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!



Beckett's 3rd Birthday Party

Sunday Beckett hosted friends and family to celebrate his third birthday.  It was sunny and hot so water play ruled...



Here's Frank doing what every responsible father would do...throwing the birthday boy in the water.



Delaney decided the water table was the place to be.



Beckett led the hose action.




Amongst all the chaos Delaney stays focused.




Belly flop competition




Beckett's favorite critter...T-Rex




The kids decided to eat the tail first




Three candles...no problemo!




The "old(er) folks" hung out in the shade and rockers on the front porch




When it was time to leave Delaney had a big smile for Great Grandma



Camping at Clear Lake

We bought the trailer in 2011 and spent every weekend in it from May until September as the house was being built, but we kept it parked by the far garage the whole time.  In 2012 we didn't use the trailer at all as we settled in, landscaped, had two grandkids arrive, celebrated my Mom's 90th...plus I was still working full time.

So, this week we went on our first real camping trip.  It was pretty much a trial run, we went to Clear Lake, a state forest campground only about 20 miles from home.  Beautiful park, we only stayed one night but had a great time.  Looking forward to many more trips, especially with the grandkids!

P.S.  Baily is a great camper.



All packed up and ready to roll



Our campsite, right behind down a bank is the lake.



Baily loved spashing in the water, a new experience.




A dog's life



The back half of the trailer, the big rear window is probably the main reason we chose this model.



Queen size bed in the front.




Playing cards over drinks at 5.




Grilled brats for dinner




Getting the fire started




Made pudgy pies over the fire; Macy used cherry pie filling...they were great




Nothing like a good belly rub next to the campfire to end the day.



Square Foot Garden Update

This year's garden is doing much better, last year we didn't even have it planted until about now because of everything else going on.  That said even this year we planted late since there was snow on the ground into early May.  Gardening Up North provides some unique challenges, and we're learning more and more about growing in this climate zone.



Added two beds this year, one is planted solely with asparagus.  The wire baskets keep the critters away.




The peppers were all started from seed by Scott.  We brought them back from our visit in early May.




Macy has done a good job of succesion planting which hopefully will extend the eating season.



Rain Day Relaxing



Keeping the quilt flat?



2013 Pokegama Eagle Nest

This year eagles are nesting on the island you pass on the left as you head into the main part of the lake, across from "Chosa's Point".  The nest had been under construction the previous two years; this is the first year that it was actually used.  As far as we can tell there are two young eagles, and as you can see they are getting large.  The adult has a large fish.