R&R at PK

I've just spent the past week at Possum Kingdom Lake, or "PK" as the locals call it, near Graford, Texas, at a family reunion.
My cousin Judy and her husband Kenny Joe have a beautiful house at the lake. This is beautiful lake house 2.0, because in April 2011, the house burned during the wildfires in Texas.
Incredibly, they rebuilt in a year, and, even more incredibly, invited nearly the entire clan on my dad's side to be the first guests. I think we had close to 18 of us at one point.
This is the view from the deck of Judy and Kenny Joe's house, overlooking the lake.

The view of Possum Kingdom Lake from the back deck.

Vacation mornings start early at Possum Kingdom Lake, usually with a 3.5-mile walk around Lake Loop.
What's kind of bizarre is to see the burned trees, giving the area around the lake a very desolate look. You can see where the wildfire was by the lack of a treeline along some of the lake's ridge.

But some of the trees have some green growing up around them, so perhaps not all of the trees are gone.
After the morning walk, many of the crew headed down, or were already down, at the boat dock. Some early birds hit the lake early to take advantage of smooth water for water skiing. Others went out on the SeaDoos, or went out for the daily buoy swim. From the cove where the boat dock is, we swim out to the no wake buoy marker and back. The distance was debated, but the majority thought it was about a quarter mile round trip.

Cousin Judy heading out for swim

Cousin Jean heading out for the buoy swim.

Cousin Grayson diving in.

Cousin Jesse diving in

Cousin Jim taking it easy on the pontoon boat 

Pat and Aunt Rose also worked on luring some fish out of the lake.

Pat working on catching the big one.

Aunt Rose working on a lure

Pat got "the big one." ha!

I know we didn't eat any fish during the week, so I think both Pat and Aunt Rose were using the catch and release method of fishing. Pat really did work on getting a big catfish. I never did see the catfish, but my goodness there was some big carp in that lake!
And on more than one occasion I got the surprise of my life when I got nibbled on the knee and bottom by some frisky bream.
Fish weren't the only wildlife we encountered. In the evening, deer come up to the house for the corn Kenny Joe sets out. We saw several fawn at different times, and even a small buck.

My parents saw two fox run by the house one evening, and I heard the yip, yip of coyotes after one evening walk.
Besides the fauna, there's also interesting flora around the house. There are cacti with these beautiful red flowers all over the place. There was a really beautiful one down by the dock, but I couldn't get a very good picture of it unless I was on a boat, so the photo isn't so great.

The cacti by the house

Cacti near the house

Big cacti that can be seen from the water

Photo of the cacti taken from a boat, so kind of hard to see.

We also went out on the pontoon boat several times, including to an area where you can jump about three stories into the water. I did this three years ago, so decided against it this year. I really don't like that feeling of falling and falling.

Cousin Judy at the helm, taking us out to the cliffs.

Cousin Grayson getting ready to jump

Cousin Lindsay talking the leap, while others climb back up for another round.

Lining up to jump

Jump!

Grayson about half way down

Cousin Collin mid leap

Brave souls about to jump

Cousin Joe watches the action from a SeaDoo

We also went over to Hell's Gate, a beautiful rock formation at the lake.

Hell's Gate

 During the week, we celebrated my Uncle Joe's 75th birthday. It was nice that my dad and Aunt Rose, his brother and sister, were there to help celebrate.

Rose, Dad and Joe

Uncle Joe also did a really fun thing during the week. He brought a case of various wines, but he had each wrapped in a bag, so we couldn't tell what type or brand it was. We all did tastings of each wine and he had sheets for us to score the wines. At the end of the week, he unveiled the wines. What a fun surprise as we learned some were Costco brand wines, others an inexpensive wine from Harris Teeter grocery store. I think this is something I'd like to do with girlfriends over a weekend get together.
We all took turns fixing an evening meal, and that was great. As someone who lives by herself, it was heaven to have dinner fixed for me. My night was Thursday and Rose, Pat and I made almond-crusted chicken with rice and salad. It turned out really well.
We also had chicken with orzo one night, a Mexican night, beef stroganoff, shrimp boil, seafood pasta, and the final night was pizza and loads of left overs. They were all so good!
The week was filled with good food, good wine, and good friends and family. It was just what I needed and just what I got -- R&R at PK.





A slow 4 miles

Today was the DeKalb-Decatur YMCA 4 Miler. I ran this race, which is sponsored by the Atlanta Track Club, last year, but I'm quite sure I was slower this year.
For one, it was hot and humid. Welcome to summer in Atlanta.
For another, my IT band has been bothering me for weeks. When I ran the Peachtree Road Race 10K 10 days ago, I really noticed it then. By the time I finished the race, my right knee hurt. My right leg was no better today.
Time to get in for a Rolfing massage, which I did after the race. I'm hoping that will help a bit, as well as some yoga tomorrow.
Nevertheless, I ran the 4 mile race, albeit slowly, with my friend Rachel. We've run a few races together this year so far. It's so much fun having a running buddy.

Me and Rachel, post race and still smiling.

I haven't been running nearly as much in the evenings after work this summer, instead going for brisk walks. But my usual running route is still offering surprises.
There is a beautiful garden along my route, and the homeowners plant rows of sunflowers on a vacant lot next to their home. The sunflowers are in full bloom now.

A busy bee on the sunflower

You can barely make out the busy fellow in the center of the bottom sunflower. Some of the sunflowers are now bent over as squirrels try to climb up and make a tasty treat of the flowers and seeds.
My little piggy bank got a tasty treat today. I found a dime and two pennies, some on the race route and some on the way to a post-race breakfast with Rachel.
There's a saying that "Slow but steady wins the race." I can tell you that is not true, but slow and steady does finish the race.

Celebrating July 4th

Today is July 4th, Independence Day, in America.
And in Atlanta, that means Peachtree Road Race 10K.
Started in 1978, the race has become a tradition in this city. More parade than race, but you get to do it with 60,000 of your closest friends.
I got to do it this year, with a few of mine, as well.
Ran into Julie as we prepared to head to the race on MARTA, Atlanta's public transport system.

Me and Julie

I've heard that July 4 is the only day MARTA turns a profit. I believe it. By the time we were getting near Lenox Station, the start of the race, we were cheek to jowl with many fellow racers. As Julie pointed out, we scored big time by being near the bulkhead of the train, so we weren't too squished.
Standing near the start line was a HUGE American flag. Always makes me proud to see it waving in the breeze.

Gallantly streaming

Next thing you know, we're off!
I didn't take nearly as many photos of the race as I did last year. But I enjoyed it just the same. Here's a shot of me, somewhere along the 6.2 mile route.

Heading down Peachtree Road

And before I knew it, I had turned the corner on 10th Street and was headed toward the finish. I swear it feels like the longest distance to get to the finish once you make that turn.
But it is worth it. Here is what makes it worthwhile: The coveted Peachtree Road Race T-shirt!

Me and the T

It was at the finish that I finally ran into my friend Rachel. We were supposed to be in the same start wave, but MARTA and a pit stop before the race means we didn't find one another until the end.

Rachel and me at the finish

And as I sit on the couch, recovering from a hot, humid 10K, I smile. I'm already thinking about next year's race!
Happy Fourth of July, y'all!