Stationary Season is Here at the Lake Home

The lake home is open for the season and we’re ready to go … nowhere.

Now that Jamey is a teacher, we have to work around his schedule a little more. So the plan was to head down to our Okoboji lake home, and get everything opened up for the season on Friday, when there was no school. And since he’s landed the dream summer job of driving boats, he let the company know he would be available for training Saturday morning.

Captain hat purchased, items packed and loaded into the truck, the countdown began! But the weather had other plans. The forecast for Friday looked terrible – rain all day and high winds. And if that wasn’t discouraging enough, Jamey had a badminton game (he is the head coach) for Friday afternoon, meaning he wouldn’t leave school until around 7pm that evening.

So, as the strong, independent woman that I am, I went down Thursday instead and did everything myself. The good news; no signs of mice! After living with a mouse infestation in the old house last year, I had nightmares of opening up the camper to find mice everywhere.

Remote Work

I spent Friday working from the lake home while it poured all day and the winds shook the camper. Some poor bird kept flying into my windows and then over to the neighbors windows, on repeat all day. It was probably seeking shelter from the miserable winds.

Jamey made it to the lake home late Friday evening and did a little jig, he was so happy to be back in his happy place.

Thankfully Saturday was a decent enough day – no rain, low winds. I was able to take the dogs out for a nice, long walk while Jamey was training on driving the big boats for the summer. And then we crammed in all the things we missed over the last five months; West O Brewery, Okoboji Brewing Co, Portside Pizza.

Searching for a Second Home

Overall, we spent more time inside than out because it was so rainy and windy. I got cabin fever being stuck inside a smaller camper. We spent a little time looking at homes for sale around the area, dreaming of an actual second home – one that doesn’t wobble or have holding tanks for waste and could be used year round. There was a nice trailer in a mobile home park with a beautiful lake view for $390,000! A TRAILER.

The old Dry Dock restaurant was knocked down to make way for a luxury condo development, for rich seasonal people and investors who will probably make them rentals. Starting around $1.2 mill, you too can stay in this monstrosity that has blocked the lakeview from the poors.

Look, I love Okoboji, but how on God’s green earth are there this many rich people willing to plunk down millions of dollars to vacation in Iowa?

I guess we’re stuck with our affordable housing of a camper a quarter mile off the lake, and my dreams of a cabin on a lake are forever relegated to dreams. I will continue calling my camper the lake home. Delulu is the solulu.

Home Sweet Home

After a long weekend of walking the dogs in the rain, through large puddles and being knocked around by strong wind, I was glad to get home to the house. Living in the tiny space of our camper is easy when you’re busy exploring a new area. I wasn’t feeling it this weekend, all we did was things we’ve already done a bunch of times. I wanted to stretch out on a couch, wrap up in a blanket and watch TV. Those things are better done in a house instead of a small camper.

We’ll be back in a few weeks, hopefully the weather, and my outlook about being stationary, will change. Here’s to a warm, sunny summer with lots of outdoor activities to look forward to: boating, pickleball, hiking and biking.