Spring Lake Cabins

 Our little county park of Spring Lake has always played a part in my life, particularly the early years, before my father died. In the summer and before air conditioning we would eagerly wait for Dad to get off work at 5:00 and hurry home so we could go to the lake. We would rush to get our swimsuits on and get into the water. It seemed we were there a long time and sometimes I think we were, as the sun would be setting when we headed home. We always changed into our clothes and when we headed home we would hold our wet suits out the open window to wind dry them on the 7 miles ride back to town. 

The Leo and Keri family are staying in one of the 3 cabins that are now at Spring Lake for rentals. They were not a part of my youthful experience but they are really cool. We were wanting to see what they were like so we stopped out this afternoon.

Here are some photos I took:

Erin Westergard

Joe Davis

Clara likes fruit

Cold Spell

 Suddenly we are back to early April. Yesterday they told us that the daytime temperature for Iowa hit a record LOW. Don't remember exactly but I think it was 49.  Yuck! And it was Mickey's birthday! Not too much better today. We had Mickey over for BBQ ribs. I had posted the recipe a while back. They lived up to my memory of how good they were and Mickey agreed that they were good. I will use a larger crockpot next time. A 4 quart instead of a 3. But that is about the only thing I would change. 

Here is the recipe again in case you missed it the first time.

Memphis Pit BBQ Ribs
What You’ll Need:
1 blender ( I didn’t use a blender)
1 4-quart crockpot
1 baking sheet
aluminum foil
basting brush
5 pounds (2 full racks) of pork spare ribs
1 apple
1½ cups applesauce
1 diced onion
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
18 ounces BBQ sauce
What You’ll Need:

Okay, now let’s get down to business. First, arrange your spare ribs in a circle around the edges of your slow cooker. Continue layering the meat until it reaches the top, but has a large hole in the middle. In this center section, place your cored and sliced apple.

Now for the marinade. In a blender, combine your apple sauce, onion, sugar, and vinegar along with half of your BBQ sauce. Puree until smooth and then pour the whole thing over the top of your apple slices and meat. Cover and cook on high for about 5 hours. When you come back, try to resist sneaking a taste. Instead, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the ribs separately onto the surface.
Using your brush, baste the remaining BBQ sauce over the top and sides of your spare ribs. Broil for 5 to 10 minutes and plate as soon as possible for the best and most unique version of this classic we’ve ever tasted!

My notes:

I cut the ribs into 2 bone servings. And I blended the marinade by hand as I didn’t see the need to dirty another appliance.

Everything Takes Longer

😒 As we age things that used to take 15 minutes now take an hour. We once lived on a lake in a 3 story home and I would tackle cleaning all 3 floors in one day. Didn't think much about it at the time. It would surely be a 3-day project now...or hire it done. I did have help with the cleaning when I worked at the medical clinic. Her name was Linda and she was a story in herself.

Synopsis: She was married but getting a divorce. Her husband did not want a divorce. She wasn't sure either but her other love wanted to marry her too. Both men knew of each other. She was adamant that she loved them both and could not make up her mind. She was a puzzle to me and still is. I do not know the ending to this story so now you can stay mystified along with me. She cleaned the house very well.

Now back to the real world. I decided to paint the 3 doors, 2 in the pool hall and our home's red front door was fading to pink and needed a new coat of Simply Red (2014) paint. I thought I could whip this out in a couple of hours. It took me the rest of the day and it isn't done yet. The exteriors of the pool hall doors are still waiting for their coats.

I have another rainy day project going as well. I am putting a lifetime of photos on an external hard drive. That isn't difficult. I have done it before. But this time I am trying to label them as to the event, year, people etc. So now it becomes monumental! I might get done. It has been raining a lot but not all day.

I'm Walkin', Yes, Indeed

 Keri and I have walked the past two mornings and it feels so good to be back at it! Yesterday we noticed that the phlox was in full bloom. A few years ago it was similar and I had a photo of it put on canvas and it is currently on my wall, being one of my favorites. After I took the picture they sprayed alongside both sides and wiped out all that was growing for a width of about 2 feet on each side. I was not happy!! Now the phlox has recovered and I took some new photos. It is wonderful that they are back. It adds so much beauty to the trail.

Here are this morning's photos.

This one is after we made the turn at the one-mile mark looking North.

And the next two are looking South as we approach. Don't you think it is time to hit the trail?