do to figure out the weather before?). I have a hunch based on like 45 years of being in the northwoods that the "scattered" thunderstorms predicted up there weren't going to happen.

We debated. Then I said let's go. An hour later, we went. 4 quick hours in the car. For Mom and Katie, both reading loooong books (Harry Potter for Katie, the book she borrowed from Shaun still had a bar mitzvah gift inscription). For me, can't wait to get to the Fleet Farm in St. Point for cheap gas. I am easily amused.

We get to Minocqua, it is sunny and hot. Told you so. Go to the POinte. Get the last room (the big suite -- when you're hot, you're hot). We get to the lake and.....well, not as crowded as Pike Lake, but almost. We searched for nooks and crannies. Kawaga is skiing. Finally we shoot over to the weedy part of Lake Minocqua near Mom's Laundry, and we find flat water. Everyone skis, and skis well. We are officially having fun.

A quick run to Walgreens, I get the large Monical's Pizza to go (I can see you all salivating) and we snack break, shower and head to Julia & Julie. Decent movie, but the real "foody" was a 400 lb. woman who sat behind us wrinkling candy wrappers as she struggled to keep her weight up.

Alas, no bar energy, even though the Marvins were playing across the street.

But Sunday dawned cloudy and warm. This day we hustle the boat into Blue Lake at the landing where we stayed in June (I found Jerry and he said OK). Camp was tubing. We went to cross the sand bar to Billy's side. Let's just say the water is even further down as everyone got out to push the boat over and it was HARD work. The reward was perfect water and really no boats. GREAT runs were had by all. Katie, as usual, went last, whined it was "cold" and cursed herself for letting Mom go first and getting the life vest wet. After like 10 minutes of several Katie signature "I hate my life" grunts, she gets in, and then cuts like a demon. The best cuts were in the third mile of her run, when we thought she was toast. Mom skied great, and loved not having tight turns. And I'll be modest about my own superb skiing.

Then back to camp, needed a random guy to help us push the boat back through. Katie meets 20 or so camper/counselors who adore her, and we head to the lodge where lunch is going on, talk to Snyder, MP, Mary, all are glad to see us. Agawak is home, and Mary invited us back literally any time. I'm sad that we can't go to fam camp this year but we are a definite for next.

Shower at POinte, Island Cafe (did you think we forgot?) and then four hours home. I had long, interesting talks with my traveling companions. Both timed the reading of their long books to take the entire four hours, both finished at the Brown Deer exit!! Before that, not a word. Oh well, I got to control the radio with no complaints. They didn't even notice that Braun struck out looking to end the game with the tying runs on base.

We get home, the last standing tree next to our bedroom was hit by lightning, direct, and is gone. All the better to see the McMansion that will be built next door.

To a dinner of Noodles and America's Got Talent (Not!) the evening winds down....Thinking of all of you, wishing those where weren't there could have been, and hungering for YOUR blog stories, because after all that's the point!!

My love to all, xxx ooo DAD