The wooden posts you see on the lower right are part of the bulkhead.  Normally, those would be standing in 3 to 4 feet of water.  As you can see in  the photo, that is no longer the case.  So…this past summer, we have been able to enjoy the beautiful beach front property.  Too bad the boats are useless to us these days!  We have no water to put them in!  Oh well.  Maybe next summer?

At 9:15 AM on Sunday, February 01, 2009, we lost our beloved yellow lab, Dave.  The previous day, he became very sick due to a large tumor in his abdomen, and quickly went downhill with no hope of recovery.  The dog who always wanted to retrieve one more ball finally had to let someone else take over.  He spent his last weekend lying quietly, surrounded by the family that adored him.  We all gathered at the lake house to be with him and to say goodbye.  Thankfully, his passing was very quick and he went peacefully, lying outside, on a beautiful day, facing the lake that he loved so much. 

Most everyone who ever met Dave agreed that he was the best dog they had ever known.  In every way that counts, he was the perfect companion.  He would run, swim and fetch until our arms got sore and we couldn’t throw any more.  When he wasn’t retrieving balls and sticks, he would just jump into the lake, dive down to the bottom, bring up a few rocks and leave them in the yard for us to find.  Indoors, he was perfect as well.  When it was time to sit on the couch and rest, you could always count on Dave to be curled up quietly nearby.  He always had the perfect temperament that complemented every feeling and every moment. 

In January, 2004, we had to say goodbye to our dog Corky.  We buried her along a fence near the house at the lake.  Now, five years later, we buried Dave right next to his old buddy, Corky.  He too will forever be a part of the place that he loved so much.  Though he always played well with the other dogs (and even our evil cat Molotov), he now rests in his favorite place with his own tennis ball that no-one else can steal.  We will forever miss the amazing dog that, for the last thirteen years, filled our carpets with yellow fur, our yard with lake rocks and our hearts with unrelenting love.

The treehouse is actually a large wooden platform spanning the space between four big trees.  The platform is made of lumber we reclaimed from the old pier we tore down.  We then began building a small house on top of the platform.  Our family and friends bring plenty of little kids up to the lake.  The goal is to make it a fun playhouse for anyone old enough to climb the stairs, but young enough to not bump their head on the short door.

It is partially complete, so I thought folks might like to see some photos of the progress, plus some plans for what it will look like when finished.

(click on photo to enlarge)
    

These photos were taken just after New Years.  The tin roof is on, but needs a bit more work on the edges.  The outside is silver in these photos because of the radiant-barrier boards we used for siding.  The exterior walls will probably be covered with brown cedar to match the house and garage.  The inside has already been insulated with foam board, but we’re still deciding exactly how to finish out the inside.  The door and windows have not been installed yet.  My younger brother, Patrick, made some 3-D models of how the treehouse will look after it is finished.  He also showed the “upper deck” we are considering adding to the structure.

(click on photo to enlarge)
             

After we finish the basics, we will have to decide what to do with the interior.  I vote for a 65-inch flat panel HDTV with surround sound.  We might as well throw in a Nintendo Wii, X-Box 360 and Playstation 3, because you never know what game you need to play.  Another thought is a fully stocked bar.  However, because it is a kids’ playhouse, the bar will be equipped with all varieties of juice boxes and an assortment of sippy-cups.  Instead of pretzels and peanuts, it should have all the ingredients for making mud pies.  The last option is to equip the treehouse with all necessary equipment for filling and launching a water balloon assault on anyone who dares come near the hideout.  Well… that’s what I would have wanted when I was a kid. 

We often like to head out for the weekend and spend a couple of days at the lake.  It was a short trip as we couldn’t leave until Saturday morning and we had to head out Sunday at 2 PM.  Still, it was worth it.  Mom made us some fantastic food.  I helped Dad work on the sailboat.  It is coming along well.  He has put a lot of work into fixing it.  The boat was seriously damanged in a storm a few years ago.  He thinks we are almost ready to get the boat back into the water.

You can also see our progress on the new tree house.  Katie was standing in front of it just before we got in the car to come back to Houston and I snapped a couple of photos.  We started building this treehouse last year using a lot of the leftover wood from the old pier we took down.  That wood went into the “platform” that is attached to four trees.  The “house” sits on top of the platform.  The house framing is done.  The roof is decked and covered with tarpaper.  We put up enough siding to give the walls some stability.  It should be done in time for our kid to start playing in it.

It’s fun to get out of the city and let the dogs run, play, fetch, and drive the mule.  The mule is kind of like a small pickup truck.  It could also be described as a golf cart on steriods since it has 4-wheel drive and can launch boats.  Any time we fire up the mule, the dogs all compete for who gets to ride shotgun.  It’s normally pretty cute, unless the winning dog just got out of the lake.  Then you’re just trying to drive while keeping a stinky wet dog from crawling all over you.