We're Back!!

We had a wonderful extended 4th of July weekend in New Hampshire. My kids (who are grown) have been going for years - friends of theirs have a family place on a lake. Their Grandfather bought it about 60 years ago, and it's been in the family. Two branches - 1 gets July, 1 gets August. Every 4th of July, all the kids go up. We've always been invited, and decided to go this year - a perfect respite when the temperature is over 100! It was quite wonderful. 28 overnight guests! Tent city! They have two houses plus two little cabins, plus a nice lawn for tents. Opportunity to compare their lake with Prospect Park Lake! Would make a nice Venn diagram.

1. Theirs is bigger, but not a whole lot. 1/2 mile by 1 mile, more or less.

2. Both have plants growing and taking over the lake. Their's are native, and slower growing than our invasive phragmites. We took a shift pulling them out of their lake - roots were quite firmly in place, but we had a grand time getting cool and covered with mud pulling them out.

3. Clean swimmable, cold water vs. warm, shallow, not-so-clean water in prospect Park Lake.

4. Both have ducks. Only PP has swans and geese and occasional seagulls.

5. Both have fish, but you can catch and eat the New Hampshire fish. Both have very loud bullfrogs. Don't know about New Hampshire turtles.

6. PP Lake has pedal boats. NH has canoes, kayaks, and a few motorboats and party boats. Also a raft with chairs that putt-putts around the lake. Looks weird - like chairs walking on water.

7. Prospect Park has fireworks on land, NH has them around the lake - different lake-house owners put on their own display for the rest of the lake. One guy had a huge display, trying to outdo everyone. Our group had a few largish rockets, but mostly small ones - sparklers and such. They are legal in "Live Free or Die" New Hampshire, though you have to pay and get a permit for a campfire on your property.

8. NH - hardly any trash. No point in mentioning the PP trash situation. It gets pretty bad in summer. However, there are now a few large dumpsters in the park (see photo). Definitely better than the too-few trash cans, p0lus they are probably safe from raccoons.

Today was FIDO's Coffee Bark - usually it's the 1st Saturday of the month, but they moved it one week after, cause of the 4th. Norana and Austin and their new adorable Australian Terrier Chewie joined us. A fine time was had by all. It really feels like a peaceable kingdom - dogs and owners sharing food and liquids, with no barking, fighting, or any of that.