July 19th, 2011

The plan for the morning was for Kirk and Trent to take Lauren out for a boat ride and get in some fishing.  Lauren was determined to catch a fish this year.  She also wanted to “drive” the boat.

Done and done!  She was ecstatic!

She also helped Kirk clean the fish.  There’s nothing clean about cleaning a fish, it’s a pretty dirty job.

Proud girl!

We then headed to Kawishiwi Falls, an annual tradition.

We had a great time.  Oh, and Trent found a buried treasure!

Someone’s old prescription glasses.  Oh good, now we can all retire and live in the lap of luxury.

Kiki and Mickey were in charge of dinner (which means Mickey and Hannah made dinner) and had a late start due to a conference call (Who takes conference calls on vacation?  That would be our Kiki.)  So we gave the kids bathed and hung out…with cocktails.

The kitchen crew.

Grilled chicken and zucchini, grilled asparagus, salad, and a goat cheese pasta salad. 

It was worth the wait.

July 18th, 2011

So everyone has made it to the cabin, let the fun continue!

 

We went on a boat ride and did some “fishing".”  Really it was us melting on the lake in 90 degree weather and no breeze.  Then Sydney declared she was bored…after 5 minutes.  So switched gears and went on a boat ride.  And by boat ride, we took the boat back to the cabin.  On our way back we passed Kiki and Hannah on the Kayaks.

Hannah picked these flowers on an island on their kayak trip.  They were beautiful and Sally put them in a vase for our table.  Oddly enough, they are water flowers, but wilted the next day being in a vase of water.  That confused me, but many things do.

I decided to take the kids to the beach to swim.  The weather was in the 90’s in a cabin with no air conditioning, the best place to play would be in the lake.

The kids were getting antsy waiting for me, so Hannah pushed them on the swing by our deck.  Of course, then I made them pose for the picture before we headed to the beach.  Thankfully they realize if they complain it’ll just take longer, so they pose, smile, and we can move on with life well documented.

Michelle and Trent joined me on the beach.  Michelle and I chit chatted and Trent read his book.

I loved that book and thought Trent would like it too.  It’s “This is Where I Leave You” by Jonathon Tropper.  I liked it so much I just finished my fourth Jonathon Tropper book and have one more to go.  Trent started and finished the book while in Minnesota and was a fan. 

We take turns for who makes dinner each night, tonight was Michelle and Jon’s night. 

It was a crowd pleaser.  They made beautiful salad (that was actually the name of the recipe, beautiful salad on allrecipes.com), rice, and chicken sautéed with zucchini, tomatoes, edamame, and feta cheese.  It was quite the presentation and equally delicious!

The rest of the evening was all things cabin life.  Puzzles, games, conversation, and cocktails.

And cuteness!

July 16th, 2011

We decided to spend the morning and part of the afternoon exploring Duluth.  First off was putting our toes in Lake Superior, just for the heck of it.

 

Toes in water, check. 

Next off was visiting Duluth’s Aquarium.  I thought it was okay.  I think I had high hopes or something.  First off, the admission for all of us was $46.  Coming from St. Louis where most of our attraction prices are free, I was expecting huge aquarium action.  There was really only one big, big aquarium.  That being said, we got to watch scuba divers feed sturgeon.  That was probably my favorite part.

You can see one of the sturgeon on the right.  This was our first stop and it was then all small displays.  But some cool stuff.

Duluth Aquarium, check.

Next on the list was lunch.  We went to Lake Avenue Restaurant and Bar in Canal Park.

Lauren’s pasta.

My salad.

Sydney’s pizza.

Trent’s pulled bison cuban sandwich.  He was the winner of most adventurous orderer. 

Lunch, check.

Our next stop was the Glensheen Mansion.  Highly recommend, so much fun! 

The gardens around the mansion are just beautiful.  They have flower gardens, fountains, creeks, and a big vegetable garden.  We took an hour guided tour through the mansion, but they do not let you take any pictures inside.  It was the perfect attraction for our family.  There was history and learning for Trent, fancy decor, inside scoop on family drama, and gardens for me, and the girls liked all of it…except for the “no touching anything” part while we were in the house. 

Glensheen Mansion, check.

After the tour and Trent’s personal inquisition with our tour guide, we got in the car to head to the cabin.  This leg of the trip was only 2 hours, easy breezy!  We were greeted with an excited Elizabeth, Kirk, and Sally.  And they got the BIG cabin this year, we are livin’ large in our new digs!

One extra story, 2 extra bedrooms, and one extra bathroom with a tub.  Me likey. 

Driving to Ely, check.

Sally made a Bond family traditional favorite for dinner and had everything already done when we got there.

  

Chicken Tetrazzini.  It was the perfect end to a great day!

Blog for July 16th, check.