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

A job well done, Kenny.

This is the same puzzle that Jason and Jen finished in one day. It took us a bit longer...we started it during the week leading up to Labor Day.

Do we have great neighbors or what???

Next door neighbor Mark Miller took a cast-off concrete step platform and placed it in front of our dock. Removed the stones, dug out the hole with a pick-axe, trailered in sand, and placed the concrete step - all by himself, voluntarily, without any expectation of compensation. Ken was at the Lodge watching ball games - I joined him at half time and when we came home the new concrete threshold was in place, looking like it had always been there. We went next door and gave Mark a standing ovation.

Isn't it fabulous? I had him offset it just a bit so we can jut the dock a bit to the left next spring when we put it in.

Saturday Morning Fog

A beautiful fog over the lake today. The water was warmer than the air so you could also see a light mist rising to meet the fog. In the upper right you can see the blue sky emerging.

Tomi says that fog happens when aliens have been up too late drinking and have to conceal their spaceship's departure in daylight. I love that concept and I will think of it every time I see fog from now on.

Bye for now, Tomi!

The car is all packed - and even though we'd rather stay, we're ready to go. In this picture Tomi is wearing the necklace and bracelet she made today.

We left the cottage at about 5:30 p.m., only stopping in Indian River to gas up the car. I talked to Adam on the way home, and Tomi talked to her Mommy. She is staying with Toke overnight and taking the 6:45 a.m. bus to Ann Arbor. Thanks Tomi for getting up early so we could have a few more hours at the cottage - it was so worth it.

Sunday Beading

The morning was misty and calm outside, and very quiet. Ken went about his business (trimmed some tree limbs, listened to football in the Klubhouse) while Tomi and I partook of a favorite Quiet Morning activity: BEADING.

We put out the whole spread and Tomi made some lovely jewelry. As you see, she was hiding her head from view for much the same reason I wear a baseball cap in the morning - hair issues.

Saturday

Today there has been a lot of sitting around reading that you need no photos to imagine. Me up first, making coffee...then sitting in the recliner to read. Ken up to get his coffee, check the weather (by looking at the thermometer), and continue to read. Tomi up for her morning pee call, then back to bed to read. Reading on the pontoon, reading in the sunroom, reading on the sofa. Just the perfect, quiet, relaxing start to another gorgeous gift of a day, about the 13th perfect weather day in a row. Tomi even snuck in a nap on the pontoon, lulled to sleep by the sounds of the lake.

We also had a nice kayak paddle up the lake to the vacant lot just past the end of Northshore Drive. We got out of the kayak and Tomi beachcombed for what the Theis kids refer to as "beauties" - the iridescent, pearly-white shells that catch the sunlight and gleam just beneath the water in the shallows.

Ken went over to the Black Mountain Lodge to watch MSU play (and lose to) CMU. After Tomi's nap, we joined him to watch Michigan play (and ultimately, beat) Notre Dame, much to Kenny's vengeful delight. If MSU beats them next weekend, he will be a happy man.

Photo below is of one of the "twin lakes" not far from our cottage, taken from the balcony of the new Eagle's Nest bar attached to the Lodge. Several locals were attracted to Tomi's and my combined female pulchritude. Who can blame them???

Ken, The Grillmaster, grilled vegetables (zucchini, corn, onions, and peppers) for us for dinner - muchas yummy. At this moment, the evening is drawing to a comfortable close with the sound of sipping tea and smacking lips (yes, we are eating pie again).

Beautiful summer peaches

I bought a 1/2 peck of beautiful, fragrant summer peaches at Whole Foods. I peeled them for breakfast today. After I peeled a couple I decided the peelings on a plate were beautiful in and of themselves.