Friday, August 8th - part 2 of James' visit

Conditions at 5:30 am: 16' and overcast
Expected later: 21' that will feel more like 26' with an 80% chance of showers - but that's okay, we really need the rain.

Our home away from home

After eating our supper on Saturday evening - a quick meal of steamed mussels dipped in butter - it was off to the beach. We decided to go to Lakeside because it's close by and we weren't really sure if it might rain. By the time we got there, all the daytime beach people had pretty much left so we had the place almost to ourselves. We chose a spot close to the stairs to make carrying everything a little easier. We hauled everything to the shore and pitched our tent. The sleeping bags were put inside and we were ready. James had split a couple of logs into smaller pieces with the log splitter before we left home, and he used those and some newspapers to get our bonfire going.

Once the tent was up, and the fire burning away, James decided he's like to go for a swim. And why not? It was an absolutely gorgeous evening. When he was in the water, another family came along with a young boy who turned out to be a year younger and a head taller than James. He had one of those games that has the scoops and the ball that you play catch with. They had a great time tossing the ball back and forth in the water. When they'd had enough water fun, they dried off and devoured roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Indeed a great time was had by all.

Once those folks had left the beach, and it was getting dark, little pockets of people started appearing on the beach and it became dotted with bonfires. At one point, some young people were setting off fireworks on the waters edge. We thought it was great but poor Cooper was terrified, as he sat trembling on my lap.
Eventually it was time for bed. I went a bit earlier than James and we chatted through the tent until he came inside for the night, after smothering  the fire with sand.

I woke up around 3:30 to the sound of rain on the tent roof. It lasted only a few minutes before it stopped. I was relieved, until it started again, but much heavier. As I lay there listening to the rain pounding against the tent wall, I was contemplating the job of packing up all the wet gear. Fortunately it didn't rain too long before the wind picked up and the rain stopped, so by  morning pretty much everything was dry again. I slept till almost 8:00 and James until nearly 9:30. He went for a swim when he got up. By that time the sun was starting to get nice and warm and the day sun worshipers were starting to arrive. Time to clear out. So we packed up all our stuff and headed for home. We were driving back to Dromore in the car, discussing what we would like to do with the rest of our day, when the news of a Highland Games taking place in Eldon. All I heard was "GRANDMA, WE SHOULD GO!!!  So that's what we did. We unpacked the car, cleaned up and changed out of our sandy clothes, and headed out again. I think Cooper was quite happy to just stay home by himself in the peace and quiet.

The back stretch at Pinette Raceway

We headed to Eldon, after stopping on the way for ice cream, and found the Highland Games. We were there for a little while when James saw on the program that there was kilt racing at Pinette Raceway. It was a separate event but tied into the Highland Games. James loves to go to the races so off we headed. But not before visiting a booth with information on Scottish ancestry. He regaled the lady there with his family history and exactly what part of Scotland his great great grandfather had come from. As he talked the lady looked at me in amazement then commented that she was ever so surprised to find a young person like him so interested and knowledgeable about their family history. She was suitably impressed. 

Harvesting carrots

I'd never been to Pinette Raceway and it was quite the spot. James absolutely loved it. It's a very tiny track, with no purses and no betting. So we set up our own wagering system. Who ever called the most winners had to pay the other $2.00.  Fortunately for both of us, we picked an equal number of winners so we were even. Some races had as few as 3 horses but most had 4 or 5. I think it's safe to say we had a great time. By the time the races were over, the Highland Games were also wrapping up, so we just went home. We'd picked up some steaks at the store on Saturday afternoon on our way through town, so we BBQ'd those and enjoyed them with potatoes and carrots that James dug out of the garden. Doesn't get any fresher than that. We had a pretty quiet evening as we had to get up really early (3:30) to get James to the airport in time to catch his 5:30 flight. He watched a few episodes of his favorite mystery show on Netlix and then it was off to bed.

Now those are some fresh potatoes

We weren't sure he was going to get on the first flight but he texted me that they had given him a ticket but..... they were making him fly first class. Poor baby!

All in all a really great weekend - thanks James and Nancy!