Hi, New Kindergarten Families and Old Friends
and my own personal family!
I am looking forward to a wonderful new school year!
Before our blog turns to school updates and sharing pics of your precious little ones,
here is a fun summer-in-pictures post...
Our new puppy, Loki, settled in nicely!
He is Samoyed!
The honey bees are doing great...
Sorcha's cat, Khashehk, is bee sitting!
We went to a Pizza Farm for Maeve's graduation supper.
Graham and Melissa came home from Atlanta and Lee came back from Wisconsin Dells. Only Shae and family couldn't join us.
Can't believe our 4th graduated!
We are so proud of her...leaving high school with 60 college credits! Yay PSEO!
We did a lot of kayaking.
Lee went with us down the Whitewater from Elba to Beaver.
Yes, I flipped my kayak in a snag!
(it's called the Whitewater for a REASON)
Didn't loose a thing though except my dignity!
We took Loki swimming in the Mississippi.
Maeve and I went to Indianapolis to see Shae and Chris and my grandbabies!
My sister stopped in on her back from Florida.
Gosh, I LOVE them!
We had Dinosaur Summer School in June...
We saw several plays and musicals, Mary Poppins and Chicago, to see Garrett; we went to Shakespeare as well.
Sorcha and I and John went to a steam punk convention near Chippewa! Fun!
Love me some Dr.WHO!
We had LOTS of chicks hatch out this year.
What are the chances we have 12 new roosters?
No!!!!
The kids love to use the slack line.
Not me, I fall off.
I went to a painting class at Mrs. Sand's house!
Rain Forest Animals 1 was also in June!
We went to the Science Museum to see the space exhibit.
Go if you get the chance, it was so well done!
There were so many water balloon fights!
We checked out a new (to us) bakery in Rochester...MMMM!
John tried to capture a swarm on honey bees...no luck!
But it was a learning experience!
We took two midweek vacations in July.
I really cannot tell you which was my favorite!
I lOVED them both!
Here is the first one:
We camped and kayaked (total 15 miles) the Apostle Islands on the Wisconsin side of Lake Superior.
Lee took some time off to join us...priceless spending vacations with grown children!
We had to take the ferry from Bayfield to LaPoint...
our little visitor...
Love those sea caves!
We could kayak into the caves...
Oh, yeah, the crazy part...
we jumped off a cliff into 55* Lake Superior!
Maeve did it more than once!
This one is me...too scared to scream...9 seconds of terror but so fun after it was over!
Then the next week we took the three youngest to Thunder Bay, Ontario! We got to use our passports as a family!
We stopped at Betty's Pies for Maeve's 18th birthday!
and there is no way we could just drive past Gooseberry...
agates!
This was our lodge for the 3 days...no tv, no internet...totally unplugged!
It is called Naniboujou Lodge and it is just south of the Canadian border...
The first morning John and I took a backpacking trip to the end of the Superior Hiking trail which actually overlooks Canada...what a cool morning!
We drove on this narrow road for 45 minutes to get to the trailhead...
3 mile hike was so worth it!
We could see for 30 miles...no sign, not one, of humans!
Not a road or chimney in sight!
Our lunch at the Canadian/US border...
Later we took the kids to Thunder Bay.
Canadian money is so cool!
Customs...an interesting experience!
We went amethyst mining in a real working mine!
This is all Maeve wanted for her 18th birthday!
oh, yes, we saw moose!
back at the lodge we just hung out at the lake every chance we could...
Ceiling of the lodge...
we did a little letterboxing...see page at top for details of our hobby!
We hiked up up up and down down down and up again to see the Devil's Kettle...pretty neat!
Our different walking gear...
Some of our treasures from the lake...
Back at home, we can't keep Maeve and Loki out of the water...this is Garvin Creek
Oh, even more nerve wracking than kayaking the lake and jumping off a cliff? Having a news team at my house!
They highlighted my summer reading program.
The link is below if you are interested...
Fionn turned 13!
August brought another round of summer school...BUG FUN!
Oh, I tried paddle boarding.
Apparently I need more practice!
Maeve and John are naturals, though!
More kayaking...I tell you water calls us all the time!
I tried to spend time relaxing on our nice nighttime deck.
Here we are back in the water!
This is Pettibone Park near LaCrosse.
We stopped after going to the Rivoli for a cheap movie.
We had two batches of kittens this summer!
So cute!
Maeve wanted to go up to Chimney Rock one last time before she goes off to Moorhead as a Freshman at the college...
and back in the water!
Loki was soooo tired on the way home...CUTE!
I had more summer school ....RAIN FOREST ANIMALS 2!
This picture of Loki leaping made the international Samoyed Facebook Page...pretty cool!
Another water date...tubing on a hot day!
We also got to go to a pirate party!John provided entertainment by firing his cannon. Now that was fun!
Sorcha turned 16...
Maeve up to Moorhead to begin her Freshman
(Junior actually with PSEO credits) year!
And then Sorcha promptly got her driver's permit!
We headed to Indianapolis to help my daughter pack for a temporary move into her in-laws house.
Their lovely home sold before their "new" house's paper work was done with the bank.
We stopped and had lunch with Lee first in Wisconsin Dells...
I just LOVED seeing my grandbabies again!
One last picture outside of their home for 9 years!
Our summer was wonderfully full and beautifully balanced!
A little work, a little play,
with some crazy busy times, a some times spent just enjoying the view from our deck.
I am looking forward to a lovely and lively school year!
