Busy Beavers

I took this picture of the new Beaver's nest recently built and still under construction behind our site at Mosquito Lake. This is the same place the beavers built a nest or resting place last year. The second picture is one taken last year while the beaver was on the next.



This guy needs a new toothbrush!


Just like the beavers, Ken and I have been very busy this past week moving to our new campground, Leisure Lake, in Diamond, Ohio. We packed, carried, stowed and delivered items to our home, his sister's, and the new campground.

Ken, Jr. came through on Monday by driving his trailer for his race car to Mosquito, helping us load it (and boy did we appreciate that!) and then delivering it and helping unload it at Leisure Lake. We did the whole thing again for the second trip which got it all. He then took some stuff to be stored at Barb's house until we get our shed delivered.

Ken and I got two sections of the deck in place on Monday evening once we were approved to leave the trailer parked where it was. There are rules and regulations here to be followed and two trustees must approve that you are parked within the guidelelines. We put the steps in place and took a breather on the lawn with a couple of cold ones.



Before the deck or steps were up

 We were exhausted and went to bed early. We didn't think we would be staying in the camper on Monday but because of Kenny's help we got so much more done than we expected and we went to bed here by 9:30.

Ken finished the deck this morning and it looks good. It is not as high as it was at Mosquito. We got the lamp post put up and the flowers are in place. We have running water and electricty and hope to have the grey tank installed soon.

I swam in the pool here this afternoon and had it entirely to myself. I plan to use it as often as possible until it closes in the next couple of weeks. They keep it open until they run out of chemicals and that is projected to happen in a couple of weeks. I hope the A-team gets to use it before they close it. Those three boys are just too busy anymore!

Good Bye Mosquito Lake. Hello Leisure Lake!

Moving On

We are officially new members of Leisure Lake Campgrounds. We have decided to move to a new campground and we are excited.  I will miss the beauty of this park for sure but we will definitely be back to visit, not only the campgrounds, but the marina, beach, and trails. We enjoy coming here in the winter and walking through the park. It is much quieter and the scenery is so much different.

We will miss our many friends here at Mosquito for sure.

A dear friend to me is Stella. She is married to Bob, a camp host, who we truly enjoy. They are a unique couple for sure. In many ways they are so different, yet they are so close. Stella is such an outgoing, friendly, open and giving person. She is ready for fun at all times and has no qualms about getting involved and enjoying herself. I love that aspect about her. I enjoyed watching her dance her heart out at the marina concerts this year. She is always going places and doing new things. I hope her spirit of adventure never dies. We walk in the evenings together and it is truly enjoyable. Clayton and Roxie, Stella's little white Westie, join us many times on these walks and they have become a duo. Clayton enjoys walking with Roxie and has learned to behave.

Stella's husband, Bob, "The Mayor", can be seen riding around in his beautifully altered blue golf cart. Don't even think of driving or getting too close to that pretty little baby. He will bark at you if you do. But don't worry, most times, Bob's bark is not has harsh as it sounds. Ken and Bob have become great friends and Ken gets a kick out of Bob. He says he truly understands where Bob is coming from. The four of us have a great time when we are together.

Diane, Froggy's mama, is the campground "Sweetheart." Everyone loves Diane. She is such a good and giving person. She gets involved in many activities that help other people, here in the campgrounds and outside. She is in the garden club, knits blankets for Relay for Life, plants flowers in her community, helps with the Friends group here, and many other volunteer activities. To not like Diane is impossible.

Frank is Diane's husband and Froggy's Papa. Frank works a lot and cant be here as much as he would like. Both he and Diane enjoy being on the lake and he loves working with motors. (At least I think he does because it seems he is always working on somone's vehicle.) We enjoy when Frank and Diane have time in the morning to stop for coffee and some conversation. For some reason we always end up laughing.

Carol, our campground manager, is another person that you can't help but like. She is ready to help her campers at all times. Everyone knows her name even if they don't know who she is. Whenever there is a question or a camper needs something, you will hear these phrases, "Call Carol." or "Go see Carol." or "Carol will know." Carol has been at Mosquito for many years now and has outlasted several other people who have worked here. She knows most people involved in the state parks and knows the rules and regulations as written. She runs a great camp store and keeps it stocked better than any I have visited in all my camping years. Carol is a person who is honest, has scruples and knows how to treat people.  Carol has the respect of many people and fully deserves it. She treats her camp hosts with respect and lets them know she appreciates their hard work.

Ray  also works in the check in station. He has been off this summer recuperating from surgery but is here at the campground with his wife, Liz, a camp host. Everyone knows Ray. Even the people who don't camp here but only come to walk or jog or ride bikes in the campground. Ray is the "Mosquito Man". He loves Mosquito Lake so much that he has a tattoo of a mosquito. Ken loves to go and sit and talk to Ray. If I couldn't find Ken, I knew he was talking to Ray somewhere.

Liz, Ray's wife is a delightful person. She has been a host for several years here and knows her stuff. She trains all the newbies on how to show the movies at the amphitheater and you better pay attention. Her final test is a killer! Both Ken and Bob trained last year and both earned their certificates. Good job guys, but you have to give Liz credit, she was a good teacher.  Liz creates things on her computer that are so cute like cards, certificates and flyers. It is always something special if you get a hand made card from Liz. Thanks Liz.

Patty and Butch are our camp hosts from the "no pet" section of the campground. They are full time RVers and right now are our idols. We pick their brains about full timing whenever we can get them to sit still long enough. Both of them have a great sense of humor so you know you will have fun whenever they are around.

Kim and Mike, newbie hosts from the other end of the campgrounds, have camped here as seasonals for a few years. We liked them right off when we met them while they were out walking Butler, their friendly Rotweiler. Kim is artistic and makes a lot of the signs for the Friends group and spends a lot of time helping the group.

Mary and Scott, another newbie host couple live up at the cul-de-sac. We don't see them often but Mary is the President of the Friends Group. Most times when I see Mary she has her cell phone up to her ear, even while driving and riding her bike. I would fall off the bike for sure. Mary had a plan at the beginning of summer to try to ride her bike everyday. It paid off for sure because she has lost a lot of weight and is looking good. Scott put in a lot of time helping Mary with the Friends group but works and isn't here much.

Vi and Gary, friends we made a few years ago, come here mostly for him to fish and her to camp. They are both such friendly and good people. Having them for neighbors is great and we love talking to them. I always wished they could be here more.

Joe and Kathy run the marina bait shop and sell food there. They organize the great free concerts we all enjoy throughout the summer as well as the Pirate Fest and the clam bake. Both of them seem to work 24/7 but always have time to be friendly. The park has truly benefitted from having them here.

Al is one of our camp rangers. He is always friendly to us and the campers. You know though that if there is a problem, you can count on Al. We love that he will enforce rules when needed. He even warned us last year or the year before when we parked our second car in a vacant spot that it was not allowed and would need to be moved. Rules  are rules and they need to be followed or the park will go downhill. Thanks Al for enforcing them. This park is too valuable to allow rule breakers to ruin it for the others.

Colleen, Rachel, Josh and Eric work in the camp office and all have learned their responsibilities quickly and do a great job. Carol sets a good example for them to follow and  trained them well.

I am looking forward to making new friends at Leisure Lake but definitely don't want to ever lose the great friends I have made here at Mosquito. All of you are welcome to call us, come visit us or invite us to join you at functions or dinners.

Froggy

As usual on Sunday afternoon, Froggy was out and about helping his "Mama Diane" clean sites. Froggy, a golf cart with a dusty green coating, whizzed along amongst the campsites, making it quicker for Mama to get her chores done. Later in the day, Froggy's Mama and Papa stopped to talk to Ken and I. During the discussion, Papa Frank, mentioned that he has a golf cart on order with parts to make it match his Red Corvette.

Poor Froggy- old, used, and not so pretty anymore. Imagine what went through his head. "Am I being replaced with a new shinier version?" "Don't they love me anymore?" "Aren't I good enough?" My heart went out to Froggy right there on the spot.

I think what Froggy heard broke his heart- literally. It wasn't much laterthat same day that we saw Papa Frank bending over and checking Froggy out in the street in front of their campsite. We stopped to see if everything was all right. Mama Diane said Froggy wouldn't start, just quit working. I got an email the next day informing me that Froggy died.

Our hearts poured out with sympathy for Diane and Frank. How would they get along without their dear Froggy who was so faithful to them? He went many places with Diane and they had many hoppy memories. He has been to a luaua, pancake breakfasts, the check in station, craft shows, the doggie park, visiting other campers, and the movies. He even had a special spot for the Halloween Bash scavenger hunt. The children would have to find Froggy and hear his beautiful horn blow to get their card stamped by Mama Diane.

But don't fret yet! Froggy may get a heart replacement. Champion Golf Cart may have a heart sitting on the shelf. Papa Frank is going to try to do an outpatient heart replacement surgery on Froggy. I hope Dr. Frank's medical skills are up to par. Froggy should only have the BEST.

Let's all hope that Froggy survives the surgery, heals quickly and is out and about with Mama Diane again soon. We miss you Froggy.

Three Ring Circus

Tonight is a great night. The weather is great, a little cool. The skies are clear and full of stars which shine like bright lights. So, I'll pretend they are the lights for the circus show we witnessed tonight.

The first act consisted of the Baby Teasing Toads appearing and disappearing, materializing from nowhere. You look down and all of a sudden they are there, sometimes several of them. Look away and they disappear. This little toad is doing his rendition of flossing. {What is that thing hanging below his mouth?}

Sit back in your seats and you will see the next act, the campground Wild Cat. Wearing his black and white tuxedo coat he sits in the shadows anticipating his moves. The "Teasing Toad" sits directly in front of him, still on the stage.  Wild Cat is ready to perform. He pounces, trounces and captures the Toad. Gone...gone...gone....Wild Cat just ate the Toad!! He slouches back into the shadows, a curtain of leaves and branches closing his act.

After an intermission, the outside natural light has now dimmed. All is quiet and the crowd sits ready. It is time for the Flying Trapeze Squirrels. They are first spotted, both landing gracefully on the side of the large tree. Around and around the tree they chase each other. All becomes still and the crowd awaits. Before their very eyes, one of the Trapeze Squirrels glides through the air and lands safely on a small branch. Shortly thereafter, the second Trapeze Squirrel glides through the air and lands nearby. Soon they perform in tandem, one then the other, gliding through the bushes and trees in front of the crowd. Before it is all over, one of them lands safely on the bird feeder and closes his act with a mouthful of seed, hanging upside down by his tail, his black beady eyes bulging from his face.

Brag Book Moments

Sometimes we just have to brag....This is one of those times for me. Earlier this year I wrote a blog about my son, Kenny's goal of having a race car. I wrote about how hard he worked to achieve that goal and how proud I am that he achieved it.

But Kenny went on to make me and his whole family even prouder of him with his racing ability. Saturday night he won his fifth feature event of 2011.

I'm sure he can't hear us nor see us as he races past the stands filled with fans. We filled a good portion of one row this weekend. Karin, Bill, Aaron, Andrew, Austin, Aunt Barb, Ken and I were there. Marissa and Angela's father helped in the pits because Kerry couldn't be there or they would have been in the stands, sitting on the edge of their seats like we were. Karin and Barb couldn't stay in their seats and I had to tell Barb to sit down so I could see the race. I understand their enthusiasm. As a mom, I sit nervously praying for Kenny's safety and a win along with lots of cheering. (It's probably better that Kenny can't hear me.)

This week Kenny won his heat, started in 7th place in the feature and came out on top, winning the race. By doing this, he also moved himself into first place in the points. This is a  very close race for the first place in points. He had been in third place for some time, but only two points behind the second place position when he started this race. He is now only two points ahead of the second place points person. I don't understand how all the points are earned, all I know is that my son is now in first place.

Whether he is able to stay there for the remainder of the season is yet to be seen. I am bursting with pride for him and even if he doesn't end up as the first place points person Kenny can be proud of himself. I have watched him evolve from a first time newbie behind the wheel a few years ago to a confident competitor. He keeps his cool, has patience, and works for his wins. When things go wrong, I would expect someone who has put so much work into winning to get upset, yet he doesn't. He knows things happen and he moves on. He works on the car to make it better and gives it his best the next week.

What happened last week when I wasn't there proves this. He was close to taking first place in the heat but spun out and ended up last. He started the feature in 12th of 13th cars. He worked his way up to the winner's circle, something that is hard to do. I wish I would have been there to hear the announcer for this race. I am sure he was as excited as I would have been had I been there.

I have not seen Kenny smile so much as I did on Saturday night after winning that race. He doesn't like his picture taken but he didn't seem to mind this weekend. He made me feel like a million bucks when he asked me to pose with him in the winner's circle. (The picture from my camera was blurry-darn it!)

Keep up the good work Kenny. Your whole family is proud of you, win or lose. You are a champion to us and always will be!