Patrolling the Pond Into Winter
Mike Miller, VP Board of Directors, Lake Lotawana Association
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. No sooner did Thanksgiving go than an early snow arrived! December is starting to look like December. With only a couple of inches predicted, it’s still seems a bit early in the season for the frozen stuff. December can be a bit chilly and wet, but I can count on one hand how many times in 20 years we’ve been able to sing White Christmas without dreaming about it. Nonetheless, it’s always good to be prepared. Fortunately our Ops Team does a fabulous job of taking care of the snow before and after the storm. By the time you’re reading this, it will hopefully all be melted! It reminds me that as quickly as some things come they go.
Thanksgiving weekend certainly came and went fast this year. As the traditional host for our family, I am typically the purveyor of the meats. The rest of our guests bring everything else. I will say, my experiences as a judge at LotaSmoke last fall gave me a new appreciation for competition cooking. Why does it seem like LotaSmoke was so long ago? Another example of how fast things come and go. And while Thanksgiving dinner isn’t really a competition, when you’re cooking for 17 and trying to land the food plane sometime between noon and a Chiefs game, it can feel very competitive. If nothing else, I was competing with time. And, for those of you who host and do the cooking, you know that the festivities of planning, staging, prepping, and timing start long before the cooking. After a marathon of smoking turkeys, a few racks of ribs, and baking a ham on the grill, we gave thanks for our blessings and family and settled into a nice dinner and fun conversation. Interestingly, all of those funny things we all read about the Holidays like weird uncles, eccentric relatives, and family disagreements around politics, just haven’t been the norm in our family. Do they exist? Sure. Do we all agree on politics and other issues? No. I think mostly we just put family above all that and treat each other with respect. We gather in our common ground and spend our time there. Like most of the rest of you who celebrated Thanksgiving, the prep lasted longer than the meal, but the memories will last longer than the day.
Thanksgiving is a bit of a microcosm of our Lake Community: Blessings abound but we don’t always agree on the way things are done. I know as a member of the Board that I am always open to the suggestions and ideas of my constituents. I think it’s a huge benefit to have more eyes and ears on how things are done. A few people get to make the decisions but giving input reflects the voice of the people. I welcome those ideas from anyone as the sitting VP as well. It reminds me of the book, “Good to Great,” by Jim Collins. It’s an old one but a good one. Having respectful disagreement and conversation usually gets to a better place. Respect is the key. An example of this was the recent budget approved by the membership. Not everyone agreed, some feedback was given, counsel was provided, specifically regarding the transfer fees, and adjustment were made. No harm. No foul. Just good feedback. Budget approved. And while not everyone agreed, we move forward as a community. It’s moments like this that the process and member input is greatly appreciated.
As the year winds down and we look at what’s been done in our community over the past year there are reasons to be grateful, and reasons to feel good about where we are going in 2026. I won’t list all of the achievements or accomplishments here. Suffice it to say we are further down the path on many issues that were challenges as we started 2026. One that I will mention is the low water crossing at Gate 3. Most may not recall that the flood of 2024 washed out all of the pipe and structure making the crossing unsafe. We then discovered several issues around gas lines, high and low pressure, and other obstacles in the way of replacement. Our original plan was scrapped, and we were at the mercy of several utilities. Did it extend the process? Yes. Was it done right? Yes. Is it finished? If not, it’s close. Weather both helped and hurt progress but hopefully the crossing should be open soon (if not already). And done right. And because it was done right the first time and won’t be something that comes and goes.
Again, I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving with you and your family and friends and the memories you made will last a lifetime. It’s now about 3:30pm on a day when 2-4 inches of snow were predicted. I think they got it right! And maybe even a bit conservative. I am hoping for a little faster on the “go” side of things this time. Otherwise this early cold and snow could get a little old as we have only begun to move into winter.
The Safer Seven Quiz is hard at work shoveling the drive. It will be back next time for a year-end quiz that offers prizes for a chosen few. Stay tuned and STAY WARM!