Cedar Lake

Wisconsin.

This post's subtitle is "Dave's Zak Tales", as eight friends gathered at Zak's Cedar Lake home for the annual reunion, retelling tales we first exchanged 30 years ago at the University of Wisconsin. We did get on the water, but on a pontoon boat. My first weekend not paddling since August 23- 25, 2007, which just so happened to be the last time the gang gathered at Cedar Lake. My campaign to get us paddling next year has begun.

Picture one is Cedar Lake from Zak's deck, number 2 is an unnamed lake, (as far as I know) a short, scenic walk from that deck.

Stroll in another direction, and you wind up at a lovely garden.

The heron is a sculpture. I did see live great blue and green herons, osprey, belted kingfishers, and seldom seen in Central Florida,

Canadian Geese.

I'm not sure what this is.

Dozens of these swallows ? swifts ? darted above the water, nabbing insects.

After three days of relaxation, and a fermented malt beverage or two, we reluctantly retreated from Cedar Lake, back to Milwaukee, Atlanta, Grafton, Washington DC, Fond du Lac, St Louis and Winter Park. I had ideas about renting a kayak from Laacke and Joys in Milwaukee and paddling on the Milwaukee River. That idea was damped by rain, lots of rain, flooding rain. The front page of the Monday, June 9, 2008 Milwaukee JournalSentinel has a photo of canoers on a flooded street. Paddling, not car topping.

I did spend time on the water- in my Mom's basement, emptying dozens of gallons of water from the basement- along with brother Pete, whose sailing race from South Shore to Wind Point was canceled.