Sea Dogs

Renee and Scott urging Caya to make the leap



And she does, Caya was the most reliable retriever

While Caya and Cooper were playing in the water Baily maintained the high ground in the back of the Gator...and barked




Through much work by Scott, Baily finally goes in deep enough to get his tail wet



And actually swims!

Bucket Brigade

Despite the fact there is a 1,000 acre lake ten feet away what could be more fun for 2 one year olds than a 5 gallon bucket of water?

Deeres

Grandpa couldn't be happier, two more John Deere converts.

Poles Rock! 2

Harvest Time!

Kayak Fun

My mom was out in the kayak the other day.  Got in and out pretty much on her own; I had to steady the kayak.  Asked that she stay close by, but of course she immediately took off across the bay. 

In the lagoon



Back from points unknown




Baily showed her the way in




A few barks to get her closer to shore




Life is good!



Benched

The bench ends in the pics below have been in the family a long time.  My mother remembers them on the family farm in the 1930's, and it's possible the family had them in the Chicago years as well, in the 1910's or 1920's.  There are two sets of ends, I just restored one of the benches by getting new wood, staining it the same as the house, and stripping and then repainting the ends.  The ends are concrete, each one weights close to 100 pounds.

Poles Rock!

We're still learning what vegetables work best in our climate zone.  Pole beans are doing great, they get lots of sun plus radiant heat off the side of the garage.  Should be picking beans later this week.



Ready to Soar

This year's Pokegama eagles look like they are about to fledge.  We'll know when they do because there will be constant commotion on the bay as the young eagles beg to get the parents to continue to provide food, and the parents try to train them to do it on their own.  Similar to what humans do when their kids get to be 21.  Here's some pics from our last boat ride.



There's always at least one adult watching the nest from across the channel.

Sea Legs Part 2



Baily is over his hesitation concerning the lake...he's all in!



Loves playing fetch, and his tail never gets wet!

 

Loves wading





Loves playing with the floating chairs





 



Loves playing in the sand pile



Not quite sure he's after though



And he loves fishing







Visitors

My Mom's up through July along with Frechles.  Despite much concern on our part, Baily and Frechles have gotten along fine, although we haven't tried "pony" rides yet.

Sea Legs

We're trying to get Baily to play in the water but he's being cautious.  Time will tell, stay tuned.



Macy tried toys to tempt him out.




One step at a time.




He had no hesitation when it came to hopping into the kayak.



Steps Out

We tried using just stepping stones for the entry to the house; worked great last summer...not so great in the winter, and the spring thaw was a disaster.  So we decided to have a stone sidewalk put in and we are really pleased the way it turned out.



Here's the "before" shot.



Baily stood guard at the door all day long as the work progressed.



After removing the sod, a layer of crushed stone was put down and then each stone was pounded into place.




The laying went pretty fast until the ends where they had to use a concrete saw to get the proper curves and fit.




Rubber edging holds the sides in shape and a polymer sand was swept into the cracks.  Soil is backfilled in.





They got a good fit at the entry stone stair.




Ta da!