A rich variety of social events, and more cat pix

Dwight Peck's personal website

Summer 2023

A photographic record of whatever leapt out at us

You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a
good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

A rich variety of social events, and more cat pix

Choupette is minding her own business, and Pugsley senses an opportunity, 9 August 2023.

Choupette sorts that problem out in a sudden jiffy, and . . .

. . . resumes exploring the views from atop the new A/C machine.

-- What's it to you!

A birthday outing in a Chinese restaurant

Celebrations for Clinton's birthday, and a baby-entrancing homemade cake

Grandma Kristin prepares to help out if needed.

A one-handed cutting of the cake . . . nope.

Grandma Kristin is called upon to help out.

There are doubtless some very friendly people round here, but don't scratch the surface.

-- Hey, where you taking my car?!?!?

(Just a flat tire, quickly replaced, no worries)

Oscar's back on the lake, O Frabjous Day

The eagles have never left it.

A late afternoon on the lake (how come they get all the sunlight?)

That's Pugsley, a visiting cat, gnawing on a cloth carrot.

Stephanie and Kristin and their pedalboards, 13 August 2023

The tangled wonders of the Tigertail

Early in the morning, 14 August, Melvin weighs his options for today.

'Green Beach' -- the chaises longues are permanently deployed here after mid-summer, for midafternoon sun-basking when the dock has receded into the almost-autumn shadows.

A 'celebration' for Marbeth

Marbeth, who recently passed away at 93, was a great friend to everyone here, and son Kurt, a prof from UC Berkeley, is leading a celebration of her life.

Two docked pontoon boats help to provide a small venue for the occasion (they served for our wedding, too, 14 years ago).

Marbeth, back in the day, was one of the first successful female lawyers in D.C. and over the years has happily provided a quarter ton of free legal advice to many of the celebrants here.

Kristin (in the colorful array) has had an especially close relationship with Marbeth, over many years and adventures, and now provides some poignant anecdotes, until . . .

. . . she's a little bit overcome.

Following which, of course, there's plenty of food.

The venue is Joellen's cottage on Mussent Point -- she and Marbeth were childhood mates and set off to college in the east way back when.

No one will require dinner tonight.

Choupette Stylites and . . .

. . . a devotee

A clan dinner at Point o' Pines

The table settings have been arranged, but at the moment some thirty congregants are huddled in the kitchen with the hors d'oeuvres. 19 August 2023

We're permitted to slip away and take a evocative photo of the main dock at Point o' Pines. The main island, Adjidaumo, is on the left, and the Mussent Point Funship is tied up to the dock.

Unrestrained merriment

A look round Chase Island

We've just pedaled out from South Bay beyond the highway bridge and once again we're enchanted by the sad wreckage that is part of Chase's charm.

Chase Island, with its name of unknown origin, competes with Ryden's as the smallest island on the lake, at 60m (197') and 55m (180') respectively. Not counting Baby Leigh at only 31m, but that's really only an awkward reef.

On this lake, we don't bury our dead. This one's got a leaning comrade possibly joining it soon in the soup.

The chaotic southern point of Chase, and . . .

. . . here's the northern point and sandbar of nearby Pink Island.

Pink, with the highway in the background

Viewing some of the fineries along the western shore near the Public Landing.

The Public Landing

Having been visiting this lake, off and on and regularly since 2010, lazily enough this is the first time we've gone to have a look at the town's public landing on the lake. Swimming area for the kids, put-in ramp for the day boaters (small fee), some playground stuff, and regiments of picnic tables.

A small dinner party in Kristin's cottage

With the Point o' Pines crowd and additional guests, 21 August 2023

Kristin was the chief chef for much of it, but with a lot of help

Elke and Cousin Rob, more or less in repose

Continuous levity on the sun porch (sans sun)

Soccer and tennis comparisons between serious practitioners

The cats are expressly forbidden from crossing the cattle guard at the edge of the property (tell that to Choupette).

The compulsion to explore hangs over Choupette. Even when the object of exploration is stunningly obvious.

-- Well, let's see where this leads to.

-- So, big deal.

-- So, what about this then? Oh, just mud.

-- Enough of that.

Someone's run up a good old Union Jack (our recent dinner guests, probably, Brits from the Spanish coast). Very nice . . . but what happened to the Ukrainian flag then?

Mom Duck with a resting troop of trainees

We've seen training classes filing about on the lake this summer varying from 8 to 10 even to 14 once . . . probably all the same gang, allowing for casualties and adoptions.

Whenever they leap off their perches and paddle away in a semi-organized group, we worry that we've scared them off . . . but we never really came at all close this time.

Mom's just decided to get back to practicing the required foraging techniques.

-- We want out! Open this door right now! At once!

Why spend time sitting on a dewy-wet lawn when there's a handy septic tank vent right here?

A sudden torrential downpour and we're joined in our pontoon boat shelter by two refugees. 24 August 2023.

-- Should we make a run for it up to the house?

The rain's over; there are brighter times ahead.

A brief celebration is in order at this point. We're back at the mid-lake between the two canal sections, and today . . .

. . . we've encountered this summer's first, and in fact our only, turtle sunbathing on a log. It used to be a regular sort of thing, small groups of them hobnobbing together, probably happily, and now . . .
one, once.

The Lake in Wisconsin

Mussent Point is at the red dot.

Next up: A brief sojourn on 'South Beach', Lake Superior