POTHOLES — Getting the maximum enjoyment out of a day at the lake requires a plan. And at least one opportunity a day to tell stories.

At least that’s the opinion of Tony Pinto of Bremerton. Pinto was in charge of parking the truck and boat trailer Friday morning at Potholes State Park.

The last weekend of July is serious summer (this year it was serious enough to be pushing 100 degrees), sunny and hot and the new school year is still (just barely) out of sight. And out at the Potholes, “it’ll get over 80 degrees,” said James Beebe of Sequim. And for a lot of people, the best way to spend a serious summer day is at the lake.

But you must have a plan. Pinto, who is retired from the Navy, and his family are among a group of friends that spend time at the lake every summer. “We’ve been doing this for 23 years,” he said. Families meet at the park, bringing boats and water skis and golf clubs and all the accessories required for serious summer fun.

So here’s the plan. Golf at 7 a.m. for the golfers, while those who don’t golf have a leisurely breakfast and pack the boats. Launch the boat around 10 a.m.

“We go out and find an island,” Pinto said, and stay on the lake all day. No need to go back to the campsite – it’s all packed, the shade structures, the tubes that get pulled behind the boat, the coolers. “Water and sammiches,” said Andy Cole, of Silverdale, describing the meal plan.

Evenings are a potluck; “we have theme nights,” Pinto said. And at night, around the campfire, “we play the favorite part of the day game,” where everybody shares their favorite part of the day – it’s tradition. The kids really like that game, he said.

The Beebe family’s serious summer tradition is camping, here, there and everywhere. “We take a yearly camping trip,” James Beebe said, two weeks roaming the east side. “This is our second time here,” said his mom Charlotte.

The Potholes are a good central meeting place for another group of traditionalists, former Gonzaga students “that have been hanging out for 23 years now,” said Wayne Smith, Spokane. Some come from Spokane, some from the Puget Sound area; “we get five or six families out here,” said Shannon Saldana. Smith and Saldana were interrupted Friday morning as they were getting the boats ready for a day on the lake.

The Potholes has its attractions. “The water and the weather,” Saldana said, skiing and boarding on the lake, swimming. “Water skiing, tubing, beach laying,” Pinto said. Cole said they’ve gone geocaching, river rafting, even a spot somewhere out there to go diving. “We find stuff to do,” he said.

Sometimes summer at the lake is just as simple as a chair in the shade and a good book, the preferred mid-morning activity for Edward Hyson, Sequim. "It's nice to get away from home." Eastern Washington has another attraction, at least in small doses. "I like the heat out here."

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].