The Lady Of The Lake

Wow, so much to say today----at random:

1. Bluegrass music on from the satellite dish on the front of the garage, pretty cool out here---sending e-mails over cyber space from the very tip of Lake Michigan in my little sleepy seaport village.

2. Made you salmon fishing guys coming up next week a little living room out here in the Big Garage with the sat tv, internet, easy chairs and couches. Monday the heating guys come to put in the geothermal heat pump in the main house and move the propane furnace out here for you. Gas company already brought the tank and laid the line to the garage and attached the regulator.

3. Mason finished up today---waterproofed the block . Incredible job, fortunately you'll see this very professional footer/block job. I asked him what it would take to lay the block for closing in my alcove on the east end of the Big Garage---I was planning to do it myself, mixing mortar in the wheelbarrow---doing it over several days, putting in the bolts, etc. I have done some incredible masonry work as my outdoor kitchen in Ohio will attest---but I'm tired tonight---so, he said "I dunno, maybe ____ bucks"---DONE I said---and now I have the block laid to close in the alcove too.

4. Wow, bluegrass music is great.

5. I pulled up from work today to see my contractor lighting up a smoke and saying it was "QUITTEN "time. It was then I saw the block laid in the alcove and half joists all laid for both additions and half the floors done and the block insulated with 2" foam on the inside. I inspected the work and thought Wow, this guy is good. It's a family affair--his son, daughter, himself and a hired guy---doing the work at an amazing rate of efficiency---man I'm glad I picked Rich. I guess you can't go wrong with a guy named Rich. I will keep trying to get him to quit smoking!!!

6. Tomorrow they'll finish the floors. Then they start the walls for the dining room/kitchen, working in from the south and once all framed up to the old house, they start tearing off roof. I think you salmon fishing guys will be heading out right about then, so I expect to have a fully functional kitchen still and the laundry room and bunk room available.

7. He's canteleving (sp?) out the floors a foot Eddy---so the downstairs will be bigger---and putting in a vaulted ceiling in Jeffy's room so he can have a loft and a skylight.

8. MOST IMPORTANTLY---I went up to gravel on the river today and the water is high, bringing water and oxygen to more gravel than ever on the river. I wanted to pick some blueberries too, but they are fading....However, I have never seen so many fishing spots below the campground---lots of beautiful gravel with water over it. No fish yet on the gravel---but that's good---because I am sure they are coming soon---we are
catching at the mouth and out trolling. Thus, the fish are staged and should be coming up anyday. Thus, make sure you are rigged for big salmon fishies on the stream, and have a lighter rod for catching the egg sucking rainbows below. We'll have some incredible hours on the gravel. I have smoked salmon ready for you guys to eat (from Jeffy's 16 pounder).

9. I have our brook trout fishing picked out finally. Going to take you into the Seney National Forest to a stream that has a beautiful big pool in the wood fairly accessible that my brook trout fishing nurse told me about today. She told me that she and her hubby fish this pool often and never see anybody else. She told me her husband didn't want to tell me about it---but she told him what a great guy I am etc. and thus they are sharing it with us. We'll fish that, the Fox and the Indian River in one day---they are all on my driving line.

10. Sarah is off to an incredible start in New York City. She has a voice teacher that the acting coach directed them too and had her first lesson. He has coached Brittney Spears, Christina Aguilara and worked with Mel Gibson on movies. Sorry, I barely know those people and can't spell their names, but I know they had a lot of success. He thinks Sarah really has it. Her acting coach is also bringing in some music people to hear her tomorrow and she has her first audition for a paid job already. We have an apartment (I think) in Manhatten that I'll be commuting too---won't that be a contrast??? From the beautiful Cedar Forest of the U.P. to the subway of New York!!!
Two agents already talked to Jomay about signing her. I can't believe how fast this is happening. Looks like I'll have to go to New York City a lot over the next couple years. Jomay really getting a lesson in the subways, finding an apartment, etc. What a woman. This is all so surreal---Sarah came out an artist---I often think of the day I was cutting wood in my shop and she was playing on the floor, I think she was four years old--she was taking the scrap pieces of wood and forming animal shapes with
them---I kept her patterns and glued them to a wood backing and still have them---she's just always had an eye for art. If she couldn't draw it or sing it, she dressed herself up with a variety of scarves and ornaments. What can I say about a kid who can dance, sing, draw, play viola, piano, guitar, harp and act beyond belief. You should see her acting clips---I wouldn't call it acting it, she's just being it.

11. OK, enough dribble. Eddy, get here--Sunday we have to pull the boat out and put in the new GPS/Fish finder and trolling rod mounts and get out on the Lake. Monday I think we'll hit the brook trout pool to scope it out---but it's not really a PLAN---I know you don't like to PLAN on a fishing trip---anyway I always wait for the Big Lake to tell me what to do. If she lays down for me, I caress her with my boat and troll for fish. If she whips up a fit I walk away from her and just observe her fitfull moment and let her vent. She really vented yesterday---waves came up so high they hit the transom of the boat on the shore docker---but she's tied down nicely and isn't going anywhere tonight it seems. Also, nice thing about being here---if she's mad and kicking up waves, I just go to the little water up the road and fish for pike. I let her dictate my life I guess, but let's face it, men are used to women being a great part of our lives.

Blessings, from the Naubinway Nook, no better place to be,
Jeff




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