Cody of the lake Part 1

We spent Easter weekend at my in-law's lake house in the eastern part of the state.

I enjoy just about everything about our weekends out there, from the 2 1/2 hour drive through some really scenic areas of the state, to the walks along the shoreline with the family, to the water recreation sports, plenty of good eats, and quiet time with my wife.

My in-laws run themselves ragged cooking, cleaning,and entertaining the girls, leaving me plenty of time to relax, nap, read, and fish. I don't get to be a lazy a*s very often, so when the opportunity arises, I'm all over that noise.

One of the neighbors is a little boy (he's 12 now, but we've known him since he was about 9) named Cody. He's a handsome kid, with the sweet disposition of a city kid-turned lake kid after being forced to move due to a broken home. His mother ditched him and his Dad when he was just an infant, and his Dad never seems to have any time to spend with him between working (he's a Physical Therapist) and drinking/fishing with his buddies.

It's sad really.

Since C was 3 and started going to the lake house on a regular basis, Cody has always been a gentle, kind, and patient companion to her, entertaining her every whim no matter how silly or girlie it was. Although Cody was lonely and just enjoyed the company, C felt honored that a "big kid" wanted to play with her.

So, whenever we show up, Cody is usually sitting down by the boat dock, riding his atv, or walking the shoreline. His keen senses alert him to our presence almost before our vehicles pull into our driveway. By the time we're hefting our luggage out, he's showing the girls something he found by the waters edge.

Later that first day, the whole family made the 40-yard walk down to the shoreline and since the lake is down over 5 feet, there was plenty of exposed treasures that are normally under 5 feet of water. Cody met us by the water, his treasure search already in progress.

Lake Eufaula is a man-made lake, and there is plenty of evidence of a settlement nearby before the damming of the river took place. We find arrowheads, spear heads, and plenty of large boulders with grinding holes in them where Native's ground their corn way back when. We also find drawers full of shards of pottery, dishes, cups, old bottles, rusted tools and farm implements, revealing more recent pioneer residents.

Cody prefers the living treasures that the water and mud at the waters edge provide. In the first 20 minutes he found and presented the following to my two fascinated daughters:
One Frog a leapin'
One Turtle twirlin'
One water moccassin a snakin'
Two Bluebird's a nestin'
Three Crawdads a crawlin' (one with eggs)
and
Twenty minnow's schoolin' 'neath the dock.As my Father-in-Law is fond of saying, it was going to be one "whale of a weekend."