and she loved a little boy.
"Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest.
And the boy did. And the tree was happy."
The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein
My soundtrack: Fish & Whistle by John Prine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G487EDeXadA
Everyone has a place they go when they need a break from life. Some choose bars, others a gym or maybe the movies. I've even known people to retreat unto themselves. For our friends Kevin and Jackie, their retreat is the lake.
When the spring rains bid their farewell to the area, the temperatures rise and the land dries out, Texans crave water in any form they can get. Even though we like to boast about everything being bigger in Texas, there aren't that many large, natural lakes - most are man made. But we're very fortunate that these man made bodies of water are plentiful within our geography. Jackie and Kevin chose a lake east of I-35 where they can relax and fish and where their snowbird parents can fly south for the winter and wait out the harsh weather up north. Being the good friends they are, they let us tag along to the lake a few weekends every summer so we can enjoy the benefits of having a lake house without all the responsibility. That's how we roll.
We plan a trip to the lake with our "ya-ya" friends for the fourth of July weekend. Every female I know has a "ya-ya" group. You know who I'm talking about. These are the friends who see me at my worst but love me anyway. It's no big deal for them to see me with no makeup or come over when my house is a wreck. These friends are brutally honest and don't mince words in a way that only family gets away with. There are no filters, no sparing of feelings. It can be refreshing at times and other times sobering and painful. These are the only people who can tell me I have a big butt yet still remain my friends. (Yeah, I know, right?) They are sisters from other misters.
Sadly, our fourth of July ya-ya weekend is cancelled due to the death of Kevin's mom, affectionately known as Nana. She passed away on her 74th birthday. Nana and Kevin were very close, speaking or emailing each other every day. Any mother with sons would be jealous of this kind of bond. She was a dream mother - loved to hunt and fish and encouraged her children and grandchildren alike to live life to the fullest and the dirtiest. Her only concern was that everyone have a great time, especially on the 4th of July, her favorite holiday. It goes without saying that this was a hard loss for their family.
Kevin and Jackie feel badly about our canceled 4th of July plans and re-schedule our lake trip for another weekend. By the time our weekend rolls around, we are all in dire need of respite from life's daily grind and to escape the sadness lingering from Nana's passing.
And just like every Texas August, it is hot and muggy on our lake weekend but no worries. We have no intentions of getting out of the water.
We float all morning and emerge shriveled like prunes. We decide it's time for another type of hydration - of the alcohol persuasion. One of Jackie's traditions at the lake is to have a signature drink of the day. Yet another reason to love being here. Today's drink is the Cosmopolitan, always a refreshing choice.
6 T cranberry juice
3 T Vodka (or to taste, in my case)
2 T fresh squeezed lime juice
splash of Triple Sec
For an extra splash of color, our drinks are garnished with fresh strawberries.
And, of course, no trip to the lake is complete without fishing. The fish are biting but our fishermen will have to concoct some outlandish tales to make up for the size of their catches.
There is no doubt in our minds why Nana loved this place and loved wintering here. So to honor her, the ya-ya's give Kevin a gift in memory of his beloved mom - a weeping willow to keep watch over the lake. And as all smart women would do, we leave the men to take care of planting the tree while we continue to float and sip Cosmos.
How many men does it take to plant a tree? Three. One to do all the work and two to supervise while chugging beer.
For some reason, I think Nana is up in heaven laughing hysterically.
