Nevermind the Rain...

Chris had a week off so we spent some time in Minneapolis. The hotel we stayed at (Grand Rios) had an indoor waterpark and we spent a whole day playing in the water while it rained outside.

(Note: I apologize for the photo quality, I think my camera was on a low setting and the lighting was pretty poor indoors on a rainy day, so put those together and it's not too pretty... some things you really can't fix in photoshop...)

The little kids enjoyed the tot section with it's shallow water and slides for all ages.

Ella even braved the slide herself...

Everyone enjoyed kicking back in the lazy river...

Taron's favorite is always the hot tub, poor kid is always cold...

There was plenty to keep everyone entertained; water basketball, big dumping bucket, cannons, and six waterslides, some as tall as the hotel itself.

And one of which was a little bit different...the kids called it the "toilet bowl", although it's proper name was something like the "Hurricane". Chris was the winner for longest "flush".

Confession

In regards to my daughter's comment...

OK, so I have to admit, yes I do edit my photos sometimes on the computer, but I'm really not that good at the photography part. If I want to blur the background, I cheat and do it in photoshop. If the colors come out too dull because of poor lighting, I click on the contrast button and voila! it's almost as if a grey film is removed off the image. I love being able to use the computer this way because it means those of us who lack the know-how in photography can make up for it in other ways (if you want to see some real photography, visit my cousins blog at http://www.dailygrapefruit.blogspot.com). So yes, Solei, you are probably right, it is not the camera's fault, but the photographers. Maybe someday I will take a course.

P.S. Someday you will appreciate my editing abilities when all the photos of your teenage years are acne-free. :)

Morning Walk

Can adventure and serenity coexist in harmony?

I decided to take my camera along for my morning walk yesterday and capture some of the scenes along the way to share with my blogger friends. Maybe you will get an idea of why I don't mind braving the harsh winters here...

Our neighborhood is on the outskirts of town where mother nature keeps things interesting.

Although most people do try to tame her a bit.

I spotted a girl carrying a big box and asked if she needed help, she said she was just taking care of her pet frog that she found by the pond. I was impressed at the little habitat she had created so I asked if I could take a photo. The frog is in the bottom left corner.

Of course, frogs are not the only critters hopping around -- I found this guy sitting so still on somebody's porch that I mistook him for a statue at first...

It's also not unusual to see squirrels, deer, birds, raccoons, chipmunks... and although I still haven't seen one, my friend had a bear in her backyard not long ago. Some people even have reindeer on their roof.

And some proudly bear the symbol of freedom.

Whispers from the past leave you wondering what happened...

And who was there...

Some roads are less travelled by...

And some are frequented more often, leading to the saltless sea against the horizon...

Or to the hills,

Or to home, where I find the house still asleep...

So I journey on, this time with an eager friend...

We venture through the woods where waters abound -- from the babbling brooks...

To the placid ponds...But not everywhere...

Others have paved the way before me...

But left some places undisturbed...

I forgot to eat breakfast, but no worries...I made do with some fresh raspberries, much sweeter than the storebought variety...


Just a little bit of heaven every morning...

A Break in the Clouds

Saturdays have been cursed with rain lately. And cold. The other days are fine, but Saturdays... not so sunny. I've never had such severe wakeboarding withdrawals.

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A few weeks ago we tried to squeeze some boating in between the cloudbursts, but all we managed was to suck rocks into the engine on the first run. We are forever grateful to the kind fishermen who braved the weather to give us a tow back to the ramp. Our poor boat was fixed the next week and ready to go again for our vacation, although our pocketbook was drastically lighter.

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So yesterday we started our vacation and took the boat out to Island Lake, this time with a prayer that things would go well. It was a blast! I finally rode my beloved wakeboard again and even convinced (well, more like coerced) Taron and Ella to ride the big tube with me.

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We invited the Faerbers and watched Betsy show off her slaloming skills (who woulda thunk she could do that?).

Chris still refused to get in, I think it is because of his ankles, but he enjoyed whipping up the waves for the tubers to flop around on.

The water was as warm as a swimming pool (75*) since we had been blessed with a few days in the 80's that week (it's amazing how fast the lakes warm up here). We were enjoying a picnic on a little island when the rains came... fast... but we made it out OK (prayers answered).

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I'm a bit sore today but it feels so good, and tomorrow's another day on the lake. I love vacation!

What to Do, What to Do.....

Since our boat was in the shop and the weather was dreary, we changed our plans for Saturday and went golfing. It was my first time on a real course and some of the kids came too.

We rented a few golf carts because little legs get tired fast.


I think driving the cart was more fun than the golfing for some of the kids...
Chris was our instructor, we learned fast that it's not as easy as it looks...

Since the weather was bad, we almost had the course all to ourselves, but not quite...

So another hobby has been added to our list. Thanks for the fun time, Chris!