Sunday Sunday Sunday

It's hard to swim with a bucket on your head. Don't believe me? Try it (and let me know so I can take pictures!)

Great Sunday! Darren got a bike ride in with the Now guys. Sam had friends over all day. The day ended with a bonfire, toasting marshmallows, and discovering that his friend could fit through our dog door.

The Not Camping Weekend Vacation, Sort-of, At Home Part 2

While I hooked a fish and a lily pad at the same time and broke my line....

Darren took a quick nap.

It was getting hot, so we headed back home, taking the long way. Sam loved passing through the town of Nowthen. Apparently, there's a big threshing show there, which led to a conversation about just what the heck threshing is. Which then led to talk about visiting a farm or doing a farm stay, which seems very odd to me having grown up with grandpa's barn and the neighbor's cows and plows and fields of corn. "I went to a farm, on a field trip, remember?" Ugh. Oh well. He can hook up a computer and cook his own food and is an amazing bargain hunter. And he mostly knows where food comes from! Well, maybe after Food, Inc. he knows too much!

We headed home to enjoy the backyard. First swim of the season (we were so late in getting the pool going his year). Swinging in the hammock. BBQ for dinner and family movie night when the sun set. Good times.

The Not Camping Weekend Vacation, Sort-of, At Home

Lily Pad Lake

Ignore the weedy sludge that looks like Eurasian Milfoil. (And probably is. ugh)

He baits a hook just like I do (with a forceps!)

The elusive lunker sunfish. He would bite on the tip of Sam's rod, but not on the hook!

We were supposed to go camping this past weekend, but life and responsibility got in the way. Oh well. We had a great weekend anyway!

We drove up to Ann Lake Campground for a quick trip. This little campground in the Sand Dunes State Forest was where we were supposed to go this weekend. Only about 30 minutes from our house. The campground was lovely with huge, private campsites. BUT, there were acres of Poison Ivy there. We didn't check any of the campsites, but the trail to the fishing pier was loaded (and any way to all the loaded black raspberry bushes was too!) A camper mentioned that it was everywhere.

This is Poison Ivy. Darren doubted me. I told him to roll in it and get back to me. After his experience last year, he refused. Remember that led to cellulitis, a stress test, and two stents being placed in his heart.

More tomorrow. Laundry Duty Calls!

Blowed 'em Up Real Good

Had to cross state lines! Yep, this is what 12 year old boy normal looks like. You should have seen their faces when I told them an open weigh station on the Minnesota border was a fireworks confiscation check point.

Hey, I have to have my fun too.

Sam now wants matches, lighters, and combustables for his birthday.

Jay Cooke State Park and the End of the Munger Trail

It wouldn't be a vacation without some sort of swinging bridge to scare your mom. I went two steps farther than this picture to take the next ones!

Jay Cooke is beautiful, although we still don't know how to spell it. Several signs throughout the park had different spellings. Jaye Cook Jaye Cooke, Jay Cook. We'd like to go back there and camp someday. Sam and I both picked out a few rocks we'd like to climb (him) and sit and stare on (me).

Hiking up in the bluffs. Gorgeous. Charlie was getting tired, though.

So after Charlie pooped out, we went back to the picnic area, had some lunch, and read and napped until Darren finished his ride. Of course he had to go to the end of the trail!

Back to camp for fishing, BBQ ribs and grilled corn on the cob. Fun Father's Day!

Moose Lake State Park

While Darren was riding the Munger Trail, Sam and I decided to add more stamps to our State Park Passport.

So, we spent an hour or so exploring Moose Lake State Park. Sam is a rock hound, so he enjoyed the Agate and Geological Center at the visitor's center. Think we're going to have to join the Hiking Club too. This would have been a fun park to hike in, if he rain hadn't rolled in!



We both thought that Moose Lake SP seemed a little sad and unused. Maybe it was because of the weather, but it seemed a little more worn than other parks we've visited.

Echo Lake was pretty, but you could hear the "ocean" (aka the freeway). There's a nice swimming beach and fishing pier.

Looks like we're going to have to return. The raspberries (blackberries? black raspberries?) weren't ripe yet.

Date Date Date Date

Kid was at a friend's cabin, so we got to catch up on date night*.

Sort of a United Nations Theme?


Date 14/52 You're a Turkey. Lunch at our favorite Turkish Restaurant, Black Sea. Best service and food in town. Follow them on Facebook or check out their website. And if you go, and they ask you if you want to wait, say yes. And then thank us.

Date 15/52 Dinner and Movies. Dinner from Casa Lupita our favorite taco joint and watched The Road (depressing, but true to the book) and When in Rome (don't bother, probably lost a few brain cells and I fell asleep well before the end).



*Date night is when you make a joint New Year's Resolution to go out on 52 dates in 2010 with your spouse and then feel guilty when you realize just how hard this is to fit in. We should be over halfway there! Ahhh life with kid...