Osage Beach

I settled into a lovely condo in Osage Beach, lake view, thanks to my dear friend Seasi and her timeshare. Seasi and four others had settled in as well.

Kate, Pam, Hillary, and Alan had arrived before me and each had brought approximately enough food to feed all of us for several days. Starved after my winding drive into the Ozarks, I dove into leftovers.

That evening, Hillary grilled marinated tuna and veggies. Add on a salad and some brown rice, and we were set, dining on the balcony overlooking the lake. Then her phone rang; she took it inside. She reemerged to say, "I have to go home now. There's a tree in my house."

Kansas City storms had toppled a huge tree onto her house. She set off close to 10 pm with food, coffee, and, I'm sure, a strong dose of panic. Thankfully, she arrived home to find it had caved in a portion of her (almost new) roof, but the house itself was intact. The following day, a Sunday, Father's Day, crews were already cutting the tree into pieces and hauling it off.

Kate, Pam, and Alan left Sunday afternoon. I remained until Tuesday, late morning. Read. Doze. Splash about in the lake. Take a dip in the pool. Hot tub. You get the idea: total relaxation.

My first morning there, Sunday, I sat on the deck, reading. Just about the time it got too hot for me to sit outside any longer, I realized how totally private it was. So the next two mornings, I did what any reasonable person would do: I got naked. Sat or lay on the balcony both mornings until it got too warm, by about 9.

Days were hot and incredibly humid, and the combination kept us inside for too much of the time. It was easy to overheat even when in the lake or pool. A planned walk was canceled because it was just too hot. We emerged one hot afternoon for a fast run to a thrift store, a trip to an outlet mall, and ice cream.

I left, again regretfully. Leaving water gets harder and harder.