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!

Craving Fish

I want some fish to eat. If anyone out there has a plethora of fish and doesn't know what to do with them... Feel free to drop them by the dock or my home. Thank you. (PS I wouldn't have to go out begging for fish if my hubby would go out and catch some!)

Hootin & Hollarin Roundup

The Missouri Bull Shoals Lake Assocation (of which we are a member) has a booth every year at H&H. It's a food booth with "the best cheeseburgers" and "biggest frito pies" ever. Seriously. I heard that so many times while working there Friday and Saturday. Matt and I both worked during the day on those days. I had a blast! It was fun to see everyone. And what a great place to watch the parade go by. The weather was a bit of an issue. Friday night was rained out -- stormed out is more like it. (Oh, and no, we had no damage at the marina.) And Saturday morning, Karen Jeziorski (Wing & Fin Resort owner, also a member of the MBSLA) arrived to find our tarp had blown off the roof of the booth, and everything was soaked. It was a sorry sight. Matt and I showed up shortly after, and luckily Matt was able to put it back together. We got everything up and running, and by 11:15 or so we were selling cheeseburgers! We were soooo busy on Saturday! The weather cleared up, and it was a great day.

I don't have any pictures. I didn't even take my camera. But if someone will e-mail me some pics from H&H, I will post them on here.

Stay tuned for more details on the lake cleanup next Saturday, October 7. If you're planning to attend, please let me know. I'm trying to get a rough head count. Remember: We're handing out trash bags starting at noon on Saturday. Cleanup till 3 or so. We'll collect trash at the launch ramp starting at 3. Picnic in the park (full moon party) from 6 to 10. Live music. Food and drink. Please bring a dish.

Oh, and PS, if you aren't able to RSVP for some reason, don't worry about it! Please, still come on out and enjoy the festivities! I heard a few people did not come to the Blowout because they hadn't RSVP'd. Please, it's not that big of a deal. Just gives me an idea of how many to expect. Don't let that keep you from participating!

Foggy Morning

Man is it cold this morning. I'm rebelling against the arrival of fall. I really need a heavier jacket, and probably a hat! I'm definitely underdressed. I'm freezing! Josh, Bobby and Matt are working on some projects around the dock today. They're all dressed warmly, as they should be. Tim showed up in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. He's really rebelling. Anyway, the water temp is definitely much warmer than the air this morning. I took this picture at about 7 this morning, as I was coming in to work.

Marina Hours

Currently we are open 7am to 6pm Sunday through Thursday; 7am to 7pm Friday and Saturday.

We will likely be changing our hours on a weekly basis. By the first of October we will probably be open 8am to 5pm. Something like that... I'll keep you posted.

Fishing Report

The results from the ladies tournament: Angie did not place. But her heart was most definitely in it. Better luck next year. If she decides to fish it next year. Hopefully she can get some rest and just chill out this fall/winter! She's been going, going, going all summer long.

Go Ladies!

Did you know the first ever Women's Pro-Am Bassmasters Tour is happening this year? There are five tournaments, and the fifth is Thursday and Friday of this week right here on Bull Shoals Lake! The tournament takes off out of Theodosia Marina tomorrow morning -- nearly 100 boats are involved: that means there are nearly 100 professional anglers and 100 amateurs from all over the country here right now. Each day of the tournament a pro is paired with a different amateur, and the two fish together, although they weigh their fish separately. The weigh-in starts in the afternoon -- around 2 or 3 is what I heard. If you're not busy, you should make your way over to the Theodosia Marina grounds and check it out. Oh, and check out the big ESPN trailer that's parked over there. Pretty cool! Oh, and the top 6 anglers after the two-day tournament will fish Saturday and weigh their fish on Table Rock Lake, where the men's Bassmasters tournament is wrapping up. (You see, ESPN wants to cover both the men and the women at the same time, and naturally they make the women go where the men are.)

We wish all the ladies good luck! This is really cool history in the making!

(Oh, and a special shout out to Angie Dechau -- you guys remember Angie, she worked at the dock last year... she is fishing pro in the tourney. That's her above. Woo-hoo!)

meet our pets

We have animals at Pontiac Cove now... Some are more welcome than others. (That's our dog, Honey, on the right.

Back to Work

The holiday is over. The fun is over. Summer is OVER! I know that's what you're thinking. BUT... it isn't really over. The weather is absolutely beautiful. Yesterday Matt and I went on the lake when we got off work, and it was such a gorgeous day. I plan on enjoying it while it lasts.

Happy Friday!

The wonderful 3-day holiday weekend has begun! And September has arrived! There are several folks around already. I am surprised at how many, actually. I figured most people would be getting here this evening. But the weather is nice, if not a little too cloudy today. But that's okay. It's going to be great! I hope you plan to get out and enjoy it. It's kind of bittersweet, as this weekend does mark the "unofficial" last weekend of summer. But don't let that keep you from enjoying the lake after Monday... Bull Shoals is beautiful in September! Hey... I'm a pretty good saleswoman, eh?

Ooh, so pretty!

There was the most beautiful sunset this evening! I ran down and snapped some pics. Isn't that an incredible sky? Enjoy.

Oh, and by the way...

I guess you noticed I changed the look of the blog... I hope you like it! I got bored. That will happen periodically. Have a good evening!

Pleasing Temperatures

So I heard it's supposed to be in the low to mid-80s this week. How nice! And it's raining this morning, which means I can continue to neglect my flowers, and they will (hopefully) continue to flourish for a few more weeks. :) Labor Day weekend is upon us! Fall is coming soon (not a bad thing), and swimsuits and suntan lotion, rafts and wakeboards will be put up until next summer. I hope you enjoy this weekend!

A Rainy Day

We need it. But on a Saturday? Seriously.

A Beautiful Day

Sorry it's been so long since I've written an update. Things have been really quiet around here since school started. I was actually gone last weekend to a wedding in Hermann, MO. But I think there were quite a few people around. This weekend I anticipate will be a little slower. With Labor Day coming up NEXT WEEKEND! Can you believe it? But nevertheless, the weather is gorgeous. It's not too hot. And there has been a nice breeze. I can tell summer is winding down. I hate to think that it's going to be over soon. But in an effort to keep out-of-town folks interested in coming down during the fall and winter months... We are hosting the first-ever Pontiac Lake Cleanup and Full Moon Party on October 7. I know I've already told you about this... But I just want to keep putting a bug in your ear so you don't forget! AND... The first-ever Pontiac chili cook-off is scheduled for November 4. I'd like to have a bonfire to go along with this... Details are still in the works. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :) Good day!