Snow Day

This was the scene at the dock late this afternoon. Currently it is still snowing in Pontiac. We may have close to 3 inches. At least 2 for sure. It's kind of pretty. But it can stop anytime now.

Sorry it's been a while...

Hey all. Sorry it has been a couple weeks since I've written an update. Nothing much happening around here. That is until today! It's snowing! It's really coming down now, and I'm going to take some pics and post them later. Stay tuned...

Bye Bye Lower Road

Bull Shoals is currently at 657.59 -- normal pool is 654. The forecast is that it will go up about another foot, and then start emptying on Sunday, January 21. Please do not try to drive through the water over the lower road, but rather drive down from the other side. Thank you.

CSI: Pontiac

Well folks, I sure hate to report this kind of news...

We had a break-in last night. Not the store. But a couple of boats. This morning when we arrived at the marina we found some fishing tackle and poles strewn down the dock, as if someone left in a big hurry and dropped stuff along the way. The trail led right to someone's boat. And we discovered a couple boats, actually, had been tampered with. We contacted the boat owners, and they came down this morning. We also contacted the sheriff's department -- and they dispatched a Missouri Water Patrol officer. A report has been made, and an investigation is under way.

The good news is that we caught the perpetrators on camera! Sure enough. And we thought we'd never need to use that security system. It's sad that these petty thieves are trying to ruin our lifestyle of boating and fishing by stealing from us -- several rods and reels and other fishing gear was stolen. The tape has been turned over for enhancing, so we can get a better look at their faces.

And believe me... We will find out who did this.

Oops! It happened again...

Well, once again we really got lucky and only saw a sprinkling of frozen precipitation from the big winter storm that swept across the Midwest this weekend. We did, however, get quite a lot of rain, and so the lake has come up a couple feet. It's almost even with the lower road, and we anticipate that it will be over the lower road, possibly by tomorrow morning. We have roped off the lower road, so please be mindful of this. I took these pictures this morning: the courtesy ramp was practically under water; the new nightly dock was temporarily inaccessible; and you now have to step up a little to get on the main walkway. No damage was done. This was really a minor thing, but I thought you might like to see how much the lake has come up. I hope you all have electricity (we do) and are warm and well, where ever you are.

Cheers!

Winter storm hits north & west of Pontiac

Another winter storm hit the Ozarks yesterday, this one bringing lots of ice, up to 2 inches in some places. Luckily Pontiac hasn't seen a frozen drop of precipitation yet. Just rain. I wanted to let you out-of-towners know in case you're hearing about this on your local news this morning. Yep, 2 inches of ice could cause some major problems at the boat dock, but again, we've only seen rain so far. And hopefully, that's all we'll see.

The Springfield area wasn't so lucky. Apparently 60 to 70 percent of Springfield is waking up without power this morning. Trees are down everywhere. And some small towns outside Springfield are completely out of power. It has been declared a disaster by local officials.

Anyway, I hope it's warm and sunny where ever you are! Have a good weekend!

Another Striper!

Bill Allen (Pontiac) brought this striper in yesterday, shortly after Doc brought his in... this one weighed 28 pounds, 4 ounces. Something in the water? Yes! Fish!

Fishing is GOOD

Norman (Doc) Klayman caught these two stripers on Bull Shoals Lake today. The one on the left (your left, not his) weighed in at 21 pounds. The one on the right weighed in at 32 pounds, 8 ounces. Wow!

Welcome Marshall Simpson

If you haven't already heard... Bobby and Nancy Simpson of Pontiac became new parents on December 20, 2006. Bobby has worked at the marina for many years. To see pictures of their new baby, click the link below:

http://www.baxterregional.org/body.cfm?id=307

Search December 20, 2006. And click on Marshall. He was actually born prematurely, and so he is a little guy. The last I heard he was actually still in the hospital, but doing well.

Congrats to Mom and Dad!

Cheers!

More pics of the New Year's Day swim!

Happy New Year!

This is the first post of 2007! Yippee! I hope you all had a safe New Year's Eve and are enjoying a day off... the last of this holiday season. Back to work tomorrow. Well hey, just think, we're that much closer to summer '07. Enjoy the cool winter temps now. It will be 90+ degrees before we know it. And we'll be sitting neck deep in the lake trying to keep cool...

Speaking of swimming...

Two Pontiac locals started the year off with a brisk swim this morning. Skip and Angie Dechau started a new tradition in Pontiac today... they jumped in the lake! The 50-degree, very cold lake, I should say. They used to live in Illinois, and every New Year's day they, along with many others, would jump in the Kaskaskia River.

So... you have one year to get the nerve... because on January 1, 2008, we're all doing it!