Happy Halloween!

Well... 7:15 and we've had two sets of trick-or-treaters! And we have a HUGE bowl of candy. Come one, come all! I guess I'll bring the leftovers to the chili cook-off. Here is our little trick-or-treater. Doesn't it look like she's smiling in this picture above?? That's our dog, Honey. I think she probably hates this little tu-tu, but her Grandma Morgan gave it to her. So she HAS to wear it. Have a safe and fun evening!

Are you making chili?

Hey! First ever Pontiac Cove Marina chili cook-off is next Saturday! That's one week from tomorrow. It's at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4. If you're planning to partcipate, shoot me a line, so I can add you to the list. I just need to know how many tables and outlets we need. Also, if you're bringing chili, you need to arrive at 12:30 to get set up. The feasting actually starts at 1:00. Any questions? Let me know. Thanks!

DON'T feed the ducks

I know they're cute. Oh, so cute. But they only like you because you have FOOD! :) Please try to refrain from feeding our 3 little duckies here... They have started napping on the dock, and they leave nice little deposits EVERYWHERE! So I've been hosing that off each day. Yuck. Hey, I am guilty, too. I fed them a couple months ago when they first started coming around. I probably started it. It's probably my fault that they hang around all the time! But now I'd like them to fly south for the winter!

They Did It

So the Cardinals are in the World Series. I'm sure you ALL know that by now! Have a good weekend everyone. We'll be watching Mizzou vs. Kansas State in Columbia this weekend... And listening to Game 1 on the radio at the tailgate. :)

Things are quiet around the dock. But of course we are still open. Today and tomorrow we'll be open from 8am to 6pm. Starting Sunday, October 22, our hours will be 8am to 4pm daily. We'll just go week by week on those hours. And we'll keep cutting them back as necessary.

Good Morning!

It's a dreary day today. Yuck. Rainy and cold and gray. But I have work to do in the office, so I guess it doesn't really matter to me. You should expect to receive something from us in the mail in the next few days. We're sending out annual renewal statements and a looooooong letter. :) Get ready to read a lot!!!!!!!! But it's full of details on the chili cook-off! Which is coming up in just two weeks! I hope you're working on your chili recipes. There is no cost to enter, and it's all for fun. The more entries we have, the better. So whip up some of that warm goodness and bring it down on November 4. Woo-hoo!

Okay, back to work... Do you think the Cardinals can pull it off tonight? I hope so. If not, I think that vein in my husband's neck might actually explode.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Go Cardinals! We are just getting ready to watch the big Cardinals game in an hour or so... That's all I've got for you today. It's pretty quiet around here. It's a rainy, dreary day in Pontiac today. But yesterday was gorgeous. There were people in and out all day yesterday. I wish I could have been on the lake. Oh well. Watch the game. Go Cards! Oh, and hey, IF the Cards go to the WS, then I'll be looking for tickets... Hmm... Anyone have connections??? :)

The Infamous Dip

This was the most requested recipe after Saturday's picnic following the lake cleanup. Thank you to Kristy Laurie for bringing this dish! It was a hit!

Reuben Dip
One medium to large block of Swiss cheese, grated
16 oz sour cream
3 packages of Budding Corned Beef chopped, (I like to put it in the food processor and grate it up fine with the cheese)
2 packages of Cream Cheese, softened in the microwave
1 can of sauerkraut, drained (Bush's Sweet Bavarian is the best)

Mix all ingredients. Bake at 375 until bubbling in the middle and slightly browned on top. 30 to 45 minutes generally.

Best served with the little sliced loaves of Pepperidge Farm Rye bread (i think Pepperidge Farm, usually in the aisle with the sliced bread and buns). Crackers are great also!!

Happiness is a Clean Lake

The lake cleanup on Saturday was a huge success, I must say. And that's thanks to all of you who participated. I know many of you can probably think of something you'd rather do than pick up other people's trash on a Saturday. But you really had fun with it, from what I could tell.

We ended up with four truckloads of garbage -- the bulk of that was tires (most likely from our breakwater), styrofoam blocks and cable -- all remnants of the storm in February. And there were several bags of actual trash. Several folks told me they were pleasantly surprised to find that there really wasn't that much trash to be picked up. And that means people are picking up after themselves on a regular basis, which they should, and that makes me happy.

Some of the most unusual finds: water heater, bowling bag with shoes, neck brace, port-o-potty, underwear (ewww!) and part of a crockpot. The winners of the most unusual find were Stephanie Phelps and Sue Jones -- they found the bowling bag with shoes. The person who collected the most trash was Craig Mincke. Congrats! (PS I do have framed certificates for you... I'll get them to you soon!)

The party was a lot of fun, too. Thank you to everyone who brought food. We ate every bit of 12 dozen hot dogs and brats. And all the side dishes and desserts, too! The bonfire was a must. While I wore shorts and a t-shirt all afternoon, I had to change into pants and a fleece at dark. It got chilly! Our poor musician, Allen Ross, about froze to death. So we came up with a little propane heater to put on the stage with him.

All in all, it was a fun day. Thanks again to all who participated. Stay tuned for more details about the chili cook-off on November 4.

Oh, and if you want to view the rest of the pictures from the cleanup, click here: http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=52683631/a=
22438134_22438134/t_=22438134

If you've never used Snapfish, it will ask you to create an account -- very simple. Just type your first and last name, e-mail address and create a password. No big deal...

Ciao!

Slight Change of Plans...

The picnic following the Lake Cleanup has been moved to my house! Ha! The Corps shut off the water and electricity in the park... So that puts a kink in our plans. Okay, so I live on W just past the boat dock road. Like the second driveway on the left. You've seen the big brown metal building, right? And at the end of the driveway the sign says "Parrot Head Lane." Right there. The party will be in the grassy area there behind that big brown metal building. We have a bathroom there. We'll set up the music there. So please bring lawn chairs or blankets. And we're going to have a bonfire. Come up around 5:00. See you then!

Lake Cleanup & Full Moon Party

It's finally time! The first annual (hopefully annual) Pontiac Lake Cleanup & Full Moon Party is this Saturday. Please help us keep Pontiac Cove and the rest of Bull Shoals Lake clean. You can stop by the dock anytime Saturday and pick up trash bags. We'll have prizes for the most trash collected and the most unique find. We'll collect full trash bags at the launch ramp starting at about 3:00 in the afternoon. Then we'll have a picnic in the park at about 5:00. We're cooking brats and hot dogs. And we'll provide drinks. Plus, we have Allen Ross lined up from 6 to 10 p.m. in the park for our full moon party. Yes... It actually is the full moon Saturday! Woo-hoo! Please bring a dish for the picnic. And a lawn chair. It looks like we're going to have nice weather. So let's enjoy it while we can! See you there!