Boundary Waters 2009

A couple of gorgeous photos from Kevin’s most recent trip to the Boundary Waters…

Pontooning!

Mom and Dad invited us over to the cabin Memorial weekend for a very tasty dinner and a pontoon ride around the lake. As you can see by Mateo's enormous smile, it was a big thrill for him to drive - thanks Gabby and Papa!

Down Time

Peace. Quiet. Nature. Reading. Writing. That was my wish for today, and it happened at Straight Lake State Park. As a newer park, it seems relatively unknown and is relatively undeveloped. Miles of trails, plenty of wetlands, swarms of dragonflies, trillions of trilliums, a deer, a beaver dam, a little snake. After hiking for three hours, stopping occasionally to read and rehydrate and pick woodticks out of my shoelaces, I sat myself at the park’s only picnic table, soaked in the view of the lake, and wrote for an hour or so. Mental refreshment.

Thank you, Laura, for the recommendation. Thank you, Kevin, for the day off.

Summertime Fun in Spring

I was talking on the phone one evening when Mateo came up to me soaking wet, followed by his Daddy. The next day I saw what they were up to. We had a couple of unusually hot days this month, prompting Kevin to make some “rain” with the hose. Mateo LOVED it. Then he innocently asked for the hose… and turned it on Kevin!

Two to Three!

Mateo turned 3 in May! Jonathan and Kale came over for his birthday party, as well as their families, Mateo’s Gabbys and Papas, Aunt Pat and Uncle Kurt. Here are Jonathan and Mateo eating lunch – look at those faces – not nearly as fun as playing outside with trucks and balls. Adrian wasn’t able to make it to the party, but we met up later in the week and the boys had fun rolling monster trucks down the curly slide.

Spring Outing

We ventured over the river the other day to order Mateo's birthday cake and decided to take a stroll down to the water with cookie and muffin in hand. We found a nice spot to enjoy our snack, and took a moment to enjoy our friend's handiwork (hi Jason!) - he helped build this nifty footbridge a couple/few years ago prior to moving from the area. Then we climbed all those stairs in the background and were delighted to find that they came up behind a pizzeria/malt shop :-)

The Great Outdoors

We've lived near a beautiful state park for the past eight years - this year we've FINALLY purchased an annual pass. Mateo and I took Lucy there the other day and walked around the lake. It felt like being on vacation - so nice. At least until Mateo tired of walking, then insisted on hanging precariously over the edge of a dock, and finally burst into tears when it was time to go home. C'est la vie. Note Mateo putting Lucy's leash around his foot - luckily she's not a sprinter.