DOWN ON THE DOCK

Hi!

I love living in an area that experiences the 4 seasons.  It gives you things to look forward to.  The fall is beautiful up here and I look forward to the changing of the leaves.

My fountain in the fall

In the winter I look forward to lots of snow so we can cozy up by the fire.  We pray for lots of snow so the ski resorts flourish and have great conditions for skiing.

My fountain in winter

In the spring we watch our gardens come to life after their winter dormancy.

My garden in Spring

And, we especially look forward to Memorial Day weekend because that is what the residents of Lake Arrowhead consider opening weekend for the lake.  It gets very busy up here as part time residents return for the summer. Everyone scurries to launch their boats after their winters nap in storage.

Empty docks with boats in winter storage.

And I look forward to moving back into my dock house.

Our landing & small dock house in the off season.

Our season on the lake basically runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  That is the window of time when conditions are beautiful and the lake can be enjoyed.

Come September folks remove their boats from the lake and also remove their belongings from their dock houses for the winter.  I usually feel a little sad on move-out day because I am never quite ready to say goodbye to summer. But move-in day is so much fun with lots to look forward to.  I store all of my dock supplies in plastic totes for the winter.

Because there are 119 steps to get down to our dock, we move in and out of the dock by boat, it’s easier that way.  Before launching the boat we simply fill it up with all the totes and dock furniture and away we go.  Our boat becomes a floating moving van.

Everything gets moved from the dock……

then up onto the landing and stored in the dock house.  Today is move-in day so join me!

Our dog Charlie came along to supervise.

Come on in to my little dock house and have a look.

It’s very rustic, small and simple but just big enough to hold everything we need to enjoy summer on the lake.

On move-in day I feel like a little girl playing house.

We eat lunch every weekend on the dock and have a lot of dinner parties on the dock as well.  So, I stock the dock house with everything we need to serve food and to BBQ.

We have a red, white, blue and patriotic theme going on because we celebrate Memorial Day, the 4th of July and Labor Day on the lake. Plus our boat just happens to be red and the canopy on the landing is red too.

Once I was all moved in I set up for my first dinner party of the season on the dock.

Our pals Ruth and Mark were coming over.  Many of our friends use their boats for transportation this time of year.  We can go by boat to The Village, The Lake Arrowhead Resort, The Yacht Club, and of course to visit friends, just as Ruth and Mark did.

Ruth brought along a delicious antipasti platter……

and I made Watermelon Margaritas, and all was right with the world.

I grilled shrimp and fresh asparagus……

and served it along with a Italian Farro & Vegetable Salad……

and grilled corn on the cob.  Nothing fancy, very casual and fun.

For dessert I made a Fresh Apricot Tart.

It was a lovely evening.  Evenings like this have a lot to do with why I love living in Lake Arrowhead.  I don’t take this beauty or my lifestyle for granted.  I feel very fortunate to call this little slice of heaven home and pinch myself every day that I am able to live my dream lifestyle.

So there you have it, my life, down on the dock.

Please stay tuned and tomorrow I’ll share my recipe for Watermelon Margaritas.  And in the coming days I’ll show you how to make a very easy recipe for Fresh Apricot Tart.

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