April 14, 2008. Canyon Lake, Texas. Lake House Charm.

This time of the year in Texas is lovely. Not too hot or not too cold. Other than my sister, no one swims in the lake in April, but it still pleases the eye just looking at it. We like to sit on the deck and watch the occasional boat go by, We also like to walk the dam or walk around the neighborhood. Our activities are not fancy but do provide pleasure. No TV here either, but as is our custom, we have a DVD player. We have been watching a series of Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Also Set 3 of Foyle's War. Our system is to turn over the disc after we have watched , then the next time we are here we know where to begin in the series. Except some kind soul turned all the discs back to the correct side, so we have no clue where to begin today. We are now beginning at the end of each series and will work backwards until we come to one we have already watched. My niece Marion and husband Gary left a most beautiful crocinole board for the house. I am not nearly as good as I used to be when I was 15 years old. Something about my first finger twisted out of shape that hinders technique. Perhaps my brother will be bothered with the same affliction, so I can beat him, something that I have never been able to do.

Once again we drove from the ranch to the lake via back roads. Texas back roads are excellent. The maps are perfect, with every road on the atlas, so you can juggle from one small road to another, with never meeting a dead end. This time we drove through Luckenback, and then on highway 32 around the north of the lake. This lake is a Corps of Engineers lake, and as you can tell, there was a canyon. But not any more. The dam went in, the river was flooded, and now there are houses all around the shore. There are still trees poking out of the bottom of the lake, especially as you drive up the river in a boat. It is all very interesting. The level of the lake is maintained by the Corps, and you are not allowed to construct anything permanent close to the shore, so no docks or rafts. But it is a great lake. Whenever I read that the Corps should blow up every dam in the country, I always say"Please, not my lake".