It ain't exactly Ipanema...

but the beach at the St. Leon-Rot Lake is a pretty good time anyway. Last Saturday, B suggested we head to a small lake about 20 minutes from our apartment to distract the kids while I nursed a hangover from our drunken bowling outing. She had taken the kids there before and really liked it. After spending a few peaceful hours there my own self (as we say in Oklahoma), I must agree.
We got off to a bit of a shaky start as we trusted Poposuda, our navigation system, to get us there without too much backtracking. She seemed hell-bent on giving us a tour various corn fields. We finally called an audible and found it our own selves (props to OK again).
The lake has plenty of parking and an entrance gate where you pay a couple of Euros per person over 7 (I think) to enter. For this paltry sum, you get access to a clean lake with plenty of places to hang out and watch the wench-driven wakeboarding apparatus whisk enthusiasts around at breakneck speed.
We hung out under a tree close to one of the beaches. I essentially drifted in and out of consciousness while the kids frolicked in the water, my exhaustion-induced reverie sporadically interrupted by the Mrs. complaining that I wasn’t making the most of this quality time with the family.
I did have the foresight though to park our blankets close to the snacking facilities. The kids had their fill of ice cream and I was able to drink the gallon and a half of water I needed to flush out the beer still coursing through my veins.
After a couple of hours, the sunny weather was overcome by dark clouds. The last few weeks it has been cloudy and cool – much better than the current conditions: clear and hotter than he**. Today it made it to 35 degrees Celsius. I am sweating like a Bush staffer before congress as I write this entry. With any luck, the clouds and cool weather will return.