a week and a half in the midwest is long enough to make me want to live there and leaves me glad to be home nonetheless. i say midwest because i didn't spend all of the past week and half at the lake; i also went to bayfield, wisconsin for sea kayaking and shop strolling; i went to minneapolis for a taste of a nice neighborhood and extended time with an even nicer friend. of course, being at the lake was the highlight among highlights for this vacation. sitting at the end of the dock, listening to the sparrows fluttering about as the sun sinks to the horizon is just about as good as it can get. it was even better shared with dad, and also with the rest of the family. i was spoiled to have a heart so full. we stayed up late some evenings and even slept in a bit. i ran on the dirt road and loved the fact the "big" hill was tiny compared to the ones at home. rotten took me out for a couple of brief sailing lessons and i might one day get used to the boat tipping down toward the water. a loon dove right in front of the boat and i swore i could hear the water running off its back. rotten and jim and colee and i hung out at my cousin's wedding and were some of the first people on the dance floor. it was fun dancing and laughing with them. it was really great to see my cousin and his wife so happy. there are so many little moments i filed away from this vacation - many of them very happy ones, and a couple of happy-sad ones, too. i feel richer because of them and the people i shared my time with.
this is the view of one of the swamps on the road to the cabin. i took the picture on a brisk morning as the wind was blowing the grass on the edge of the swamp. it was friday, and my chemo rash was feeling much better in the cool air and i remembered there actually is one good thing about cold days and that is the rash doesn't burn as much.
later in the day dad and i sat at the end of the dock and watched the sunset. i love that magical time of day when the light paints everything gold and the entire world seems set in a dream.
here are samara and i on lake superior. there is something sacred about that lake, to me. i loved looking down through the cold, clear water and seeing the shapes the waves had made in the sand. we kayaked through, around, and past sea caves and other structures the waves had carved in the ancient sandstone. seeing the sea caves is something i have wanted to do for a really long time and i was super happy to get to do it with samara, laughing the entire way. it was a great day and a great stay in bayfield.
we certainly earned this berry pie from a coffee shop in bayfield. it had been cloudy most of the day but the sun came out and we lingered around town late into the afternoon, snacking on peaches and pie and spending too much money on things that make us smile.
after bayfield we drove back to minneapolis where we stayed in the linden hills neighborhood. i loved the collection of shops and resturants and also its close proximity to lake harriet. we walked three miles to dinner one night, along lake calhoun and through the uptown neighborhood. the next day we had set out for just a short walk around part of lake harriet but we ended up doing the entire loop and therefore felt as though we earned the "surly" beers we drank with lunch. as you can tell, life on vacation is very difficult.
back at the lake it was business as usual.
only, by now the rest of the family had joined us and we had a campfire to burn scrap wood and stayed up much too late. dad was shocked to learn i like a little scotch now and then. the next couple of days were a little on the rainy side and we spent a lot of time reading and playing dominoes. jimnerd and rotten drank some mickeys malt liquor and we all enjoyed some cherry belgian beer from the new glarus brewery - it was a great dessert beer.
like i said, we had a wedding to attend and we had a great time. mom and dad hung out with the aunts and uncles and jim, colee, rotten and i pretty much held our own at the kid table, conveniently located next to the bar. the boys may have had one or two too many and were a complete and utter joy to have in the car on the ride home. eventually they fell asleep, though, and i cursed myself for taking the "shorter" route someone had recommended. state highways are never shorter. lesson learned.
it is never fun to leave, but it is nice to come home and sleep in my own bed. the gorilla is back to her old tricks of barking and snarling at people and other dogs and it is like we never left. honestly, i wish i could have spent the rest of the summer out there, alternately having adventures and also buckling down to get some work done on some goals i have. but this other life becokoned and it is time to be finished with the vacation, at least for five more days until i head to maine for a long weekend. put in perspective, life is pretty good these days.
a week and a half in the midwest is long enough to make me want to live there and leaves me glad to be home nonetheless. i say midwest because i didn't spend all of the past week and half at the lake; i also went to bayfield, wisconsin for sea kayaking and shop strolling; i went to minneapolis for a taste of a nice neighborhood and extended time with an even nicer friend. of course, being at the lake was the highlight among highlights for this vacation. sitting at the end of the dock, listening to the sparrows fluttering about as the sun sinks to the horizon is just about as good as it can get. it was even better shared with dad, and also with the rest of the family. i was spoiled to have a heart so full. we stayed up late some evenings and even slept in a bit. i ran on the dirt road and loved the fact the "big" hill was tiny compared to the ones at home. rotten took me out for a couple of brief sailing lessons and i might one day get used to the boat tipping down toward the water. a loon dove right in front of the boat and i swore i could hear the water running off its back. rotten and jim and colee and i hung out at my cousin's wedding and were some of the first people on the dance floor. it was fun dancing and laughing with them. it was really great to see my cousin and his wife so happy. there are so many little moments i filed away from this vacation - many of them very happy ones, and a couple of happy-sad ones, too. i feel richer because of them and the people i shared my time with.
this is the view of one of the swamps on the road to the cabin. i took the picture on a brisk morning as the wind was blowing the grass on the edge of the swamp. it was friday, and my chemo rash was feeling much better in the cool air and i remembered there actually is one good thing about cold days and that is the rash doesn't burn as much.
later in the day dad and i sat at the end of the dock and watched the sunset. i love that magical time of day when the light paints everything gold and the entire world seems set in a dream. 
here are samara and i on lake superior. there is something sacred about that lake, to me. i loved looking down through the cold, clear water and seeing the shapes the waves had made in the sand. we kayaked through, around, and past sea caves and other structures the waves had carved in the ancient sandstone. seeing the sea caves is something i have wanted to do for a really long time and i was super happy to get to do it with samara, laughing the entire way. it was a great day and a great stay in bayfield.
we certainly earned this berry pie from a coffee shop in bayfield. it had been cloudy most of the day but the sun came out and we lingered around town late into the afternoon, snacking on peaches and pie and spending too much money on things that make us smile.
after bayfield we drove back to minneapolis where we stayed in the linden hills neighborhood. i loved the collection of shops and resturants and also its close proximity to lake harriet. we walked three miles to dinner one night, along lake calhoun and through the uptown neighborhood. the next day we had set out for just a short walk around part of lake harriet but we ended up doing the entire loop and therefore felt as though we earned the "surly" beers we drank with lunch. as you can tell, life on vacation is very difficult.
back at the lake it was business as usual.
only, by now the rest of the family had joined us and we had a campfire to burn scrap wood and stayed up much too late. dad was shocked to learn i like a little scotch now and then. the next couple of days were a little on the rainy side and we spent a lot of time reading and playing dominoes. jimnerd and rotten drank some mickeys malt liquor and we all enjoyed some cherry belgian beer from the new glarus brewery - it was a great dessert beer.
like i said, we had a wedding to attend and we had a great time. mom and dad hung out with the aunts and uncles and jim, colee, rotten and i pretty much held our own at the kid table, conveniently located next to the bar. the boys may have had one or two too many and were a complete and utter joy to have in the car on the ride home. eventually they fell asleep, though, and i cursed myself for taking the "shorter" route someone had recommended. state highways are never shorter. lesson learned.
it is never fun to leave, but it is nice to come home and sleep in my own bed. the gorilla is back to her old tricks of barking and snarling at people and other dogs and it is like we never left. honestly, i wish i could have spent the rest of the summer out there, alternately having adventures and also buckling down to get some work done on some goals i have. but this other life becokoned and it is time to be finished with the vacation, at least for five more days until i head to maine for a long weekend. put in perspective, life is pretty good these days.
Comments
Is that a monster in lake Harriet? Perhaps the Loch Harriet Monster?
My GoOdneSs, ThAt WaS aLmOst A mOnTh AgO, CaN yOu BeLiEvE ThAt?