From the left:   I and Roberta, Todd and Mitzi, and Peirce, Kirsten, and Eli Clayton.

Todd, Inger, Annika, and Phil.  Roberta is hidden behind Todd.

Genus:poa, our family Bluegrass band, was asked to provide special music for the community church service at the lake park on the 4th.  Annika brightened everyone's day with her rendition of "How Can I Keep from Singing."  And Roberta, Inger, Todd, and I sang the old classic "Just Over in the Gloryland."

Inger, Bobby and I got in an early summer round of golf at Medina Golf Club.   After 16 holes we all had the same score.  After 18 holes we didn't!  If you're interested, you'll have to ask.

Kirby is exhibiting the type of smile that a yard swing is supposed to elicit in a person.  "Summer Joy!"

Not quite the whole family (Bobby was celebrating the 4th in northern Minnesota) but we had a great 4th of July anyway.  The hollyhocks were in radiant bloom and the cottonwoods trees were shedding their windblown seeds.  We're in desperate need of moisture but the crops are "hanging in there."

SUMMER   2021

One of the first celebrations of the summer season is the Hendricks Summerfest Run-Walk race event.  Son Todd and I, for the past few years, have been doing this event together.  We got to team up again this year and we got to finish the race together.  So much fun!

Roberta, Phil, Inger, Annika, Maggie, Kjerstine, Mitzi, and Todd.

On the 3rd weekend of July, Son Todd took Roberta and I and our house guests, Peirce Clayton and his son Eli, over to the SDSU Oak Lake Field Station to run a check on the wells they use to monitor the spring water that runs into Oak Lake.  On the bottom left Todd is measuring the water level and Peirce is recording.  After checking two sets of wells Todd took us to one of the springs that is flowing out of the hillside.  We all tasted the water and found no hint of aromatic or other agricultural chemicals.    This fact is what makes Oak Lake one of the purer lakes in the state.  The springs provide approximately one/half of the lake's volume.   The rest comes from rain and runoff.  Oak Lake has no inflowing streams or rivers.

It's pandemic recovery time!  Everyone is striving to return to what we remember from two years ago.  That may not work, but chances are good that our future will be improved over our past.

Roberta, Todd, Peirce and Eli

WELCOME

Oak Lake, Brookings County, SD