Love this weather so far for August……low 90’s during the day and down into the 70’s and possible 60’s in the evening. Looks like Jeff Chapman and his fellow kayakers had a great time August 11th with the full moon on the pond. Aren’t we lucky to live on such a great lake!
Big Big Big SHOUT OUT to Jason and Suzanne Williams at G-8…….for what? Boating Safety at its Best! They were cruising the lake when a ski boat/tuber traveled past them. About 50 yards ahead of their boat the child fell in the water. Immediately, Jason shut his boat down and waited until the ski boat came back around and picked up the young man and set-up for another run. I went over to the Williams boat and thanked them for being so courteous. Jason immediately replied, “I was just giving everyone their space.” Wow……..if every boater out here thought like that wouldn’t it be wonderful!
Summer is really winding down. The college kids are back in class and our Lee’s Summit kiddos head back around the 25th……summer seems to fly anymore……and the prediction about our winter will be quite interesting according to the Farmer’s Almanac…….SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! Get your sleds out and soap the runners……. guess I’m dating myself……do kids still do that? A few years ago I brought my grandkids over to the dam to sled, must have been 30 people there that afternoon. After awhile of chatting with some of the dads, I started going around looking at the sleds and asking if everyone had their proper decals attached? I got a big “WHAT!” “Just kidding, April Fools early” ……. they didn’t laugh.
Let’s get back to our Pond……lately several homeowners have purchased a new watercraft, unloaded it at the ramp, and took it home without an inspection from either Scott Johnson or myself. They call the Association the next day and ask for someone to inspect it so they can purchase a decal. Sorry, unless Scott or myself give you permission to moor at your home prior to the official inspection you have an illegal watercraft on our lake. Yes, I understand you are excited about your new toy, but please follow protocol.
ILLEGAL FISHING………homeowners please adhere to this……. you cannot allow your friends, off-lake relatives or contractors fish off your seawall or dock without YOU or your IMMEDIATE FAMILY being there with them. They are your guest and it is your responsibility to be present. They are Trespassers and can arrested as so without you there. Sitting up at the house watching through a window does not count. Another point of you not being present, these individuals are also fishing off other homeowners’ docks. A dock is private property of a homeowner and if anything goes missing or broken you are responsible for your visitor’s actions. I’ve had to ask more than a dozen visitors to please get off an individual’s dock. Even if you do live at Lotawana, you need permission to be on someone else’s docking structure. A few years ago, a group of young people from another part of the lake saw an inviting slide on a structure and decided to play on it and throw their beer cans all over the lawn as well. Someone broke the slide and I might add the offended homeowner was not happy. Let’s get back to basics……..Be Courteous, Kind, and Thoughtful of others and their property.
Big Shout Out……..mooring at the Marina has improved greatly. Almost everyone is “parking” correctly now, BUT………driving and mooring at the Marina Docks is still horrendous. Numerous boards have been split and broken, popsicle sticks hit and the rubber cushion rails torn off. The first of August, the Association put on new rubber cushions on the front of all of all of the docks……in less than 5 hours, one corner section was torn away. How does this happen? Too many boaters still enter the Marina way too fast and do not have control of their watercraft. After one passes the cove buoy you should be moving at 5 mph or less and by the time you are ready to moor the boat speed should be down to 2-3 MPH……NOT! I watch so many come into the dock at 5 MPH or more and then slam the gear into reverse and still not reversing their steering……then the stern is still out away from the dock. SLOW DOWN. A majority of the homeowners on the Pond agree that this is one of the worst years in memory of people being able to drive and maneuver a watercraft. Yes, it takes practice, but take the time to learn. A lot of the mind-set is that driving a boat is simple. One moves forward or reverse and apply speed……..where’s the brake? Our watercraft numbers are increasing each season, we have got to be more accountable and take ownership of what we do or the unthinkable is going to happen.
See Ya!