It was windy again last night but hot — so hot I had to take a dip in the lake just before I went to bed. This morning was hotter by far than yesterday, so we knew early that we were in for a scorcher. Which was okay. That's what we came for.

So many people are leaving the lake tomorrow that we took most of this afternoon for a cruise. Three ski boats were enough to hold all of us as we tore off across the lake and all the way to the end of the Pit River arm. We didn't turn around until the depth was down to six feet and the current was so strong we were hardly moving anyway.

I stayed in the shady part of the boat as much as possible. For about half the way I had a sleeping Tanoa leaned up against me, and I tried to keep the sun off him as well. We made two swimming stops and one at a marina for ice cream (and also for something to take the sting out of poor little Jayci's sunburned face).

The cruise brought some of us (mostly kids) to life and wore some of us (guess who) out. And it was so hot when we got back to the houseboats that there was nothing to be done but seek a way to survive until sundown. I found a seat on the front deck. It wasn't exactly cool there, and it was away from all the action, but at least it was also away from direct sunlight.

It wasn't just the heat that brought me down today. I had a lower abdominal pain that kept getting worse all day. By tonight I didn't want to eat much and I went to bed early, while the party on the other boat was still going on. I slammed water down all day, in case it might be a bladder infection or some such. I tried not to let it slow me down too much, but at times it was hard to move.

I felt a little better by tonight when I was sitting alone in the dark on the back deck. Katie and Alexa came by to tell me ghost stories. That was fun for me, but I hope they didn't scare themselves. They're only eleven and eight, and they both have gruesome imaginations. More than that, they both remember every scary news story they've ever heard, especially the ones involving children.