Lake Hartwell, SC

In early May Cille posed the idea of getting out of Atlanta for the Memorial Day weekend and after lots of research and negotiation, we settled on a fabulous house in Lake Hartwell, SC.  The Goodmans, Pawlowskis, Nettles and I headed out on Friday afternoon and Liz joined us on Sunday after wrapping up a big wedding she was catering on Saturday night.  Even though we got stuck in a bit of traffic as we hit I-85 North, it was an easy drive and the house was absolutely perfect!  The owner, Gary, was there to meet us when we arrived and give us a tour of the property.  We were on a deep water cover that was nice and quiet, but still afforded us all the benefits of being on a lake.  We immediately got into bathing suits and hit the water.  Jonas had purchased an enormous raft-like thing called Relaxation Station and after blowing it up the fun began.  Nora (much like me) loves the water and literally only got out when forced to by her parents for a snack and/or meal.  We enjoyed perfect weather, canoeing, paddle boating, swimming, grilling, making s'mores and watching Braves games in the in-home theater!

I went for a long jog on Saturday morning and saw a family of 5 red fox, a bunch of chipmunks and field mice and 2 woodpeckers as well as a group of bird watchers who had spotted a 'chat' in one of the trees along the road.  When I got back to the house, everyone was getting ready to jump in the lake, so I joined the fun.  Jonas and Todd had gone to the store to pick up a few items and they got back just in time for a quick swim before lunch.

Nora getting ready to jump into my lap from across Relaxation Station!

And... the jump is good!

Annika wasn't particularly interested in getting in the lake, but she thoroughly enjoyed playing on the dock, canoeing and paddle boating.  She made her own adventure with the water that lapped up onto the dock at the space where it hit the shore.  It was priceless.

Annika making her own fun with the water that lapped up onto the dock

Cille had put together a schedule of who was responsible for each meal and it worked out perfectly.  Todd is known for being a great cook and he didn't disappoint.  He prepared salmon and flank steak one night that had been marinating for more than a day.  It was absolutely delicious which reminds me that I need to get the marinade recipe from him immediately.  The kitchen was enormous and the bar had enough stools for the kids to sit and eat all together.  

Life is better at the lake...

When Liz arrived on Sunday morning she wanted to take the canoe out for a spin so the two of us loaded up and started paddling.  Approximately 45 seconds after getting in the boat she asked why we were veering to the left.  As I opened my mouth to tell her that I would correct us as soon as we cleared the dock, she turned around in her seat too quickly and we flipped over.  It was priceless.  The boat started filling with water while it was on it's side and we were laughing so hard we couldn't do anything to stop it.  Jonas came to the rescue and pulled the boat out of the water and back onto the deck.  Luckily I had already enjoyed a lengthy canoe ride with Cille and Annika on Saturday and didn't feel too badly about forgoing a second attempt with Liz.  :)

Aren't you supposed to be IN the boat when you canoe?

The weekend was a perfect mix of relaxation, conversation with good friends and activities with the kids.  We will definitely rent the house again sometime, as it was perfect for a group outing.  I am in town for 4 days before heading to Boston for Parker's birthday and Evie's ballet recital and then onto New Orleans for the annual Habitat for Humanity build.  More on those adventures in the next post...