Summer Vacation.....CHECK!!!

Recently, Eddie Dale and I were able to get away for a little much needed vacation.  

I haven't really been on a get away like this for over a year.  So, I have really been looking forward to it for weeks.....oh!  Who am I kidding?!?!?  I was clinging to the thought of this vacation as if it were a lifeline and I was flailing in the middle of the ocean...

Anyway, we loaded up the dogs, hooked up the RV and took off for a new destination - Inks Lake State Park.  Although it wasn't our first choice - Blanco State Park was still closed due to the recent flood - we were determined to love it.  And, we did! 

It is a beautiful lake and there is quite a bit to do in the way of activities.  

We went fishing - not once, but twice.  I hadn't been fishing since I was a child.  However, Eddie is a very patient and capable angler.  He was wonderful about loading (and reloading) my hook with big, fat worms!  I had a few nibbles, but didn't catch anything.  But, it was really a lot of fun - even though the spiders on the fishing pier were everywhere!

The sunsets were awesome!  They made the spiders bearable....

We had tubes for floating in our little cove of the lake - so relaxing.  (However, I do not particularly care for the feel of little fishies brushing past my legs and feet in the murky lake water....)

And, we lugged our bicycles down for a little riding.  (During which I discovered that, despite rehab, I still don't have all the strength back in my leg since my hip replacement!) 

We ate very well!  We always take our little portable grill with us and cook outside as much as possible.  Thanks to the HEB in Burnet, we had some fresh corn on the cob with our grilled chicken kabobs one evening.  At 12 cents an ear, it is a bargain and it was super sweet and tasty cooked on the grill.  

We rub it with real butter and salt free fajita seasoning and wrap it in foil and roast it that way above the hot coals. 

One evening we took a break from cooking and went to a little cafe we discovered just a few miles from the state park.  It was attached to a little convenience store and they advertised a dinner special - hamburger & fries for $5!  So, we decided to check it out.  And, it was absolutely delicious and the service was fantastic! 

In addition to biking and swimming, we rented a double kayak early one morning.  It was a wonderful experience!  I really did like it and I feel that my upper body strength is much better than my lower body.   We were on the water for just under an hour.  However, after spending another hour or so actually in the water, I got a pretty intense sunburn.  I haven't really been out in the sun much the last couple of years, so I didn't use enough sunscreen.  Ouch!

Consequently, we had to find indoor, out of the sun, activities for our last full day.  I twisted Ed's arm and he took me into Burnet for a little junkin'.  We found a really great shop that totally inspired me to come home and rework a few things in my own cottage!  My day was made, though, when I found a copy of a book I've been wanting to read for ages - for just $1.49!!!  This is one of those reads that is so interesting - I find it hard to put down!

It just makes me want to watch Julie & Julia over and over......

By the time we had to head home, we were ready.  It's always a little sad to strike camp, but it's always wonderful to get home!  Our little cottage - and our own bed - feels so wonderful!!!

Tomorrow is back to work for me.  However, I am feeling rested and relaxed....and rarin' to go!  It's amazing what a few days away from the routine will do for a body and soul.  

Hope you have the opportunity to do a little unwinding this summer....

Jane