overscheduled, much?

I need more open weekends in my life. After a summer spent entertaining guests pretty much every weekend (we love our little lake house and want to share, and of course, I love my friends) but entertaining got tiring; and working weeks where evenings are typically filled with, well, work; and a calendar that sometimes feels packed til 2013, I truly appreciate the extremely rare weekend where we have no plans whatsoever. Actually, my honey and I did have a plan, but it was cancelled, thus leaving 48 hours of blissfully unstructured time at the lake, with clear skies, temperatures in the 70s, fresh tomatoes in the garden and lamb burgers ready to go on the grill. After sleeping late, we sat on the deck, did a few chores, drank coffee, then headed to the lake for some kayaking. We were quickly intercepted on the pond by our new neighbors, who have been busy turning the site of their soon-to-be new house into a veritable playground for adults. 3 docks. 7 kayaks and canoes ("For the nieces and nephews!") a little tricked out camper, hammocks, seating built right into the trees, a stone patio with a stone fireplace and a little screened-in gazebo. All so stylishly done that I wanted to order up a magazine shoot right then and there. We sat on one of their docks and got to know them--she works at a local hospital coordinating organ donations--totally inspiring. Then back in the kayak for some serious tandem paddling (our kayak was the best wedding present ever!), followed by a run (the first I've done here since I've been back from vacation and tough because of the hills). But my amazing trainer, Larysa Didio, has given me some great running advice. I'm a sloooow runner, and part of the reason for that is that I tend to take many steps but small steps--thus, I tire myself out and don't get very far. She has helped me lengthen my stride, using my arms and legs and brain (with each stride, I think "reach! reach! reach!) and the run feels smoother and more efficient. When I'm  on hills, that's when I take small steps, which helps you get up the hill without unnecessary stress on the body.

After that, another couple came over (another plan spontaneously made!) for a drink on the deck, which turned into dinner (they ran home and brought over the skewered shrimp they were going to grill, seasoned with hot peppers from their garden, plus cous cous and cucumber salad; we contributed our lamb burgers and tomato salad) which morphed into after-dinner drinks around the fire pit. And today, another free day. Maybe I'll fire off an email to another nearby couple we haven't seen in a while and invite them for a drink--and maybe I won't. Who knows what the day will bring?!

On the cartroad to the lake

First glimpse of the moon

Lily pads and reeds (all photos courtesy of our recent guest, David Kriss)