To the Lake!

In the beginning of July, we stayed for a week at Deep Creek Lake with Nana and Daideo (who could only be there for part of the time) and the wonderful Trabandts.

Vacation prep: We bake our muffins...

Pick up a 23 lb jackfruit

Make sure we leave the fish with clean teeth 

And catch up with an old friend visiting our church before we skip town.

Here's us, ready for a quick pit stop after church and car load-up.

Annnnnddddd.....We're off! Locked and loaded and well-capped. 

Operation Monster Fruit. Tom is committed. 

  It was a rainy 4th of July. So here we were making friends at the nature discovery center.

Happy Fourth, ya'll. This was the best cousin shot we got at this sitting.

Later on, a rainy, juicy, patriotic watermelon party on the deck!

 These girls couldn't get enough.

More crazy cousin time

 An iconic moment: Peter introduces Nana to Frank the Harvester

Add one happy baby, and it also makes for a photo op!

Here's another favorite group shot:

Anna loves Uncle Scott

 That was 4th of July #2, in which we had myriad pinwheel parades. 

And lakeside ice-cream. 

And hello lake!

The sheer joys of a bug mud puddle

Examining the moss.

Taking us out on the lake

 If there was one single activity of this vacation that stole Peter's heart, it was this.

This boy loved the boat, the front of it, going fast.  

  The Martins at sea

We docked for lunch and playground. 

Ahoy, matey!

 

This one. I love it. 

Back on the boat and headed home.

But one didn't quite make it...

 Date out with my favorite

 Our after-dinner stroll took us here. Not too shabby.

We checked back in at the discovery center to visit an old friend. 

Last day on the lake. Perfect. 

The clouds. 

Oh, the sweetest shadows.

Here's us, last minutes at the lake. 

Then we headed back home. 

But vacation isn't quite over. Time to end it right. 

3 words for you: All. Star. Special.     The tradition continues.