Lake Day

Spending a warm summer day at a lake seems quintessentially Southern to me. Not sure if that's an accurate stereotype, but it's what Kid Rock wants me to believe :)

Last weekend, we managed to get ourselves invited to a Lake Day with some people we've befriended in Memphis. Yay! Friends! And these friends have a lake house! We made the short drive over to Horseshoe Lake, AR. It's a little branch of the Mississippi River that, over time, got cut off and became a lake.

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The weather was hot! It was a muggy August day, perfect for cooling off on the water, or chowing down on good food inside an air conditioned house. I did both :)

Here's a view of the lake while the sun was shining:

And as sunset approached:

There was all sorts of lake fun to be had, such as swimming, jumping off a high dock, floating, riding jet skis, boating, and wake-surfing. I got talked into trying wake surfing against my better judgment. It's hard!! You have to hold on to a rope while the boat tows you, and you have to be strong enough to get from a floating to standing position without the rope being yanked out of  your hands. The goal is to find that "sweet spot" in the boat's wake where you can drop the rope and ride the waves. I only succeeded in standing up once in 5 attempts. It was rather pathetic, but my fellow boaters were kind and cheered my feeble efforts. In the process, I got a ton of lake water up my nose which immediately sparked hypochondriacal fears of brain-eating amoebas. (It's true! Look it up! And it's 99% fatal!) The incubation period can be up to 5 days and I'm on day 4 now without any headaches or other symptoms, so I hope I'm in the clear. Whew! Getting your brain eaten by a parasite would be a horrible way to go.

Other activities included darts, ping pong, and eating such Southern delicacies as pulled pork, baked beans, and banana pudding. A good time was had by all!