First Full Day at the Lake

After a long travel day yesterday, including two flights, a lost bag and a nearly two hour drive, we arrived safely in Conneaut Lake. Our first full day at the lake ended with a wonderful family dinner and birthday celebration.

There happens to be a lot of family here right now. I tried to count and stopped at 23. 

The cousins are having a blast, but are also wishing the remaining three cousins were here.

Happy Birthday, Hanna!

Mission Amusement: Scare Tactics! Conneaut Lake on Travel Channel!

After nearly a year of waiting, the Travel Channel show (Mission Amusement: Scare Tactics) aired! Last summer, Ben and I volunteered to help with Conneaut Lake Park restoration during the filming. I wrote about it here. Now that the show has aired, I can share more details.

Unfortunately, the sad state of the park in Mission Amusement: Scare Tactics was very accurate. Norma, the show's carpenter, worked like mad that week. Ben and I helped with the Devil's Den (painting, cleaning up inside and hanging the ghost outside), painted the planters on the Midway, and painted the beer stand (shown in Mission Amusement being pulled in before being painted, but not shown after). We were interviewed while painting the beer stand, but that clip ended up on the cutting room floor.

The Haunted House was every bit as scary as they make it seem. Probably even more terrifying! Ben and I were even able to walk through it in the daylight, so we knew what to expect. Despite having the sneak peak, going through the night of the reveal was terrible! Terrible in a good way, if you like that kind of thing (which I discovered, I do not). You can see a news clip of us exiting here. We're also shown briefly on the Travel Channel show. During the final few minutes, we're in the crowd by the haunted house, in line for the haunted house, and also in line for Devil's Den.

I still don't trust The Blue Streak. My dad and Ben rode it during Park After Dark and both said, "Never again!"

We'll see how our renovations held up over the winter. Stay tuned for an update!

Oakland Beach Dude Ranch

A commenter mentioned spending time at the Oakland Beach Dude Ranch, which reminded me of this old flyer. I'm pretty sure that my mother-in-law, her sister, and cousin are the three girls. A dude ranch at the lake today would be so much fun! Especially at those prices. I'd love to hear more stories about the dude ranch. 

Cousins!

I have so many pictures of so many cousins on our cottage stoop. One of the best parts of summer at the lake is all of the cousin time. Last night we went to our last Spaghetti Night of the summer and then returned to the cottage for s'mores and croquet. 

I had to sneak in a picture of Sport. He is clean and brushed, after all.

Kate and Charlie have become great buddies. He and Will have also become great buddies, but their relationship involves more rough-housing. I'm not sure if it's more fun for the three year old or the eleven year old.

Vacavi in Conneaut Lake

Finally...a great little cafe in downtown Conneaut Lake. Not only is Vacavi darling, it serves great coffee and baked goods, and it changes the lunch menu daily. We've definitely gone to Vacavi more than anywhere else this summer. My only complaint is that everything on their lunch menu has meat and cheese. When we asked, though, they whipped up this delicious hummus wrap. Yum! My favorite so far has been the tomato soup.

Now, here is the best thing about Vacavi. They make donuts to order! Yes, fresh donuts made to order. You choose your topping (cinnamon and sugar or vanilla, chocolate or maple glaze) and any extras (sprinkles, brownie crumbs or even bacon). Look closely at the picture above and you'll see the little donut machine and fryer in the middle of the picture. I haven't tried it, but how good does maple glaze with bacon sound?! As if all of that wasn't enough, did I mention that it has a lake view?

My Best Vintage Finds of the Summer

I channel my inner Mike and Frank (American Picker fans, you'll know what I mean) each summer when I search through this crazy part of the country for hidden treasures. It's amazing what people have around here. Each year, my mom, aunt and I return to our favorite antique stores and also manage to stumble upon new places. A few of my favorite finds from this summer...

I love the colors on this Crawford County Fair poster. I found this at an estate sale, and the seller literally had to take it off of the barn wall to sell it to me.

I bought this stack of vintage pennants, and stuck in the middle was this Fairyland Forest pennant from Conneaut Lake Park.

This dog drawing was 80 cents. Yes, just 80 cents! Not only are there tons of treasures to be found, prices are great.

This last find just may be my favorite. I bought this at the same estate sale as the fair poster. This diary was kept by a young woman (I'm guessing in her early 20's) between 1936 and 1940. She lived in the area and mentions visiting familiar towns and places.

Kate found this small calendar tucked in the box below the diary. On it, the writer has marked dates when she received letters from two men (a '-' indicates one man, and a 'v' indicates the other).

She was quite the list maker. Also tucked in the box was this 'Date List' - a list of men who had asked her on a date. Number 7 says, 'the widower'. The list continues on the back of the paper.

I've warned my family to never sell a diary of mine at an estate sale (or anywhere!).

Will's View of Conneaut Lake

This is Will. Photographer extraordinaire.  He's been picking up my camera quite a bit this summer. Below are some of his fabulous pictures - the first two were taken in Pittsburgh and the rest were taken in Conneaut Lake.

We were looking back at pictures of Pip from four years ago. I love this post about my parents trying to name the puppy.