A Sunny But Cool Day On Lake Of The Ozarks

Taking A Hike

6:45

7:08

I am up early, 5:45, the only one up of course, and I am sitting here, sipping my coffee, watching the sky lighten.  It's a chilly 26º, fog rising on the lake, a wrinkled light blue. Everyone will be up soon, however, as Tom and Mary want to get back home by 10:00 because they have tickets to the Kansas City Chiefs game at noon, so we have to be on our way by 8:00.

Yesterday, the gang rose late (except for me) so we didn't really get going until about 10:30.  We packed the car with goodies (beer, steaks, and potatoes) to take to the condo and we thought we would be off by 10:45.  Not true, alas, as we thought we had locked ourselves out of the house. We searched the garage for a key which supposedly was hanging on the wall but soon realized that Mary had a key that worked on her key chain.  So we were off 15 minutes later than anticipated.  It was a great day for a ride through the country side of south central Missouri, mostly farms, lots of cows grazing, probably cattle, and an occasional small town.  We introduced Tom, Mary and Marlena to the Avett Brothers who we listened to most of the way; they enjoyed the music and it was the perfect backdrop for our scenic ride.

Freddy's, Home Of The Steakburger

We stopped in Sedalia, the largest town in the area, and had steak burgers at a famous Missouri chain called Freddys.  It was a good choice, as the burgers were the old fashioned kind, juicy, thin, with a crisp crust, almost over cooked.  And Evie, the french fry queen, gave the fries a thumbs up.

Marlena Loves Freddy's Fries

Freddy's

We got to the condo around 1:30 and quickly settled in.  Their fifth floor condo has a panoramic view of the lake, one of the best, as we overlook the marina, the swimming pools, the lake, and sky both blue on this clear cool day.

Blue Anchor Bay Condos

View From Condo

The condo is really well designed, and with all new furniture, well appointed and comfortable.  The living area is really spacious, one big room with a view through sliding windows at one end, the kitchen and dining room and living room furniture all have views of the lake.  We watched Ohio State almost lose before going out and putting a cover on Tom's new boat, not an easy job but we got it done.  We came back up, chilled, watched football as the girls played a game of SORRY.  Evie and Mary socked it to Marlena but she didn't mind; she's growing up.

Chilly With Bella

With Marlena On A Cold Afternoon

The Family

Around 4:00, just as the sun was beginning to hide behind the trees, we went for a short walk, around the condos, then off to a neighborhood and an area called Tony's Point, where there were a few private homes, most likely built before the condos arrived.  We were out for only a half hour but it felt good to get some air and enjoy the outdoors.  Even Bella seemed to enjoy it.

Ready To Play Banangrams With Granny

Marlena Wins?  What's a Nit?

A Forgotten Bella, Sitting Out In The Cold

We then relaxed with a beer, some cheese and crackers, watched more football (what else) and Evie played Bananagrams with Marlena, like a good granny.  Around 5:00, the sky started to soften, turn pink and light blue before dusk arrived, a nice way to end the day.

Grilling With My Son, Tom

For dinner, Tom cooked bon filets out side and we mashed potatoes without a masher, to compliment a great dinner.  We didn't eat until about 6:30 and by then, we could only see the blue lights that seem to surround much of this part of the lake.

The Sous Chefs

A View From The Kitchen Island

Everyone helped with getting dinner ready, especially Marlena who cut up the brussel sprouts and helped Evie mash the potatoes.  When Tom served the filets, he wondered if we should cut them in half.  What a laugh.  Each one of us devoured our tenderloin with a bite left.  They were about as good a filet mignon as I have had as were the brussels sprouts and mounds of mashed potatoes.  After dinner, we sat around, too full to move much but Marlena talked Evie in to playing Monopoly, not Evie's favorite but she's a good granny.  We ended up watching more football, and I cannot even remember what game it was.

Dusk

Blue Lights Of Night Time