Rescue At Sea?

We thought we might have to call 911 to pull a body out of Lake Superior, but wait!

Silly me. It was just a North Shore surfer. What else?! It's just so odd to see in the middle of winter.

Before Tony and Tricia had to leave we gathered for our group shot...

...and then to Clyde Ironworks (at Tony's suggestion) for lunch. Never heard of it before but the food was good and it was a really cool building!

Good Day Up Nordeast!

Yesterday wasn't so great weatherwise but it was better than the day before. On Friday we gals were snug and warm in the cabin while wondering if the boys and their girls were having issues with the roads. Cher was slaving in the kitchen most of the afternoon and had some tropical fruit on hand to help Kate and Brian with the transition from their Hawaiian excursion to northern Minnesota.

Jill and I drove into the Knife River P.O. about 4:00 and had this to deal with for snow and visibility.

Happily, Kate and Brian were there when we got back and Tony and Tricia rolled in safely around 8:45. Whew!

Yesterday Cher and I skied at Gooseberry State Park. It was snowing, breezy and warm enough to be sticky on our skis so it wasn't the best excursion but there are some beautiful snow scenes in the park just the same.

Happy hour was about 20 miles up the road near Castle Danger where they have an ice bar set up.

I guess it was a long way to drive for one drink but I wanted to say we'd tried it and everyone was willing to humour me.

(Isn't this a great group? Really!! We only had one drink!)
Our host still has holiday lights up on the cabins so it looks real homey when you drive in.

While we waited for supper to bake everyone caught up on their electronic lives. I think there are four laptops amongst the seven people here. Jill's been pushing for us to get one too and that might be coming sooner rather than later since I spend a LOT of time on my sister's computer when we're up here.

If you judge by the laughter we had a pretty good game of Mad Gab before the desserts came out.Today already people have to start heading back to their everyday lives but it's been fun so far. Looking ahead, it sounds like travel back home on Tuesday may be as questionable as it was for some coming up.

Under Construction

One side of the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth is being repainted but it's still pretty impressive up close and at night.

We're on a little winter vacay where everyone goes, right? The North Shore of Lake Superior. Cher has been here for a few days already and there are more folks coming in stages to join us. Us three girls went for supper at a little restaurant near here and since we're on vacation I tried a drink that seemed appropriate...a Three Sister's Cosmo. It definitely had a kick to it! The waitress got a little extra tip since she asked to see our i.d.'s. Kidding, just kidding. (About the i.d.'s...not the tip!)

Lunch With The King

We met Queen Mindy, Princess Natalie and Prince Harvey (that must make Jon the King!) at Burger King this noon. I tried the jalapeno and cheddar stuffed steakhouse burger and it was goooooooood! And Harvey? He just had ketchup!

Happy Birthday, Mr. T!

Today it's Tony's turn for a birthday celebration.

We had a bit of one at Old Country Buffet on Sunday but he also had to work so, Tony, I hope you get to be off today. Have a good one!

Ahhh, The Memories!

Awhile back this cartoon ran in the local paper.

It made me think of a time...back in 1989...when the two older boys created the same problem for themselves. We were swimming at the hotel in Brainerd on the first of our winter vacations. Their mom had gone back to the room for something and we posed this picture while she was gone.

Since then, when everyone else is headed south for their winter getaway we've headed north almost every year. Back then here was Brian....

...Jon

...and Tony...

...if he'd been old enough to go. That first year, anyway, he stayed behind for his skiing at Grandma and Grandpa's. Oh, and Cher may have looked a little different too!

This all comes to mind since this year's escape is coming up real fast! I think there'll be enough snow! :)

Happy Birthday, Mindy!

Jill and I wish nothing but the best for Mindy today!

65 Years!

Happy Anniversary to my mom and dad!!

Aloha But Still In Minnesota

My niece is leading a Gustavus Adolphus College class trip to Hawaii for the next two weeks (and my nephew is the lucky spouse that went along!). I may have two more people that would like to have gone too!

Wednesday Afternoon Theatre

We went to see "Country Strong" yesterday. Who ever thought Gwyneth Paltrow could sing like that?!

On my list for today is to download the soundtrack!

Tough Gal

See what happens if you mess with Cate? She'll take you down!

She was a little trouper this morning after she ran straight into the corner of a desk. If you look close you can see a bruise above her left eye but it didn't seem to faze her for long. I think Jill may have been more upset than Miss Cate.

Morning Company

This morning we had guests while their mommy and daddy went to an appointment. Claire and Cate came over for a couple hours of fun. They're getting really good at timed pictures. Push the button and run!!

End Of An Era

Back when Jack Nicklaus was Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year I started saving the covers from my magazine subscription. After much deliberation, thirty-two years and almost 1700 covers later I've decided to cancel. I used to read it cover to cover no matter what the sport. Didn't matter if it was boxing, hockey, Indy car racing. I read it all. Now it's pretty much just the football and golf that interests me and by the time I read the issues it's all old news anyway. It's interesting to note that back in 1978 the newsstand price was $1.25. Now it's $4.99! So goodbye old friend. I'll catch up with you online!

Fish Tacos?!

I've always been curious about fish tacos. Has anyone else tried them? By the looks of the Google images (as this one is) they can be fixed a myriad of different ways. Ours didn't look this attractive.

We decided it was one of those things that it was good to try but probably don't need to have again. Somehow "fish" and "tacos" don't seem to go together.

Fun For All

The Great-kids were great last night. They had fun looking at family pictures on a new calendar. One time through is never enough!

About an hour and a half after supper it was already snack time. Harvey didn't like the ice cream.But for Natalie..........it was good to the last drop! (And I agree!)

No issues posing for a group photo. We need an updated one for our wall of fame.Before bedtime Jill read three books that kept Natalie entertained but Harvey was determined to read his own!

First Book Of The New Year

I wonder if you can judge a book, at least a little bit, by it's cover. You can tell this must be old.

And if the copyright of 1954 didn't confirm it, the offer inside the front cover for other editions to be sent for 15 cents shipping and handling does!

Save MORE Big Money

My middle nephew, Jon, said there's a way to check on your Menards rebates so yesterday I took a look to see what I could find. They had a year's worth of our rebates listed and in 2010 we qualified for $157.48 of merchandise credit! We can always find a way to spend it. And now through Sunday you can get 11% back on everything in the store. So I'm not only getting in a plug for my favorite place to shop but giving a shout out to my oldest nephew's employer!

One Last Holiday Party

On 1/1/11 we had my family come for a little food and fun. But the roads from St. Peter were a little questionable and Brian had a cold so we were missing a couple important pieces to our family puzzle when he and Kate couldn't make it.

But they showed up later thanks to Tony setting up his computer and connecting us by Skype. That was my first introduction to that bit of technology and I guess it's one that little Harvey takes for granted at their house.

The kids, including their grandma, had a bit of fun, too, with a particular app on Tony's new phone.

So the new year's been rung in and we're set for 2011. Let's hope it's a good one for all! Happy New Year everybody!