A Friend Indeed

080609: The following photos are courteous of Mike Linch, photographer extraordinaire! Thanks Mike for allowing me to post your beautiful photos!

In the hills West of Topaz Lake there are trails all over for riding and hiking. Several trails will take adventurers to a peak overlooking Topaz Lake. Quite a view, don't you think?

I don't think this was a pose, but doesn't this look like an ad for riding gear?

L-R: Eric, Jesse, Jason, & Brandi.

It was a beautiful morning for Hot Air Balloon rides. There was a significant purpose behind the rides on this day, but I'll write about that & post more photos later.

The balloon rides were all about the kids. The first riders up were the Idol, Porter and Bashara children. You can see that the balloon was being towed out from where it launched on our beach to over the open water.Okay - this is why it is called an "Air Chair."
The talented Eric demonstrating his capabilities. But I think Mike called Eric a "show-off." ;-].

More "catch-up photos" coming in the next few days....

The Best Ride

080509: WoW! It's been a long time since I've written and posted photos. It feels like a whole month since I've been in contact my little ol' blog... wait a second.... Whoops, time flies when you are having fun - it has been a month! I anticipated the physical/time challenge when the summer crowd arrived. I truly didn't anticipate the mental mush that my brain would turn into as we became so busy. Every creative brain cell I have transferred to another department sometime in July to keep up with our schedule. I would literally sit in front of my computer trying to write something and my creative brain cells had abandoned me! Ah well - mea culpa and my apologies. Especially to all the people who have been so overwhelmingly kind in your comments and support of our website and my blog. (Oh - and thank you, thank you, thank you!)

Okay -so what can I say at this point to play catch-up, but not bore you to death with the tedious details of our summer lives? Let me summarize:

B.U.S.Y! = June; July and now August. For us, June is like the climb on a roller coaster, peaking at the top and the initial drop where your stomach ends up in your throat. July is the screaming drop at 3.5 G's at the bottom with a few 360 loop-to-loops in the middle. And August is a few last twist and turns, jerking you to and fro with a quick stop at the end. The roller coaster rests for only a little while before taking off again for a quick ride through Labor Day Weekend. Of course, this is just us. We are the owners, therefore we are busy on our roller coaster. You, the vacationers, are having a great time on vacation!

Sometime in September our stomachs will drop back into place.

Here's a few photos from the last month: EnJoY!

Another spectacular June sunrise

If I see water like this in the morning I wonder why no one is out enjoying the glass?

I turned around to see the same sunrise lighting up the Park.

Wake up everyone!

No phones, no computers....this is the Topaz version of "Facebook."

The bright orange sunrise and pelican slowly cutting the water - I couldn't help myself. Have you all grown tired of my bird & sunrise photos?

The July 4th Vacationers! You gotta love their enthusiasm! Many thanks to the Oades family for displaying their love of Topaz Lake on the trip up/down Highway 395~!

I'm going to stop and take a break from this post and continue it tomorrow. I'm challenging myself to find and group the photos by events this last month. Until then....

In Any Tense

070209:

A very special lady she was.

A most dear friend we had.

She will be missed sorely by us.

She will be missed by so so many.

Through my tears I shall not think of her as passed,

but shall remember the past times with her.

I will remember her laugh, her love,

her gentle spirit and the spark in her eyes.

May God bless you, Ida. I will always love you.

The Lake is Near; is High.

062709: We have been lucky this year. The lake has continued to remain high into our summer season. How long it will do so remains to be seen.

In the meanwhile we will continue to enjoy it. And on the edge of a very hot week, the customers will enjoy having the water so close that you can feel the cool breeze across the water.

The Smiling Trooper

062509: I threatened to take a photo of Chris even though he didn't want me to. Obviously I took it anyways. And by the smile on his face he didn't seem to mind.

We had just spent the last 1/2 hour on the docks working to tie down the boats tighter as Mother Nature had decided we had not been challenged enough lately. Today she threw a heavy Southeast wind through Antelope Valley causing rollers (not wakes, but big rollers!) at least 7 feet high to pound our docks. Okay, alright already - they weren't 7 feet high and I couldn't begin to guess how high the rollers were from peak to valley. But using the "Holy" exclamation scale, today's rollers reached the "Holy C%@p" exclamation level!

Chris & his brother-in-law, James, were gearing up to take James' boat out to moor it on a buoy. The rollers were giving James' boat an e-ticket ride while tied down to the dock. Not wanting to swim back from the mooring, James & my hubby came up with the idea that James & Chris would take with them a large float that they would board and attached to it a long rope by which my hubby, who remained on the dock, would reel them back to safety. That's the point at which I had to go get my camera! However, Mother Nature got bored and changed the wind direction and the men's stupendous plan never would be seen! Darn~! That would have been a much more interesting photo!

Though I am happy to show the smiling face of Chris, who come rain or shine (or wind) is always game to lend a helping hand.

1 Year Ago Today

062409: Today we celebrated the annual "June BBQ." This is a Park function that exists solely because of the efforts of our great customers. The day's events include a horseshoe & cribbage tournament and ends with a feast of pork loins and potluck. It is a good day, a fun day and a tradition.

The June BBQ is held sometime in the 3rd week of June every year and this year we chose today as our day of celebration. It was a special day for it's tradition, but even more so we chose to celebrate the life of our friend, Murph. A man well-loved, well-respected and even more so, well-missed. A year ago today we mourned his passing during what would have been his annual two week vacation at Topaz Lake. Today we held our glasses high (a beer for you, Murph!) to celebrate his life and his family who returned to be with us again this year. (Any many years to come...)

The touching words in the remembrance of Murph left many with tears in their eyes. And during it all, quietly and lightly, the rain began to fall. When the words had been said and the resounding clapping of his friends concluded, the rain stopped as suddenly as it came.

We miss you, too, Murph. We miss you, too.

Summer Season Has Arrived

062009: The Daily Topaz went on hiatus this last week while we were preparing for our summer crowd arrival. School is out and the families are heading out for vacations and we are the lucky recipients of many of those vacationers!

So to play a little catch-up here are a few photos from this last week:

Rain! Lots of rain this month. Rain clouds filled the sky everyday.

The sunrise.

The sunrise in his face!

After the arrivals...total number of watercraft 37!

No red boats allowed on this dock.

Full.

And now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed.

It's Partly Sunny!

061209: The June Gloom continues...

Threat of weather all around us accompanied by distant rumbling thunder.

Wondering if this weather will ever turn the corner towards our average sunny days?

Last year the lake was low, and fishing poor and the days were sunny. This year the lake is high, fishing good and days are partly cloudy.

We can't win them all!

A Break in the Weather

061109: It was mostly sunny today. Such a nice change in the weather compared to the "June Gloom" we have experienced so far. Though no one seems to be complaining too much as the morning, a.k.a. "fishing time," has been calm enough for the fishermen to go to "work."

Besides the sunny day, we enjoyed the visit from some friends who stopped by on their way home. They left our Park on May 1st for another destination and dropping in today they were surprised to see the lake level had risen so high in a mere 6 weeks. We so enjoyed seeing you Phil & Nancy.

An Honest View

061009: Everybody seems to be commenting on the numerous pelicans these days. And you might be getting tired of pelican photos, but soon this majestic birds will be gone, and I will miss their presence.

Besides I have a funny pelican story to tell you...

A new customer arrived at the Park in the last day, having never been here before. He walked from his RV towards the lake and when he realized that the water was so close, he exclaimed: "WOW!" I was standing near and pointed for him to look to his left, towards the crowd of pelicans and we heard and even more enthusiastic "WOOOOOW!"

Yes, I agree. The lake, the pelicans, the everything - they all bring out the "WOW" factor.

To Be

060909: We are going to have a busy summer.

We are in high gear now preparing for the summer crowd.

We are cleaning up the Park.
We are getting so many phones calls.
We are getting just as many emails.
We are getting many drop ins looking for a place to vacation this summer.
We are looking forward to seeing you all.
We are looking forward to our annual Stevens Family Reunion at Topaz Lake.

(We are tired already, but we are thankful!)

Topaz Lake, near Seattle, WA

060809: Rain again! (No complaints though, as it is all helping raise the lake level.) The day started sunny but quickly turned to clouds, thunder in the distance and steady rain. It was a day to spend inside.

At the end of the day I wandered downstairs to the garage and found hubby working on a gunsmith job (more on his talent another day...)

I kissed him and whispered the sweet nothing every husband loves to hear:

"Honey, Love of my life, I think the docks need to be raised...."

Leveling the Swallows

060709: Since the barn swallows returned in mid April they have been busy building their little mud nests. Every night the pairs ~ there are about 10 now ~ hunker down for the night and the world becomes silent.

One girl and one boy have decided that the wind chime on our back porch is the perfect nighttime perch. These chimes are right outside our backdoor and every evening when I let the dogs out into the backyard those little birds remain like statues. The wind can be blowing and those chimes are swinging, but the swallows remain planted firmly.

Several weeks ago I got a step ladder out and straightened the chimes as the round wood on top was quite slanted. Ha! I just realized that just like the customers in their RVs, I leveled the swallows, too.

Another 1st

060609: Our LakeCam is being viewed around the world. As I've mentioned in a previous post, I have a way of monitoring that people are viewing the website/LakeCam and their general proximity. It's quite fascinating to watch that people as far away as on the other side of the world think we are fascinating enough to watch....

I received this photo from the Fullers who spend a few days with us last week. Despite the days of rain and wind, they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. At one point they (& their dog, Buster Brown) posed in front of the LakeCam to wave hello to their friend who captured this photo on his computer. And, by the way, not a bad photo captured by the LakeCam!

I'm sure this will be one of many scenes I will see this year of waving or sign-holding people in front of our LakeCam. (Yes, that has already happened, too!)

1st Postcard

060509: Wow - I'm up and at 'em early today. As I sit here answering emails, with an IV of coffee to wake me up, I'm already thinking about today's Daily Topaz. So I decided, why not post it now?

I mentioned in a previous Daily Topaz having one postcard from the Tommy & DeLila Thompson era. I have scanned it for all to see. It's condition is rather poor (it makes a photographer's heart ache), but I love it still the same. I'm really guessing here to say that this photo was taken in the early to mid 1970's. I base my guess on the size of the trees and the lone dock.

Last weekend I was checking out a longtime customer, Fritz. I teased him as he made his check out to "Topaz Trailer Park." Many longtime customer's still refer to us as "Topaz Trailer Park." Fritz' "excuse" was his wife usually checks out with me, but because of my teasing he asked, "When did you change the name of the Park?"

Uhhh, 1984, Fritz.

Path to Nowhere

060409: I might have explained this in an earlier post, so forgive me if I'm repetitive. The "weeds" on the very South end of our beach, referred to by me as the "hayfield," start growing before the water level rises from the snow melt. As the water rises, it kills the weeds and when the water level begins to drops what is left is a nice clean beach. Any weeds left behind clearly indicate the high water mark for that year.

In 2008, the water level did not rise very high so consequently we had an abundant hayfield last year. A natural, clean path from the South end of the Park to the water's edge is created by the customers walking through the growing hayfield. We would get a chuckle out of watching someone disappear into the hayfield, maybe see their head bobbing occasionally and reappear down near the water.

This year the water is much higher and as it rises it has nearly covered the hayfield. The water will melt away last year's hayfield. However, as the photo shows, there is still a path - directly into the water! My intent was to photograph the trail, but the pelicans swam into the frame. In their rush to get further away from me they swam right up the path.

Chicken For Dinner

060309: Sorry. Sorry for yet another pelican photo. I couldn't help it! The pelican population has suddenly exploded overnight after a recent drop off. I suspect we are seeing returning parents with their young. It's hard to tell the difference between an adult and juvenile pelican as they are the same size.

Today as I sat and photographed the pelicans swarming the fishermen at the fish cleaning station I marveled at their focus & the bravery in their proximity. These birds wanted fish! (And look at that symmetry!) Donna, wife of Denny (cleaning fish), exclaimed the same and stated that she stood guard over their stringer in the pond above fish cleaning station for fear that the pelicans would take their stringer. I didn't doubt her...

Later today, Mary came into my office to get some quarters to do some late unplanned laundry. She laughingly told me that the pesky pelicans had taken their stringer of 6 fish from the pond and had eaten all but one fish off the stringer. She found the stringer and the one lone fish in the water off the shoreline and went wading in after it. I'm sure it was quite a scene during & after the stringer burglary. If I was there, I would have had my camera. And made you suffer through more pelican photos.

The Last Bonfire

A while back I mentioned I'd tell a story about David's first and only burn lesson from my fireman father. The photo doesn't match the story but is evidence of weed burn gone slightly awry. The scorched tree stands nearly 20 years later.

060209: On February 14th, 2002, we weren't officially opened yet, but had two customers staying with us. The first was an longtime customer who arrived early for his seasonal fishing at the lake. And the second was a husband who surprised his wife for her birthday (I think), by blindfolding her, packing up and bringing her to the Park.

That night, after creating a massive pile on the beach of leaves, tree cuttings, etc., that stood over 6 ft high and a diameter of about 20 ft, my dad decided to show hubby how to burn this pile the "fireman" way. Now I could go into alot of details here, but let me just summarize this and explain that a fireman doesn't flick a bic, light the pile and watch it burn. NOooooo. That wouldn't be any fun and besides it would take too long!

If I remember right, I believe the use of an accelerant, a high powered blower, and two tractors (you need a back-up) were required equipment. At one point the flames, fanned by my now maniacal hubby were so high, so bright, it lit up the BACK of the Park. Oh...did I mention it was nighttime? Despite the scream of the high powered blower and the roar of the inferno fire, I swear I could hear hubby's inner Mr. Hyde coming out: "BwaHaHaHaHa! Burn, baby, burn!!!"

Those customers never came in early again. We had burnt faces the morning after. And we haven't burned debris since. The fires in the area in the summer of 2002 completely changed the burn policy making it much more restrictive- tiny piles, burn during the day only and you had to have a water hose on hand, etc.

That's not any fun! For pete's sake, what self-respecting fireman would use a hose!?

The Color of Sun

060109: CrAzY dAy! Need I say more? Pulling a photo from the archives.

Enjoy the color of the sun.

Wet, Really Wet

053109: I don't know what the heck is up with the weather lately!

Years ago it was not uncommon to have a summer thunderstorm nearly every afternoon. The last few days have been reminiscent of those days. And it's been muggy! I'm accustomed to being dried out and cracked most of the time. The change to moist air feels like someone threw a wet blanket on me and I can't get rid of it!

Today, the black clouds rolled in early promising to provide us more rain. They did, but not before it hailed! Yes, today it hailed ~ big, huge pea-sized hail. Okay, it wasn't huge hail, but it hailed a lot and it hurt!

I always manage to be outside during downpours and today was no exception. David was in town getting building supplies while I was running around dropping awnings that were pooling water on top. I was out at one point checking the docks (by then the hail and rain downpour had stopped.) It was raining only lightly and about 20 pelicans were swimming in unison around the docks. The scene was so breathtaking I wish I had my camera. Though I did take this one photo later (after I dried off!)

Lake View

053009: This photo is for my cousin Dave. Today he called to ask about the water level ~ Up? Down?

I'm standing in his site (#7), and this view is not wide angle, not telephoto, but just as you would see it if you stepped out of the door of your RV.

My vote is for "UP!"

Don't know how long "UP!" will last, but "UP!" is better than "Down!"

Exodus

052909: I wanted to post this photo on Tuesday, but I forgot. I'm forgetful!

The fishermen patiently waited for all of the boaters & campers to go home. On Tuesday, promptly at dawn, they were waiting for the sun to rise to head out for a leisurely morning of fishing and calm waters.

"I Said RIGHT!"

052809: So, today was like any other day. Phones, paperwork, departures, pathetically and clumsily attempting to catch a Western Grebe tangled in fishing line from our kayak, cleaning the restrooms and arrivals.

What? Don't you think that sounds like a normal Topaz day?

Yes, you read that right - we cleaned the restrooms because our favorite restroom user arrived today. We wanted to make sure they were sparkly clean for him.

What's that? You want to know about that Grebe? The one that we attempted to catch to free him of his entanglement? He refused to be caught despite our best efforts. And after 3 hours in a kayak - okay maybe 20 minutes - and getting soaking wet (I will choose the front of the kayak in the future) and repeatedly reminding my hubby that conversation carries far across calm waters - especially conversation including swear words - we decided to quit our rescue efforts.

It was a good decision as I didn't want to have to say in the future: "We got divorced because of a stupid Western Grebe."

At the end of the day, I had no new photos. I took this one Memorial Day Weekend.

Wild Waters

052709: Hardly a fisherman was on the lake due to all the weekend boaters. I say "boaters" in general because it covers the wakeboards, surfers, seadoos, occasional skiier, etc. Waterskiing is not as big as it used to be "back in the day." Owning a boat now is for wakeboards, boogie boards, and surfing (behind the boat~?!!), and those big blow up thingys that multiple people can ride on at once. Everything is higher, bigger and faster.

Hand me the red flag ~ I'll be the observer, thank you very much. Oh, I'll be the photographer, too, because now the wipe-outs are higher, bigger and faster, too.

Zero to 60

052609: Holy Cow. Though we know that Memorial Day Weekend is busy, it never fails to shock our senses. Our leisurely pace turns suddenly into a full sprint to keep up with the huge arrival of customers, new & old.

It was a good weekend. We have great customers that made it a good weekend.

~

Tomorrow we say goodbye to our friends, Frank & Ann Tolson and their little Yorky, Rusty. I took this photo of Rusty cruising around on the cat walk hubby built in his shop above his desk. The cats didn't quite know what to make of him and he didn't quite know what to make of the cat walk...

There Are Birds Everywhere!

052509: A month ago on April 22nd I posted a photo of a House Finch's nest with five eggs nestled inside. Sadly, all of the eggs disappeared soon after, more than likely due to other birds in the area.

Fortunately, Mama House Finch (& Papa, too) didn't give into the raiding of their nest and she laid 5 more eggs and sat firmly on her nest starting about two weeks ago. I did my hatching calculations and guessed the nest would start hatching this weekend. Obviously the above photo is the result of the beginning the hatch. Since then I have taken a photo of all five baby birds hatched and the parents deligently caring for their brood.

Steeling Some Shuteye

052409: While I was out and about in the Park today, someone was sleeping on the job!

Our little Aussie, Steel, likes to hop into my office chair and watch for my return. I often catch him sleeping like this and it's easy to do because (1) he likes to sleep & (2) he was born 100% deaf. We rescued him from a shelter and we couldn't be happier - and based on the way he wiggles his back end when he sees us, I think he feels the same way....

Lake Level

052309: I wanted to post this photo on Friday, the day of downpour, but the downpour photos won out.

On Friday we were out and about cleaning up this and that around the Park, getting ready for our incoming customers for the holiday weekend.

Already the thunderclouds had started to develop. I took my camera with me to take photos from a different view in the Park. I liked how this scene is framed and it shows how far the water was come up. As the lake rises, the water kills off the weeds, a.k.a. the "hayfield" on the shoreline. You can easily tell the high water mark from the previous year as the hayfield only grows above it. In this photo, the water level this year has passed the water from last year has it is well into the hayfield. Did you get that?

All it really means is that the water higher this year than last year, and there is still more to come.

Downpour

052209: The day started out warm, bright, hardly a cloud in the sky. It was warm and breezy all day long.

In the late afternoon the hot weather had created thunderstorms and we had a heavy (heavy!) but short lived rain shower (downpour - big, fat, and cold drops!)

Early evening, as the clouds dissipated, we ended our day wet, yet enjoying the sunset glow.

Memorial Day weekend falls on the cusp of bad to good weather, i.e., the unpredictable to predictable weather patterns. So we are never terribly surprised if it rains, or even snows. And we always hope for, and usually get, some kind of sun over the weekend.

The Legend of Walter

052109: The fishermen at Topaz Lake have specific names for different areas on the lake. Such as "Sheep's Pen," "Alcatraz," "Painted Rock," or "Corn Patch," to name a few. It is not uncommon to hear them talk of their approach to fishing: Example: "We trolled back and forth between Painted Rock and Corn Patch, using 3 colors at about 20 feet."

Well, of course you did.

And there are some fishermen who talk of "Walter," the elusive big fish that always manages to get away. Walter is a fishing legend amongst the fishermen who, real or not, represents the big fish that every fisherman wants to hook up. It is touching to hear an old fishermen (who for some reason or another knows he will not be back to fish at Topaz Lake) ask his fishing buddies to catch Walter for him, and when they do to think of him.

Today, Frank caught a Walter, Jr! The flood of 1997 really hurt the fishing at Topaz Lake for a number of years. Just before the flood in the early 90's it was not uncommon to see 4, 5, 6, 7 or larger pound fish. This Walter, Jr. was a mere 3# 12oz. But despite it's puny size, Frank didn't seem to mind at all and proudly showed off his catch.

Tied for Beauty

052009: The sunsets are playing an entirely different game than the sunrises.

The sunrises show off with all of their colors and brightness in the glory of the morning.

The sunsets compete with their shadows, darkening the water, & cool the early evening air.

They are both winners. No losers at Topaz.

Gone

051909: I was away all day today from the crack of morning to late afternoon.

While I was away, there were not one, but two sailboats enjoying the calm day on the lake. I caught a photo of both, but liked this single boat photo better.

I love the freedom of sailing and am fortunate to have been numerous times. Years ago, down in Cancun, I "learned" how to sail a small boat alone, and after a week of lessons during a vacation my teacher entered me in a rigada. I didn't think I was ready. He did. I lost. I was right. In fact I think came in last place. But that did not stop me from coming back the next day for my final lesson. I got stung by a small stingray during that lesson. Funny enough, that did stop me from sailing again. That little bugger hurt!

I would much rather swim in the waters of Topaz Lake these days or watch and photograph the sailboats that pass by our back door.

Et Al

051809: Topaz Lake is not a large lake - only about 2 x 3 miles. To me it looks small, but once you get out on the waters, you can head South and lose sight of the Park.

Today I was down on the docks today visiting with the fishermen. I saw the birds resting in the water and on the shoreline, the snow capped mountains, the cottonwoods in bloom, and if you enlarge the photo you can even see the cattle dotting the shoreline below the trees.

Very peaceful scene.

Dreaming

051709: The hottest day of the year...so far. Our temperature gauge registered 96.4 degrees. At one point today I looked out on the lake and saw so many ski boats, seadoos, skiiers, etc., I could hardly believe it despite the warm weather.

Next weekend is Memorial Day and is commonly considered the beginning of the summer season. The locals unwinterize their RV's & boats and set out for some relaxing days at our nearby lake.

Considering the current weather, I don't think there is a chance it will snow like Memorial Day weekend in 2008. But considering the recent weather, I couldn't help but think of cooler days. Hence the "cool" photo.

View from the Lake

051609: I can't help with the warming of recent weather (95+ degrees!) to think about summer time.

In the archives of photos I have chosen today's photo of a summer moment - one of the few - when I was out on the lake "playing" with my cousins.

I like this photo for so many reasons - the high water level, the reflection, the Park tucked under the green trees and for the hills seemingly rising out of the water. It's hard to believe that there is a major highway in all of that, too.