Dad's Life 3D: Lake Placid. A boat, three parents and four kiddos.

When our dear friends from back home in Venice, the Flannerys, invited us to come stay with them in Lake Placid, I had no idea that I'd have my own room. With a king bed! And that the kids had their own beds, with their kids up stairs. Solid! OK, so this is where the record scratches... SCREECH#%+!!! Dramatic pause -------- But before I could even brush my teeth, both kids were in my bed. My gassy baby on the left and my foot in face baby on the right. Sigh.

This blog is called Dad's Life 3D (3 Donaldsons), so why would it be any other way... After a divorce I suppose we all just kinda' have to find our way. In this case, the kids had to find their way into my bed. The good thing is that they actually will sleep in now. I'm up first. JJ is up second (Sometimes he's up first, but will lay in bed until I'm up - I love this kid!). And the tween is up third. After all, her 17-year-old cousin slept in until 1pm the other day, so I suspect she's just practicing for full teenagedom.

The view from the balcony was stunning in the morning. Lush pine trees fill the mountains that lead all the way down to the waters edge. Lake homes and boat houses sporadically dot the shoreline. Some modest, and some are, well, family lake lodges.

Before Joe and I could say coffee, the kids were already on the water paddling out on kayaks. They were loving it, as were a couple of local dogs who would fetch tennis balls out in the water from anyone willing to toss them in. The one brown labrador could carry three tennis balls back to shore in his mouth at once!

Now, the thought of jumping in the lake gave me the shivers. Lake Placid, in some ways, reminds me of Loch Ness, in Scotland. Granted, I was Mazzy's age when I was last there. But the memory of this determined 11-year-old who wanted to swim in Lock Ness lives on in my mind. It was freezing! Both lakes have an ominous, mystical feel about them. Thus the Loch Ness Monster and gigantic crocodile movies...

To my surprise, this the lake was not cold at all. It was very pleasant, actually. I may even find myself in it at some point!

After a light lunch, we headed out on a speedboat for a little tubing. Joe was a little rusty at the captain's helm at first, but he soon had it down and the kids were flying! It was awesome and they were loving it!

On our way back, he found a little cove, and we all jumped in! The water was perfect! Fed by a glacier, the water was about as fresh as it gets, and as I mentioned earlier, was to my surprise at a perfect temperature. It felt so go, so alive to be in the water. This is the kind of cleansing we all need from time to time. Fresh water glacier lake, family and good friends. It's the perfect combination!

Back on the dock, the kids carried the wet towels up. Joe, Heather and I took care of the rest.

Stella, the youngest (7), had been talking about her favorite "restaurant" in town since we got there, The Tail of the Pup. So, we got to finally go to this quirky dive BBQ experience. I call it an experience, because you really can't just call it a restaurant. It's a roadside BBQ, with small cabins to stay overnight, outdoor pool/foosball tables, basketball court, kids playground and outdoor music stage. Words can't describe this quirky little taste of life, although I think I just did?! While you won't find a beat salad on the menu... the pulled pork plate was fantastic, and they did have a nice Pinot Noir! I could see myself owning a place like this in my retirement...

Across the street was Stella and Isla's second favorite ice-cream joint, so of course we had to indulge! After all of the action and food, I took a cat nap on the couch with my little man laying on my chest. Upon waking, I got Jaden to bed and my second wind carried me through our last blog!

Day 10 – August 14, 2017
Start: Lake Placid NY
Destination: Lake Placid NY
Mileage (Muscle Car): 0 - Wooohooo!
Mileage (Speed Boat): 10?