Time to Boot

Boot lake 2017!  We headed first to spend the night with the Bryan Klan for some celebrations and high flying rope swings but left early in the morning and headed to the Nicolet with camper in tow.  We were going to stay until Wednesday but it didn't take long for us to extend our trip until the following Sunday for no other reason than it was better than going home!  The kids made their annual pilgrimage to the candy store for candied rocks, taffy and cigarettes.  We had the traditional theme night party: Hollywood.  Batman, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Katy Perry and Brett Micheals all made an appearance and we had garbage bag and tin foil catwalk competitions.  Morning and evening fishing in the canoe bookended the afternoons at the beach.  The kids snorkeled and dug holes at the beach and hitched a tube ride around the lake.  There was plenty of time during the day for lounging in the hammock to read and work on flint/steel fire starting and the nights were for games in the camper and around the fire.  The weather cooperated and it was about as perfect as anyone could ask for!

Well that was a Long Day

It was late in the evening yesterday, I think we were coming back from the store when Grace said..."this has been a really long day."  I hadn't thought of it but she was right, the morning already seemed like a week ago as we pack in activities to fill our bountiful time.  The older two were off early in the morning to do speed/strength training at the high school and while Merrick slept in late to complete a 12 hour REM cycle us remaining three headed to the Elementary school.  It was our week to tend to the school garden.  It was our first week and we were a little over prepared with shovels and rakes and implements of destruction rattling in the back of the truck we made the short drive to the little garden that could.  It was a three raised beds and about 30 square feet that was producing a wonderful yield.  Sadly our large tools were not in need and we weeded by hand and searched for water cans, but finding none headed home.  There was a large summer squash that we could have taken but we weren't sure what to cook it with so we left it for the next family on the list.  We loaded up the newly cleaned buckets from the weekend of water balloon wars and headed to the strawberry patch for a little late season berry picking.  It wasn't even lunch time when we returned but it was time to dismantle the swingset.  We hustled and beat the midday rain storm.  Amy and Merrick put together a great strawberry pie to round off the afternoon.  Long yes, seemingly normal summer day also a yes.

Weekend Warriors!

Few pictures but plenty of laughs, the Clan O'Bryan made it to town with Grandprize and Grandma. The kids played versions of ghost in the graveyard and made two trips to the store to refill the water balloon armory.  We hit the Zippin' Pippin' earlyish on Saturday and the lines were not that long considering the holiday weekend and left us time to even play a round of footgolf.  The Bard played the game with the classic gout his middle progeny would be limping around with a bum toe by the end of the weekend as well, although Jacob's story is better than just 'getting old."  We hit the Lake shore and picked through rocks for the best skippers and dribbled ice cream down the sides of our cones before heading a little further south to a more expansive beach and a rousing game of volleyball.