How I Spent My Summer Vacation

We try to visit family in Amarillo in August for my Mother-in-law's birthday. We eat at our favorite haunts, do drive -bys on all the houses we used to live in, try to visit friends, sometimes we squeeze in a camping trip. This year we were only there for four days so it was a very quick trip.

While we were there this year, Charlie wanted to go look at Lake Merideth because we had been hearing for the last few years how far the water had gone down. I wasn't really in the mood to get in the car for another hour to go look at some water, or the lack thereof. But, in the interest of harmony I went along for the ride. I have to say, I was really glad I went because I couldn't even believe it!

When John was just 18 months old, we bought a Jet Ski. We would drive to the lake, put in the jet ski on one side and then make three trips back and forth across the lake to take all our gear over to the Sandy Beach. One trip for the picnic, umbrellas, toys, towels, etc. One trip for me and John (it was a really big jet ski) and one trip for the gas cans. We would stay and ride for the day and then make the three trips back and forth to haul it all home. John would always fall asleep against the handle-bar on the way home.

This is the boat ramp where we used to put in the jet ski. See the muddy bottom of the lake in the distance?

This is the new boat ramp they put in back down the hill from the original, after the first one dried up.

Across that general vicinity is where we would go to the Sandy Beach.

This is down by the dam where there is still some water. You can see up from the water there is greenery, then a strip of white rocks and then a small strip of green. That is the original water line.