Time at the Lake - Part 2 of WI

Of course there was fishing on our trip.

Orion looked forward to the fishing for months in advance. And he did well! He didn't catch any huge fish from the bottom of the lake like he really wanted, but he got lots of small perch. Continually being successful was good to keep his fishing stamina up.

They share the major and minor times on the radio daily. The whole family would quiet down to hear the best times to head to the lake.

I was so proud of the kids. They were humane in their approach to fishing. They so sweetly took the fishies off the hooks, then said thank you before releasing them back into lake.

Sometimes it took a minute or two for the fish to come out of their stupor and realize they could swim away.

Not only did Maebelle tell the fish thank you for letting her catch them, she also told the worms sorry for having to sacrifice them so she could catch fish.

"Thank you."

All the green! I'm missing it so much right now!

Each morning there was this algae or something all over the water. Orion liked to draw with his line through golden yellow.

Maebelle got tired of fishing sooner than Orion did. She did enjoy the rock wall in front of the pub.

Our trip was during softball season, so Maebelle enjoyed practicing pitching rocks to the water (click to enlarge):

She also enjoyed walking along the large trunk at the top of the beach area.

Hand fishing...

Cedar puppy didn't care for the water very much. He was a little spooked by it actually. Every time a wave, if you could even call them waves, would come up, he'd jump back. It was quite funny.

The kids loved swimming. And floating. But for the most part, I thought the water was just cold.

Next up is our eventful trip down the Wisconsin River!

A Real Wisconsin Vacation, Part 1

It's been too long since I posted pictures. I don't know exactly why I felt the 'dry season' for my photography, but I did. However, recently, I've been missing it. Missing the enjoyment I get out of pondering which shot to take, finding the exact f-stop to capture what I'm going for, making the camera reflect back to me what I saw in the first place. Then beyond that, I have been missing sitting at the computer where I have full view of the house, reviewing and choosing my favorite shots, and posting those that are the dearest to my heart for all to see.

As I brought up images from our vacation to the cabin in Wisconsin, I fell in love all over again. I really do love documenting the world as I see it and am excited to get to share these (way too many) pictures with you. In addition to that, I'm sure you've noticed by now, my blog has a fresh look. It was time to make a change and let the appearance grow and adjust with the way I'm feeling now.

Enjoy!

Orion patiently waited for us to get packed up on the morning we left. He spent his time getting in every last bit of BOTW he could before a WHOLE WEEK AWAY!

Cedar was able to go with us on this particular trip. Definitely the way to travel - with the puppy! Although, he did not really like the ride. It was a stressful drive for him, which meant it was a bit stressful for us all. But we made it there and back with everyone still alive, so I'd call it a success.

The Highland pack for the Highlander.

Orion started the trip in the middle of the car and Cedar in the very back - you can see his white and black fuzziness there below.

Maebelle and Orion stayed entertained with a little Brain Quest - remember those old flip cards?

And a little reading, a little music, some good friends (butterfly and owlie blanket.)

The cabin comes full of things to do - canoe, tube rocket, reading material, a million things to discover around the cabin and out buildings and beyond.

But games are a favorite of Maebelle's. It didn't take her long to discover the game Who? What? Where?. We played it several nights in a row, for hours at a time, usually accompanied by wine (on my part), snacks and LOTS of laughter from both of us.

The drawings were a little crazy! We've looked for it since we've been back, but they no longer make it so you can buy it on ebay for about $100. I don't know that we enjoyed it quite that much!

We had never taken this puppy to spend the night anywhere prior to our trip. He is a very good puppy, but I was a little curious how he'd do staying somewhere other than home.

Turns out, he did great! His behavior was even better than when we were at home at the time. :) That being said, he was only about a year old on our trip and he was still ornery from time to time at home. Now that he's a little closer to two years old, he has calmed down even more. Awww, I love him!

Being able to just hang out with no plans, no expectations, no schedule was wonderful. Although it made for some weirdness from the kids. For some reason, on the morning these were taken they were measuring the size of their heads. They are so silly.

My love.

Orion worked to get the tie-down secured so Cedar could hang outside with us. In the meantime, Maebelle showed Cedar around the property. The Hamlin sign was intriguing to Maebelle.

I think she's (unsuccessfully) trying to do ninja moves, but she's also wearing my blue dress. This was one of the first pieces of mine she decided she could pull off. It's hard to believe we are already at this point in life - that she can successfully wear my clothes.

The kids really got into the chess games together. I was a little surprised at how much they enjoyed it. And they were actually both really good!

Old school crazy Zachary:

The kids got a real kick out of that one!

This silly puppy. He loved stealing our fire logs. He'd try to get his mouth around them, but couldn't pick them all the way up. By half carrying, half dragging them, he moved them over to his favorite spot in the yard so he could lay and chew while we hung out by the fire.

Creepy, creepy, smoked cheese eating beauty. (I'll let you decide which one I'm referring to...maybe both! Haha!)

I have a lot more pictures, so stay tuned.