Welcome June!

Sorry it's been so long since I've written an update... Things have been pretty hectic around here the past several days. Memorial weekend was awesome. The weather couldn't have been better. I'm talking 90 degrees and sunny. No rain, no cold weather. Even the lake is warm enough to swim in... Well, I think so anyway. I know some people are holding out for a little warmer water. :) But overall, it was such a good weekend. We were busy Friday through Monday. Seems like everyone came down to enjoy the nice weather. It felt more like a 4th of July weekend than a Memorial weekend. Now we just hope the weather is as nice for the 4th...

The guys built the new dock (with 24 stalls) in less than two weeks, just in time for Memorial weekend. (It has its own walkway from the launch ramp area.) We were able to rent nightly stalls in it starting Friday afternoon. And we kept it almost full all weekend. So I guess you could say we are about 95% back to normal from the storm in February. We still have a few little things to move here and there. But otherwise, it's looking really good down here. The dock-building crew consisted of Tim, Roger, Josh, Matt, Skip, Craig and Bill. And it was soooo hot last week. But no complaints. They just got it done.

Oh, and I still have Blessing T-shirts for a few folks. If you haven't picked yours up, stop by and get them.

The next event we're planning is the Pontiac Spearfishing Tournament. It's June 17. Registration is 7 to 9 a.m. at the marina. Tournament starts at 9 a.m. Weigh-in is from 1 to 3 p.m. at Hollingsworth Cove in Arkansas. Registration fee is $25 per diver. 100% payback. Prizes given immediately following the weigh-in. And we'll have food at Hollingsworth for the divers and their families -- $5 per person. We had a great turnout last year -- about 50 divers. Call the dock if you have questions. 417-679-3676.

Later!

T-shirts Are In!

If you ordered a Blessing of the Fleet T, they are in! Well, I will actually have them at the dock Friday evening. I think. They are done anyway. It's just a matter of getting them to me! So if you're around this weekend, come in and pick yours up.

Cost is $10 each. A lot of you have already paid, and I have a record of that.

Thank you!!

The lake is at normal pool now. You can walk right off the lower road onto the walkway. It's very nice. Our beer and soda delivery guys will be really happy this week. Hopefully it will stay that way!

We had a fairly nice day on Saturday -- about 75 degrees and sunny. But sooo windy. Today, much cooler. But this week it's supposed to get warm again, and they're calling for 80s by the weekend.

We received materials on Friday for the new dock (to replace the one that was totaled in the Feb. 16 storm). The crew is going to start building it this week. Exciting! We're hopeful that it will be useable by Memorial weekend.

Gotta go. Back to Grey's Anatomy. :)

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

So... it's been raining A LOT here the past few days. Of course we needed it badly, but I'm starting to feel a little sunshine deprived. And I've heard a few other locals say that, too! Whether they would admit it or not. The lake is almost at normal pool. Still just a foot or so below. And that is great!

We had a good little storm here Tuesday morning. I was working in the office, Matt was in the survey office, and Josh was on the new dock adjusting cables. I looked outside and the sky was pitch black! It was like nighttime! And the wind started picking up, and the rain... It totally freaked me out. I grabbed Matt, and we jumped in the car and went to my grandparents' house -- they have a basement -- and hung out there for about 10 minutes. When it passed, we came back down. Everything was fine. Poor Josh was stuck on the new dock during the whole thing. We figured he would get out of there when it started looking so ugly, but he had cables loose and could not abandon them! I felt terrible. But he is fine, too.

Boy, Mother Nature sure does like to test us.

We are blessed!!!

Well... what can I say? The first annual (and yes, it will be an annual event!) Blessing of the Fleet was a huge success. I couldn't be happier with the turnout, especially considering how gloomy the weather was. The rain actual held off for a few hours in the afternoon, and about 30 boats participated in the blessing, which was so neat. Father Mike read a few passages about blessing the boats, and then each boat passed by him (he was on the end of the new dock) and he sprinkled holy water on each of them. It was a very powerful and moving moment. A few people still decorated their boats, despite the weather, and the winners were as follows:

Best in Show: Chris Geroff and Jimmy Lofink – island theme with parrots on their shoulders and dreadlocks on their heads
Best Costumes: The Wedding Party (Pam Hicks, friends and family)
Most Original Theme: The Schlicts (Christmas theme)

Then nearly 200 people gathered on the dock for our little open house, where we served beer, soda and food. We sold T-shirts (the proceeds from which will go to the Pontiac fireworks) -- we had 6 dozen, sold out immediately, and I am doing a re-order for another 4 dozen shirts. That's 10 dozen shirts! Again, it was incredible! Then from 6-10 p.m. Allen Ross (Springfield musician) played on the deck at Just Jackie's. And that was a blast. We will definitely ask him to come back.

I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who came out on Saturday. Even though it wasn't a very pretty day, it didn't matter. You still came out and had a great time. You all sure know how to have fun!

And now, here are a few dates to mark on your calendar:

June 17: Pontiac Spearfishing Tournament
July 2: Pontiac fireworks display
August 5: Blowout at the Pontiac Park pavilion
October 7: *Lake Cleanup and Full Moon Party

*This is a brand new event we are planning, sort of an end-of-season party. It will be an all-day party, much like the Blessing. More details to come later.

OH... and we made the front page of the Ozark County Times this week! Woo-hoo! Check it out if you can.