Christiana Lakehouse 2023, Day 1: Travel and a lot of Rain

June 30, 2023

Liz and I got a late start on our travel weekend. There was what I can only describe, in all seriousness, as a “yarn emergency,” that required us to make an extra stop in the city… before heading out.

Once we got going though, the roads were surprisingly clear. Not too much traffic, even though we were departing right around 5PM. It felt like everyone else already made it out of Dodge, and we were the stragglers.

The skies were getting darker and darker as we got towards the Indiana/Michigan border. And right as we got near, just about 6 minutes away… the rain really started coming down. I’m talking windshield wipers on full, every car slowing down to 15 miles an hour, and everyone throwing on their blinkers.

The rain was so strong, the visibility was really rough. We made fun of the other cars for pulling off to the shoulder… but found ourselves doing the same thing a minute or so later. It was a tremendous amount of rain. And then, just as quickly as it appeared, it dissipated.

On arriving at the lakehouse, we learned that a lot of water had funneled down between the houses. There were some small sandbags at the top of the steps that led to the basement. The worst hit was the neighbor’s lakehouse, with water coming up through the floorboards.

A very large space that Uncle David and some other homeowners built. I think this is going to eventually be an event space, where concerts can be held… but also room for pickleball and basketball. As well as some private adjoining rooms that can be rented out.

When we arrived, the kids were in here… playing pickleball.

We brought a few whiskeys to share, and also got a very generous Macallan bottle from Uncle David. Liz and I arrived around 8PM, so we mostly just hung out at the kitchen. A bit later in the evening, Brandon and Natalie pulled up.

Several of us, hanging out in the kitchen chatting and catching up. Lauren’s friend Darby also joined us this weekend, making things feel very much like the start (or continuation) of a holiday tradition.