We had a busy day yesterday.  In the early afternoon, I was at the Cabot Historical Society - and I actually had four visitors, a mom and three children stopped by, and then there was a stray dog that wandered in, looking for friends and a cool place to rest, I think.  He was a neighborhood dog, according to the children.  They had a good time exploring the exhibits under the watchful eye of their mother, and I was pleased to have them stop in.  The two boys were anxious to see where we had placed the old 1915 number plate they'd found some time back in the Winooski River.  They thought perhaps it had been uncovered by the rush of recent flood waters.  I've been meaning to try to find out from the State of Vermont who that number might have been issued to, and now I'll do that since the boys who found it are interested enough to check up on it!

I rushed home after closing the historical building and headed down to camp where Tangeni's birthday party was well under way.  There were kids (all girls except for one) of all ages, and a large number of adults watching out for everyone.  They were water skiing, tubing, and even got out hula-hoops.  I've made a short slide show of the proceedings - at least through birthday cake and  gifts.  Tangeni was impressed with her cake, which was individual cupcakes frosted, and decorated with some of her favorite cartoon friends, to make one large "cake,"   She is far more careful about getting frosting on her than her father or uncles were (I guess it's a boy vs. girl thing!) and except for what was on her face that she couldn't see, she licked her fingers clean, but carefully guided her mother's hand to clean frosting off when she got some on her leg.  All the other girls just jumped into the pond to clean up. 

Big sister, Jo-Ann, challenged her father to upset her while tubing - she loved the very rough ride, but managed to hang on, claiming the title of "queen of tubing"; but she said she is not interested in water skiing.  That has confounded and disappointed her uncles - nobody in the Dimick family has ever turned down learning to water ski; even Monika, who had to learn to swim when she first joined the family, water skis.  It goes back to Grandpa Bill Dimick priding himself on both water and snow skiing into his 80's, along with some equally "seasoned" buddies like Hugh McLean and Harry Winters.  Then there was Uncle Cliff, who is legendary for water skiing in his tux, holding the rope in one hand and a martini in the other, and smoking a cigar.  The sport has come down through the generations and it would be hard to count the number of youngsters who learned to ski behind our inboard, "Raja."  Perhaps she'll surprise everyone one day and decide she can do it.

We enjoyed watching the kids playing in the water, and the boats passing by.  We were struck by the very large boat equipped with a sound system perched overhead (see photo), and always appreciate seeing a classic inboard (pictured below).  This might have been Billy Hamilton's recently restored boat, but I wasn't sure.  Click on the photos to make them larger.

A mother duck and her brood visited the party briefly, and that was a high point in Tangeni's day.  She talked with them in their language and I think was about to offer them some birthday cake until her mom explained we don't feed the ducks.  They settled in the cove by the boat lift for a little while, but then went on their way.  There are lily pads in the little cove, and lots of reeds beyond towards the Ward camp, and ducks love to forage there.

The Ward camp has been painted, and it looks very nice.  We should have taken a picture, but didn't think to do that.  Another time.  We left before the party was over - grandma and grandpa don't have the stamina that "Young America" has.  Today, Fred is mowing our lawn, and I'm headed out soon to use the walk-behind mower to do the walkway and trim around the gardens where it's hard to get at with the riding mower.  It's such a pretty day, it's a huge temptation to drop everything inside and get out there.