A day to clean.

The winter dirt is a fine clay that settles on everything. Our soil here is almost yellow red. Not red like Oklahoma but red like mixed with yellow. It slowly covers everything during the winter. It must get into the rain and snow somehow, covering the cars and boats and houses.

So each spring, it is a ritual to power wash everything in sight. So today was power wash day. The house is too tall to wash the entire building, but we wash the side toward the lake where the various decks are attached. You start with the top story and work your self down. The dirt from above goes thru the decking and makes the next level even messier.

Then there is the dock. The dirt is all over it and then the ducks leave large, well you know! But they are George Bush's ducks and they are not in season.

The trees here are river oaks, and they pollenate with a Yellow dust like sticky stuff. This mixes into the winter clay and makes for an even gooier mess. It covers the pontoon boat and its cover. I washed and washed, but it still is not totally clean.

Loyce attacked the inside of the house as everything is dusty beyond belief. We live in the upstairs of the house when we are here by ourselves, and that part was not too bad but the guest rooms were needing a lot of attention. She was busy all day.

So as I write this, we are waiting for the younger son to arrive with his wife and three kids. All is ready, or as ready as it is going to be and we are killed. The seats in the pontoon still need to be scrubbed but that will have to be tomorrow.

I am sitting on the screen porch looking out over the lake, and dam three miles distant. In years past the boats would have been so thick you could walk on them, but tonight there is only an occasional boat going by. 4 dollar gas.

The dock lights are still quite a picture as they reflect off of the water, yellow and blue. Yellow for the bug lights that light up the walk ways and blue as the marker lights that illuminate a dock all night. These are on, even when the walk way lights are off.

Most of the sea walls have landscape lights along the lake as well. Most of these lights are on only during large holiday weekends, and leave a pleasant impression.

So we will see, if the tourist infusion is as great as it usually is. This area rely's upon the tourist trade, so without it, things are going to be much poorer. Lets hope for a good weekend for the merchants.