Lake Barkley

My favorite memories from childhood are boating with my family during summer vacations. We always went to Lake McConaughy in Nebraska for at least a week, usually longer, every summer. And it wasn't just my parents and brother who went...it was grandpa & grandma, aunts & uncles, cousins, and on occasion friends of the family (one year our Portugese friends came and made fish head soup for dinner one night. We were all relieved to find out we didn't have to actually eat the fish heads!!!). It was where I learned how to water ski, catch frogs, build sand castles, catch a fish, filet a fish, cook a fish, and sleep to the country summer sounds of crickets and trains. Every year was a blast!

This summer, thanks to my parents bringing their boat along, Olivia and I got to have a small taste of those days from my childhood. We spent a few days at Lake Barkley in Kentucky...and it was a blast. Unfortunately the weather only cooperated enough to give us one good day on the lake, but it was perfect. Upper 80's, blue skies, glassy water, and a huge lake where we only saw other boaters in the distance. I water skied, Olivia and I tubed, Olivia fished, and we all swam and relaxed. We were out on the lake for around 8 hours, and I would say we were swimming for at least 5 of those hours...Olivia really loves to swim, almost couldn't convince her to get out...actually, I couldn't convince her, and I ended up dragging her into the bought like a big fish (o: She even fell asleep on the ride in to shore, and she actually fell asleep at a decent hour in spite of the nap.

Our second, rainy day we spent in Clarksville, TN...it was a little weird being back there for just the day. But we took her to the Jump Zone, Chuckee Chesse for games, and McDonald's. It was a fun day even though it wasn't on the lake.

Then today, we wrapped up our trip with one final quick zip on the boat...it was quite a bit cooler and the water choppy so we didn't swim...and then lunch up at Patti's Settlement. A fun, fun trip; though every time Olivia talked to JP who couldn't come she said, "Daddy, I want you to come to our cabin!" Thanks mom & dad (o:
Doodle board, life jacket, tackle box, and jammies...what esle do you need for a fun day on the boat?
The good thing about eating melt on your face chocolate chip cookies on a boat is that you can jump in the lake to clean up.
Didn't catch anything, but it was fun trying. We saw a ton of fish jumping!