Fishing

The boys were super excited to go fishing.  They stayed out on the water for a good amount of time.  Gus and Anders were ready to come in, but John would have stayed out there all day.

 Gus caught a fish not long after they got out there.  It was a small one so they threw it back.  Gus said it was disgusting.

 The things grandpas do for their grandchildren.  My dad gets pretty bad motion sickness.  But he braved the nausea for his grandsons.

 John is patiently waiting for a fish to bite.  Sadly, he never caught one.  But he was happy for his brothers when they caught one.  Because he is a sweet boy like that.

Gus ended up catching a second fish that was actually big enough to eat.  The boys had a great time watching Hans prepare the fish.  Fritz was extremely interested in all of this and even got a hold of the fish head at one point.  Gus wouldn't let Fritz lick him for a week after that.

Going on a Boat Ride

I remember driving the boat with my grandpa when I was little.  I love, love, love these pictures.  They bring back such wonderful memories.

It didn't phase Anders one bit that he couldn't see where he was going.  We are in trouble when this kid turns 16.

 We all enjoyed some quality time on the boat.

 Fritz was very nervous on the boat.  As much as this dog did not want to be in the water, given the chance, I'm pretty sure he would have jumped in.

 John had a lot fun trying out every seat on the boat.  But I think his favorite was in the back watching the motor.

 Although he did enjoy telling jokes to anyone who would listen.  Grandma is always an easy target audience.

 Comforting our ridiculous dog.

I LOVE this picture.  My grandmother with her youngest great grandchild. 

 Beautiful.

Water Play

The boys could not wait to get into the water and have some fun.  The same could not be said for our big yellow dog.

 Two-thirds of the boys loves squirting each other with water.  One-Third only liked being the one doing the squirting.

 Uncle Mark was more than willing to lend a helping hand in filling the squirt gun.

Replace the water gun with a hose and I'm pretty sure there is a picture somewhere of me looking like this.

 The boys tried to coax Fritz in, but whatever breed is mixed with the lab is dominant as far as water goes.  He did NOT want to get in.

 This is as far as he got and that is only because he was trying to follow the paddle boat.

 He quickly and happily returned when they went out too far.

 He made his way to the dock in order to keep a close eye on them.  Barking the whole time, of course.

The boys loved riding around in the paddle boat.  I'm pretty sure they would have stayed out there for hours if we would have let them.

 And when they were done Fritz braved the water to be there to greet them. 

Swimming

John discovered the joys of swimming over the summer.  He's been swimming before and has always enjoyed himself, but turned into a little fish this summer.

Hans told John to jump in the water and he would catch him.  Right before John jumped in he said, "But Daddy, you aren't good at catching things."  However, this did not deter John from jumping in anyways.

  This was also the first year John put his whole head underwater.  I think he is ready to take some swim classes.

Even Anders enjoyed himself.

Boat Rides

We stayed at my grandparents cottage for a few days and had a wonderful time.

This is the view from their front porch. If it weren't for all those darn geese we could take the fence down, but it also helps keep John on land.

As soon as we got to the lake John jumped out of the car and started running towards the water. He was yelling the whole way "Let's jump in the river!!" We told him he needed a life jacket so he bugged and bugged until my grandpa found one for him.

He was so excited to take out the paddle boat.

I'm not sure how he felt about the ride...

As soon as he had his paddle boat ride he focused all of his energy getting on the party boat. My grandpa just sat out there, with him, for the longest time.

The next night we took a ride around the lake. John got to drive, but he was more interested in honking the horn...go figure.

Gus thinks this is a form of torture.

When you see John you'll have to ask him if he broke the boat. We still aren't sure if he was asleep and his hand slipped, or if he was just laying his head down and couldn't resist, but somehow he turned the key and the motor stopped. The funny thing was that no one could get it started again. So, my dad, Hans and my grandpa all grabbed ores and started rowing us in. It was a LONG way back to our place and just when we were feeling hopeless, some guys came over and towed us in. After we found out the boat wasn't really broken, just a disconnection in the starter, Hans and I were able to joke with John about breaking a boat.

New Cabin

So, most of you know that Hans' family has land on the Canadian side of Gunflint Lake. It is a wonderful place full of family and beautiful scenery. Hans' parents just finished building a beautiful cabin when all the property on the Canadian side was destroyed by a fire over a year ago. This event was devastating to the whole family as many childhood memories are connected to this land. John and Solveig decided to rebuild. I am grateful for this for many reasons but most of all so that my children will create childhood memories here. Here are some pictures of the beautiful cabin, so far.



These two picture windows over look the lake. It is hard to tell, but the cabin is built up on a cliff so the view will be magnificent.


This staircase was designed by my father in-law and just installed. Isn't is gorgeous?



Hans and I both have many childhood memories going up to the lake (mine being in Silver Lake, New York) and I want so badly for our children to create their own memories at both places. With some coordination and determination our children will spend summers at Gunflint and Silver Springs with great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.