A few days after our Roseburg interlude, we drove south, loaded up on groceries at the nearest Trader Joe’s which was about a 45 minute drive from the cabin, and settled into our rental, near Lake of the Woods.

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For a few days, we picnicked and swam and lounged lakeside and the kids got to practice their lumberjack game skills.

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And then, at the lake’s dock, we discovered the patio boat, which is basically a living room on pontoons. Couch-like seats, an awning, ample room for supplies and naps, a diving platform for mid-lake swims.

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Not long after, we perfected the art of doing absolutely nothing on the water, which is one step better than doing absolutely nothing on the edge of the water.

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With a nod to the excellent list for vacation dining over at DALS, which pretty much sums up our vacation dinner philosophy as well, we offer a sublist of the things we carried on our long morning and lazy afternoon floats.

  1. Fishing poles + power bait
  2. Mimosas
  3. Inflatables
  4. Ice cold beer
  5. Ice cold ginger ale
  6. Ice cold water
  7. Cornbread, leftover from last night’s BBQ
  8. Chips + guacamole
  9. Tuna sandwiches, on thick slabs of bread from the incomparable Lighthouse Center Bakery
  10. Fresh blueberries, cold watermelon, or both
  11. Chocolate chip cookies
  12. Back issues of food magazines
  13. At least 3 volumes of Bone
  14. A volume of the Mysterious Benedict Society
  15. Sketch pad + watercolors