Dinner With Friends on (closed) Lake Travis

This time last year, central Texas was in a serious drought. Our water use was restricted and our rivers and lakes fell dangerously low. Fast forward to today and we're experiencing quite the opposite problem.

After weeks of rain and flooding, Lake Travis, the primary flood control reservoir in central Texas, is ten feet above what is considered full. The Colorado River Authority closed the lake for recreational use, due to debris and other unsafe conditions.

As we drove past the Mansfield Dam on our way to dinner, we noticed three open floodgates and water gushing through. We looked for, but didn't see, the "sometimes islands" (nicknamed because sometimes they are there and sometimes they are not). Our dinner destination, Carlos 'n Charlie's, a popular lakeside restaurant, has lost it's beach and sand volleyball court, not to mention a ton of revenue this season as concerts and events were canceled.

Although closed to boaters and swimmers, the lake provided a relaxing backdrop for our dinner with friends. We enjoyed the views and the buddies and Mia had a blast running around on the porch.