A great day for vacation at Lost Lake today! The sun was out all day and not a cloud in site. It was another fun filled day that started with kids camp hiking and fishing while the adults headed to town for some shopping. On the way Laura spotted the medallion which makes us a perfect 3-0 for the hunt which is a Galvin family record! Lunch was picnic on the beach. The rest of the afternoon was filled with sun bathing, sand castles, capturing tadpoles and a baby turtle, watching ducks, eagles, and deer, and horsing around in kayaks. The camp also rolled out a new water trampoline for the kids opened up the dock slide. After supper it was a quick walk to the docks and watching a turtle roll over on his back and slide down a hill. Watching a turtle rocket down a hill on his back while peeing profusely is disturbingly entertaining. Evening time was spent doing s’mores over a fire and tending to various tick and bug-bite issues. The ticks have had a prolific spring and are everywhere, inside and out. Laura told Garrett about a large tick in her brothers ear when he was young, and now our youngest who is deathly afraid of ticks won’t sleep in his own bed. Oh bother, this could get interesting. G’night.
Vacation – Day 3
Our first full day at Lost Lake. Most of the day was spent re-exploring the camp and facilities. After breakfast the boys hit the docks for some fishing, resulting in some nice bass and bluegill stories to be told. After fishing we joined the girls for sun, sand, and swimming. Lunch was a another traditional trip to Zorbaz and rain chased us inside. Let’z zay that zome thingz don’t live up to memoriez. After lunch the kids got the second medallion clue which led us right to the spot, and for the second morning in a row the kids found the medallion. During the afternoon everyone split and did their own things for awhile like naps, cards, shuffle board, ping pong, and practicing magic. More on the magic later. After a cry for help from Claire we rushed to the lake to find Laura paddle boarding in the middle of the lake. Poor kid was worried that mom was being sucked out to sea, but she was managing just well. After supper mom and Garrett faced off in a shuffle board challenge dominated by the elder. Dad tried schooling the kids in checkers and found himself squeaking out a victory against the youngest. For our evening entertainment the master of magic, the reader of minds, Mr. Garrett wowed the girls with a mind reading magic trick that still has them scratching their heads. Garrett was bestowed some magical powers from a magician we met on the way up here, and he practiced to make sure he did the magic right before entertaining the girls. Who knew he had such an interesting talent, you’ll have to ask him about it sometime.
And now the day is done. Everyone is exhausted and in bed as I sit here making one last tick check. Tomorrow? No plans. Pretty much do as little or as much as anyone wants to do. We’ll see if the kids can 3-peat the medallion hunt, but I know sitting in a chair, in the sand, by the water, with a drink in my hand, and no electronics is certainly in my future.
Vacation – Day 2
Last night was interesting while the kids were at the pool Our hotel door lock, the one you only use when someone is in the room, somehow engaged! Note for would-be-thieves, a blue-bar and some muscle does eventually pop those off! Sounds like I need to invent and market a tool for unlocking these according to the very helpful maintenance man. After regaining access to our room and a good nights sleep it was off to Nelson Brothers this morning for some fritter bread breakfast. Fritter breads sole purpose in life is to fatten sweet toothed over-eaters like me. Add their wild rice sausage and I’m in hog heaven. We arrived at Lost Lake to great weather and and the kids enjoyed several hours of playing in the sand and on the water. After supper we were able to find the hidden medallion and explored a bit more of the camp to see what has changed. As dusk approached the mosquito’s overtook as and we retreated to the cabin for drinks and checkers. Tomorrow plans? More do-nothing.
Vacation – Day 1
This year we’re heading back to an old family favorite for our 5th year of fun at Lost Lake. We’ve all been looking forward to some extreme downtime. Day one plans included making the drive to the Twin Cities for some mall shopping, mini-golf (Dad rules!), and a hotel for some pool and hot tub relaxation. In the morning: Fritter French Toast!
Summer?
Looking back I see my post dated Dec 11 noting our first taste of cold and snow after a long hot dry summer. I welcome the spring rain this week, and am starting to miss the warmer weather. Snow on the deck was not what I wanted to see this morning. Summer where are you?
Winter
After a summer of unending heat you might think I’m ready for the first little taste of winter. The return of single digit wind chill and even the first flakes of snow are tolerable. The unwelcome return of flu season has disrupted our house as we ramp up basketball season. The house is full of a million calorie laden treats as I continue in vain to reduce my weight. Even the credit card is showing wear as we wrap up the last few Christmas gifts. Tis the season…
Butterfield and Fordson frustration.
Long day working on the Fordson. After a 3 year hiatus the old gal threw lots of rusty gunk problems at me, mostly fuel line and carburetor related issues. After much frustration, and many choice words, I’m glad to report the Fordson is running again! It’s not perfect yet, but she’ll make the show. May tomorrow bring better fortune.
Sunset in the Badlands
Wrapping up a day in the Badlands with a few drinks, cool weather, and beautiful views. Glad to hear it’s raining back home and hope the house still standing.
Testing integration
This is a test connection of my mobile phone to our site with cross-posting to Facebook. Looks like it’s working.
This image was from this weekend while we were at Okoboji dropping the kids off for camps.
Promotion
With the strong support and backing of the administrative staff at my office, you are now talking to the Manager of Information Technology. What’s changed? Nothing really, more responsibilities and paperwork generally. The best part of the change is my salary range now allows pay increases again. Yippee!