Year 2 at George Lake

Only 51 weeks until George Lake, year 3. One guess who came up with that as we were leaving the driveway of 8893 Lakeshore Drive, Hague, NY - Steve!

We had another great week. The weather was awesome as was the company kept. The house fits 10 extremely comfortable with room to spare. It is so nice that we can all spread out and not be on top of one another. Each family has their own space and bathroom which works out nicely. It is a great home and area to decompress. I noticed how hard it was for all of us the first couple of days without cell service and the internet being intermittent. About day 2 we all got in the groove of being disconnected, but still scrambled when one of us mentioned that the internet was back on. Oh, how we all rely on these modern conveniences!

We introduced Matt, Kate, and Ethan to the fishing world. So much so that they went to Super Walie World in Ticonderoga to purchase their own poles and supplies. This was great fun. And, speaking of Super Walmart, this was about the most civilized excitement we saw for a number of days.

Our days consisted of waking up and lounging around until around noon, hanging on the front porch, screened porch, or backyard. The boys loved being able to run around in their PJ's outside, as did we. We all read a lot and took our turn at the puzzle board. We always have a puzzle in the works on the dining room table. Once we showered, we didn't venture far from the house. The lake is across the road, but not accessible for about 1/2 mile north. This is where we could swim and fish. There is a great spot we found this year that was pretty neat. You walked quite a ways in (all mowed by the town) to this cool sandy spot with an inlet on the right. The kids could wade out to a small little island where they hung out for a couple of hours. We visited this spot twice. Once with Matt, Kate, and big E and once all of us. The day we all went, even Dad fished for awhile. It was really peaceful.

Hague has a lot to offer. There are tons of places to hike and explore the outdoors. Downtown Hague is really neat; old-fashioned neat. The Hague Market is like going back in time with the locals. The owners combine it with Zeke's Music Shop. When you walk in, you see all kinds of guitars on your right with the wooden floor sloping to the left you venture by the counter where 25 cent candy is housed underneath. Then you pass the homemade breads, pastries, and pies (after you stop and tell the clerk what you want from the case, of course). Beyond that is the fishing tackle and coffee. As you walk through, you get a feeling for what their big sellers are. Some of the items you may have to blow the dust off. You can smell that day's specials. The rear of the store has a couple of small tables where you can grab a bite from their home-cooked menu. I had to take the kids in to show them the soda cooler and get an ice cream from their chest freezer. Speaking of ice cream, we all ventured up to the Wind Chill Factory for soft serve. This is Dad's favorite. I wonder how many times he stopped there on his work phone call runs!!

Tonight I asked the boys what their favorite part of the George vacation was. These were the responses:

Noah - the house itself and spending time with family. This really surprised me as he seems to have the hardest time with nothing to do, as he is always on the go.

Owen - the hiking and the Hague Brook. This was a spot that Mom and Dad took us to last year and we revisited. This year someone who was very artistic, built the neatest rock formations in the Brook. How they stayed put I will never know. The boys loved being able to find wildlife (minnows was O's highlight, but unfortunately the ones we captured lived all week until our ride home. Noah caught a salamander named "Newton" that has joined our family). The kids went swimming (naked or close to it) in the Brook which Owen thought was a lot of fun.

Sammy - he can't say much yet, but speaking for him I think his favorite part was the splashing in the rain puddles both at the house and the beach. The beach has a grassy area that flooded from the rain one night. The puddle water was really warm from the sun and he had a ball running through it.

Steve - the fishing. It is always fun to find new spots to cast as you never know what you are going to get. He did reel in a good size catfish, some small mouth bass, perch, and rainbow trout. Matt and Ethan caught the largest fish of the trip, it was either a large small mouth or small large mouth.

Beth - listening to and meeting the Jason Spooner Trio. We got rained out to see them in Shepard's Park in Lake George. However, the Chamber of Commerce relocated them to a restaurant where a whole 14 people showed. Fourteen included Steve, Matt, Kate, and myself. Despite the small crowd, it was a fun night spending time with my brother and sister-in-law and introducing them to some new music. The "groupies" as Mom called us even got and encore played just for us, our albums signed, and our picture taken with the band. We ended the night with ice cream and pizza and some great conversation. Dad and Mom built forts in the living room with the boys and took over the bedtime routines. They even waited up for us kids to get home. Just like old times!

On Friday we all went shopping and ate out for lunch. We did some school shopping for Noah, Owen, and Ethan down at the outlets. (Thanks Michele Pope for the Gap/Old Navy friends and family discount!) Friday was the first day that we ate out. We sure did have some great meals together! The house has a fully stocked kitchen, just like cooking at home. I loved this part!

It is great to vacation, but always good to return home. We really missed Isaac this year. It was his 7th birthday while we were gone. Noah had to be sure that we had a birthday present to give him upon our return. A parmesan moose cookie and a raccoon that squeaks. He was waiting in the middle of the driveway and smiling from ear to ear when we drove in. Of course, he went to Noah's door to greet him first! Aunt Co Co said she counted the days with I-Z and Ron said that our return day was the only day that he saw him sitting in the driveway waiting. How do dogs know these things?!

It sounds like we will be venturing back to the Adirondack's in 2010 and very much look forward to it. It is a beautiful spot to spend time together.