Fun Part 2: Snowshoeing, Snowman, Sliding, Snowball Fight, and Dinner

(You may already know, but just in case...if you double click on a picture in this posting, you can view them all as a slide show in a larger format. Then you can press ESC to get back to read my always wonderful comments!)

Yesterday was packed with action. I think everyone must have been more than ready for bed last night. The day started with a trek across our bay to the island on the other side. Snowshoes, skis and sleds helped, because with the warming temperatures, the muddy bottom of the bay is starting to appear and make footing a little difficult in spots. Uncle Mike led the procession and the dogs checked out the island first. Tighe and Kelso don't always get along when we are indoors, but outside they seem to enjoy romping together.

Mike helped the kids roll up a snowman. They used pieces of cattails, stones, and sticks for his features.

Next, it was back to the cabin and then down the road to the hill we had scoped out earlier this week for a possible sledding adventure.

Conditions were perfect after a few trips down helped to establish a good run. I took lots and lots of pictures. Here is a sample. Drew and Anders were among the first ones down.

Jake tried out the tube.

Mike went down with Maia.

Here is an entire family–Will, Sandy, and Anders.

I love the expressions on the faces in some of these pictures. This is Zach with Jake on his back.

Anders had a snowboard and did pretty well with it.

Zach again with Leo this time on some kind of flat sled. There are lots more options for sliding these days than when I got buy with only a good old Flexible Flyer. Actually, most of these new plastic sleds, saucers, and toboggans work better than anything we used to use back in the day.

I like the reactions to the flying snow in this one–Leo, Maia, and Zach. All the kids were good about sliding together.

Here are Drew and Jake.

This is Zach with his dad.

Anders with his dad.

What goes down must come up.

Maia on the tube in her cute panda hat.

Will and Anders again.

You can make out the length of the run in this picture–from the top of the hill down toward the lake. I don't think anyone ever made it all the way to the lake, but it was a good slide nevertheless.

Later in the day, five gallon buckets were used in the backyard to construct two snow forts or walls.

Then, the battle was on. I think all went well with no hurt feelings that I recall.

Jessica made dinner for all of us. (Everyone took turns on food preparation.) Fourteen people more than fill up our long table.

Fun Part 1: Hanging Out, Barnebirkie

As promised, the fun has begun. Jessica arrived on Wednesday with Leo and Maia. There was immediately some "piling on Nana."

Will, Sandy, and Anders arrived the next afternoon. They had stopped at the Birkebeiner Expo for awhile in the afternoon, and Anders found this new cross-country skiing outfit.

Later that same day, Sandy's sister, Sarah, and her family (Mike, Zach, Drew, and Jake) joined us as well. On Friday morning, I fixed egg, ham and cheese muffins for everyone. There were lots of smiles around the table. Jessica's Mike arrived as well, so we are now eight adults and six delightful youngsters.

After breakfast, it was out into the snow. The temperatures have been pretty warm the last couple days, so being outside has been more than comfortable. Will put a harness on his dog, Kelso, and so he pulled kids up and down the driveway and along the road leading to our place.

Maia and Leo liked that!

I asked for goofy faces for the following shot. Everyone but Leo.

The Barnebirkie children's event was scheduled for the middle of the day. Both Anders and Maia were participants. Here they are with their bibs and event ski caps after checking in at the registration desk.

Will shared this photo of Anders getting ready for the start of his 3K event.

I had already traveled to the downtown area, where the finish line is located on Main Street (closed to traffic and covered with snow for all the Birkebeiner events).

Anders soon came flying by and looking quite practiced. I saw him but wasn't ready in time to take pictures. Fortunately, Will shared one of his with me.

A change this year was this constructed hill or bridge over US Highway 63. The kids all skied across Hayward Lake, then into town, over this hill, and down Main Street to the finish line or on to longer stretches of their respective event (there were 1K, 3K and other events for different age groups). I'm guessing that 80% of all the participants took a tumble on the downside of the hill. Anders, who has been taking cross country skiing lessons for a few years, handled it really well.

Jessica said that she didn't recall Maia having been on downhills before, though she is out on skis quite often. She did really well almost all the way down and then tumbled near the bottom.

But she was right back up and on her way to the finish line.

Event organizers had set up an award stand for photos, so I took this shot of our two champions.

Proud parents and siblings welcomed them at the end.

Checked Out the Sledding Hills

Kathie took this pretty picture a few days ago!

Yesterday afternoon, Kathie and I went out to check nearby locations for possible sledding opportunities for use when the kids are here in a couple days. Between our place and the bridge downriver, there are several places we found where the land is high and slopes nicely down toward the lake. We walked each of these slopes, and with a little tromping down with snowshoes, they should lend themselves to some fun for saucer sleds and maybe other types.

Anyway, it was a good excuse for me to put my books down, get outdoors, and get some exercise.

Tighe loves being along on any of these types of outings. Kathie gave up on the booties and tried a product called Musher's Secret instead. This is a waxy balm that you apply to a dog's pads and between their toes to help them better tolerate snow, ice, salt, and other winter grime. Seems to work well so far. Locals up here swear by it.

I like snowshoeing better these days than skiing. I don't feel as sure of my ability to stay upright anymore on skis, and as I get older, the prospect of falling just doesn't appeal to me. I get enough aches when I exercise without adding a fall. Nevertheless, it is sure nice to be out and about.

This morning we have a layer of fresh, fluffy snow. Guess I'll get to play with my snowblower again!

Valentine's Day Potpourri

Today is Valentine's Day, so I am sending along four things for you. First, happy thoughts to all of you! I hope you got something sweet from one or more of the sweet people in your life. I did, although it was not M&Ms. Instead, I got a very nice box of assorted Russell Stover candies! (Some pieces are already gone.)

Second, I'm sharing with you these pictures of the breakfast outing Kathie and I took this morning to our favorite local breakfast place––The Robin's Nest Cafe, which is just five miles down the road from our cabin. Many of you who have visited us have been there, and so you will know what great breakfast items they offer. I'm not very good with selfies, but here we are.

My breakfast consisted of the owner's favorite omelette, with bacon, chopped veggies, and (of course) shredded Wisconsin cheddar cheese. Instead of toast, I had one of their delicious pancakes on the side. Mom always said I shouldn't eat anything bigger than my head, but... Yum!

Next, I can't resist telling you about the latest book I just finished. This 2015 publication by the University of Minnesota Press is entitled Portage: A Family, A Canoe, and the Search for the Good Life. It was written by Sue Leaf, who may now be one of my favorite authors. She is a trained zoologist who lives in Minnesota and writes on environmental topics.

There are so many good things to tell you about this little book (about 260 pages). Each chapter is essentially an essay inspired by one of the canoe trip outings she has had with her husband and children from about 1979 to the present. The book covers family and family relationships in a fun and fascinating way, bird watching and many other observations about the natural wonders around us, canoeing adventures and misadventures, and much reflection on all of these topics, their intertwined nature, and whatever it is that makes life interesting, and worthwhile. She asks, "What is the good life?" But then she goes on to say that maybe thinking about this needs to be stated in a couple of different ways. "What? is the good life." or "What is: the good life." I like these statements better than the question, and I have been profoundly entertained by the way her essays deal with those statements. The individual canoe trips were taken all over the upper midwest and into Canada.

One thing I have realized is that we have not taken enough canoe trips––there are so many beautiful rivers! Another of the things the book has made me realize is that I have definitely not seen enough of Canada nor of lots of parts of our own northern states. I told Kathie just a couple days ago that we should make plans to travel to Isle Royale sometime this summer. Maybe we'll drive up into Canada at some point as well, traveling across Michigan's Upper Peninsula, crossing at Sault Ste. Marie, and on over Lake Huron and points east.

Fourth and finally, I thought I'd share a thought about the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Obviously a strong conservative thinker and one who has had much influence in our nation, I can nevertheless say that though I respect his personal achievement, I disagree with many of his views and decisions. There is little surprise in the fact that the right has immediately taken the position that President Obama should not appoint a successor, though that is his constitutional responsibility, and should instead defer such matters to the next president in order to give the elections a chance to influence the selection. I got to thinking about how those on the evangelical right often like to "explain away" deaths and tragedies as being part of "God's plan." Here's my thought: maybe Scalia's death is part of God's plan, with his intention being that an appointment by President Obama is precisely what is meant to happen next. (Remember, you read it here first!)

Coming soon: The family invades this week! There will be skiing, snow-ball fights, snow fort building, and much fun. Watch for pictures.

Polly and Kathie and Tighe Go Cross Country Skiing

Polly, a friend from Kathie's investment club, is visiting for a few days. Yesterday, she and Kathie decided to go cross-country skiing on the lake. Of course, Tighe would not stand for his mistress to do anything like that without him, so Kathie decided to make him wear his booties. This is a funny thing to watch, because he doesn't like the feel of them, and once they are on, he dances around lifting his feet like they are stuck in tar.

Here are the intrepid athletes about to head down to the lake.

Getting the skis to snap onto the toes of the boots is always a little tricky.

Then off the went. Two forms of difficulty are added. First, during the initial outing, you have to plow through the snow and groom your own trail. On the way back and also during the second outing in the afternoon, they were able to follow the prior trail. Second, Tighe likes to follow very close behind and tends to constantly step on the trailing edge of your skis just as you attempt to glide forward. I know this from my own experience. Eventually, he begins to take lots of side trips to do some exploring, so it works out.

They returned rosy cheeked and exercised. Tighe left two of his booties somewhere behind, buried in the snow, forever lost.

I stayed behind to bake bread and to read. Currently, I am reading Anywhere But Here by Mona Simpson. She is a younger sister of Steve Jobs, although she did not meet him until she was 25 (he had been placed for adoption prior to her birth). She wrote Anywhere But Here and two other novels, The Lost Father and A Regular Guy, all of which, as I understand, have parallels to her own life and the lives of her parents and brother. You can read more about her here or on this Wikipedia page.