Is That the Lake

Really? It THAT the lake? Yep -- and with no rain in sight it could get lower. We went out to "winterize" the boat (which involves putting Stabil in the gas, cleaning up, covering things with tarps, taking gear off, etc.) and couldn't believe what we saw when we got there. We'd been out a few weeks ago, and it was down further than I'd ever seen it then, but now... Actually, when we were taking things off the boat, rather than climb the hill (mountain?) we drove the jeep down to the water's edge. From there we could look way up to where the shoreline normally is. It was kind of a weird feeling. Man, if I had time, I'd take a walk around that lake and collect those fishing lures we've lost over the years ... :-D

And before anybody panics about some horrible environmental disaster, I have to let you know that this lake is the "headwater" lake for our TVA system, so when the lakes downstream drop, power demands increase, and water is needed there, this lake suffers the greatest drop to provide water lower down the chain. The upside to being on this lake is that, since it IS upstream, it's the cleanest. I'll take clean over deep... ;-)

Notice that while the trees are changing, the overall color is drab. Lots of the leaves have just said, "oh, forget this color business" and dropped off early. Other than the beautiful clear blue sky it's a dreary autumn. At this point, gray rainy skies would be a lovely thing to see.

So, I've worked in the yard today (raking leaves -- what else?), done laundry, spent the afternoon working on the boat, had dinner ... now, time to go paint! Let's all have a great week!