On the Water, Mostly!

Hi, everyone!

We’ve had nice weather for the past two weekends, so most of my adventures have been at the bay! Putting James’ Lego block blanket together was a portable project.  First, I helped Grandma crochet all the separate blocks into strips by  their long edges.  We did that in Fairport.  When we went to the bay, I helped crochet all the long strips together.  After that, there were lots of yarn ends that needed to be hidden in the seams!  I helped Grandma do that before she crocheted the final edging around the entire blanket.

Sour cherries were ripe, so Grandma and I made a sour cream sour cherry pie, too!

James’ new blanket was washed and in the dryer when he and Thomas got to the bay.   By the time it was dry and we were done making the pie, both he and Thomas were busy with their electronics.

Grandpa has a trailer hitch on his car, so we brought the jet skis and their trailer with us when we went to the bay on Friday.  After Uncle Steven’s family came on Saturday, he and Aunt Kara drove Grandpa’s car to the boat launch to put the working jet ski in the water.  Meanwhile,  Grandpa drove the powerboat to the launch to escort Uncle Steven back on the jet ski, just in case there was  a problem.  James and Thomas took a break from electronics to go on that powerboat ride!    The jet ski ran properly and Uncle Steven stowed it on the launch on the north side of the boathouse.  That’s the first time it had been used in fifteen years!  On Sunday morning, Uncle Steven launched the jet ski and took it for a long ride.

After Uncle Steven finished his jet ski ride, he and Grandpa introduced James and Thomas to tubing!  We all went along in the powerboat!  First, Uncle Steven showed James and Thomas how to ride the tube.  Thomas was brave and went first!  Then James went.  Both boys had fun!

Grandma had yarn left after she finished Thomas’ and James’ new blankets, so she asked me if I wanted a blanket, too!  She made me a Lego block blanket with both James’ and Thomas’ blanket colors.  I got to choose how the blocks would be arranged!  Grandma said tucking in the yarn ends for 18 blocks was much faster than doing it for 78 blocks!  There was still yarn left after my blanket was finished, so I asked Grandma to make a blanket for Moose-san, too!  Grandma thought Lego blocks would be too big for Moose-san, so she made him a little version of Thomas’ new blanket.

Since we first had flooding at the bay three years ago, Grandma and Grandpa have been working on a plan to protect the shoreline.  Waterfront work requires state and federal permits, and the state kept asking for more information about the plan.  Finally, two weeks ago, the state told Grandpa and the contractor that the photos submitted with the application didn’t show enough erosion to justify the plan.  Since last year’s flooding was even worse, there’s been more damage.  Grandpa and Uncle Steven cut back the overhanging bushes and took new photos.  I helped Grandpa put them together to send to the state.  I hope that helps us get the final permit we need!

Now that Uncle Steven has one of Uncle Bill’s jet skis working, he’s paying attention to the repairs the other one needs.  Last Friday, when he came out to the bay, he cleaned up the inside of the hull.  There’s not much left, because the entire engine is in boxes, waiting for major work!  Friday was also a bonfire and marshmallow night!

Last Saturday, Grandma organized kayaking right after breakfast.  She wanted to paddle to Grass Point to see if the rose mallows were in bloom.  Thomas and James were more interested in floating around close to shore!  Grandma was right about the rose mallows!  They were blooming and so was the buttonbush!

James and Thomas were more interested in going tubing again!  At least, James was!  He and Uncle Steven went for long tube rides.  Thomas decided it was rougher than he liked and took one very, very short ride.

This week in Fairport, Grandma has been working on the Mount Fuji jigsaw puzzle again.  She had all but two pieces in the third quadrant of the puzzle, but they didn’t fit the spaces left!  She had to rearrange eighteen pieces to finish that quadrant.  Now, as she’s working on the final quadrant, she has the puzzle on a piece of stiff cardboard.  That lets her flip it over to see whether the patterns on the back of the pieces match.  Yesterday, she went over to Nancy-san’s to work on a jigsaw puzzle there.  I got to go along and give Moose-san his new blanket!  I hope he enjoys it!

Love,

Lion-san