Kenny's new red wagon with the pneumatic tires and drop-down sides.

Ken went to TSC and struck gadget gold. This cart was just one of the really cool things he got. Another was a "come-along" ratchet pulley thing he used to pull my kayak launch (stairs) out of the lake all by himself - without pulling a muscle.

Ready to take out the dock

In this photo you can see the late fall profile of the lake - the leaves are off most of the trees except the sturdy oak right next to the shoreline, which hangs on to rusty orange leaves till very late. Skies are grey, so is the water. Note the sudsy strip across the lake a few feet out. Wonder what causes that.

Kenny looks ready to go, still smiling, still futzing around in the Klubhouse. He brought in a load of firewood for later. Right now it's mild outside - about 60 degrees. Some breeze but not biting.

The lake is high - Ken measured it 5" higher than last week. Think of the amount of water required to raise a 10,000 acre lake five inches!

Tom and Ken took the pontoon out earlier this week. Anyone who was worried will be glad to know the motor is fine.

The dock is wet and looks kind of lonely out there. It will sit on the left side of the yard, amid the evergreens, and wait for next summer.

The sunset tonight

The sunset tonight was really beautiful. I bundled up in my vintage 1970 green ripstop down jacket and my Hack-Ma-Tack hoodie and admired the view from the dock. Ken called from the road to make sure I was seeing it.

I'm staying overnight here to extend what inevitably will be one of the last weekend stays of the season. It's been classic Black Lake, from Friday's fire in the fireplace to Saturday's rib eye on the grill to this morning's apple crisp (Northern Spy and Macintosh combined).

Calm lake, hip boots, crisp fall paddle

The calm lake was irresistible, but it took my hip boots to guarantee a dry entry and exit and no wet feet. It really does feel like floating on air when the lake is this clear. There wasn't another single watercraft on the lake.

Ken helped the Kreugers take out their boat lifts and dock. That's Ken on the left, in case you didn't see him in his camo britches. The Kreuger's are terrific neighbors - they let us use their cottage for wedding guests (Grace, Brad, Angelo) and invited us in for white chicken chili after the dock work. Her chili was great and I have a new addiction: Lynette's apple bars. Must get recipe.

Wedding at the lake!

10-9-2009 11-18-28 PM_0035, originally uploaded by karenandkenstock.

Jen and Mike got their wish - the sun came out for their lakeside wedding ceremony. Lots of pictures on Flickr - http://flickr.com/photos/familybychoice. The official wedding photos are yet to come.

Read more about the wedding on Jen and Mike's wedding blog: http://jentrimble-mikebalcom.blogspot.com