Sunday, August 7
To say I'm excited to spend more than 2 or 3 days up here would be an understatement.
Packed up the van and left a little before 10:00 this morning. The new bike rack came unhooked – the straps must have loosened after I put the bikes on. Oops! Made it to the cabin a little after 1:00; I was impressed that we made it to the cabin without any electronics!!! No DVD player; no touch pad games. Just books and CDs, and a nap for Keenan.
Unpacked and had lunch, then headed out onto the lake. Swam for a while then toodled around the lake a couple times. Docked the pontoon, and the boys played on the dock for a bit more – first, they “faux” fed the fish – tossing small rocks into the lake, and watching the fish go after it; then jumped off the dock a few times.
Rob mentioned that our lake area is a little weedier than he would like – not much we can do about it now, though – but, we do have a swimmable area....it just needs to be used.
Went into town (Nevis) for dinner. Saw two deer run across our road about a ¼ mile from the cabin; then saw a family of 5 deer (2 adults, 3 little ones) crossing Highway 2. Ate at the Ironhorse. Keenan seems to like chicken quesadillas, as he wanted to eat more of my dinner than the hamburger he ordered! Took a walk to the public beach on Lake Belle Taine – we looked at a cabin on this lake, but (obviously) didn't buy it. Rob joked about launching the Waverunner into Lake Belle Taine to see if we could find the cabin from the lake.
Chilling out and watching a movie for the evening (Ben 10), except it appears that Brendan has fallen asleep. I'm not surprised, though. He's had a headache and fever since yesterday evening. I'm actually amazed at the swimming he did today, despite not feeling 100%. Thank goodness for acetaminophen, I guess.
I've had a headache since before dinner – hope it's just that...a headache, and not anything like what Brendan has.
Monday, August 8
That headache I had yesterday afternoon/evening was a bugger. The Tylenol barely put a dent in it. Before going out for dinner, I told Rob I was at a non-functional mode – I couldn't think or make a decision about anything. I wonder if my blood sugar was a little low, too … I was hungry, really hungry, but I didn't want snack food; I needed “real” food.
In writing last night, I forgot to mention a couple of things: 1) Keenan wore underwear when we went out for dinner. He's been doing much better with using the potty. He's still not pooping on the toilet, but it finally seems like we're making progress. He used the bathroom twice while we were at the restaurant; plus, on the drive up here, Keenan said he needed to use the potty. We stopped at the first available gas station.
The puke monster showed up at the cabin after lunch yesterday, too. Don't know what caused it. Again, a food particle (tater tot?) might have gotten caught in his throat. I might need to have a conversation with the pediatrician – does Keenan need to go back on reflux meds? And maybe I'll schedule an appointment for him to see the chiropractor – it's been a while since he's had an adjustment.
I went for a run this morning. First run I've had in forever. I've lost a lot of running base. Kinda sucks, but at least I can still run. I'm pretty sure I saw an owl in flight … that was pretty cool. Ran 2.95 miles – to the end of the dirt road and back – in just over 30 minutes. Don't like the running shoes I was wearing; I haven't worn them in a while, and now I remember why I've opted out of wearing them – they cause blisters on my instep(s). When I came in from my run, Rob said, “That didn't seem very long.” Yeah....it was only 30 minutes, but seeing as how I haven't run in a while (though I guess I could have walked if I got tired), and I had hills.....I felt that this would be an okay first run to get my groove back on. Maybe tomorrow I'll run the whole lake – if I remember correctly, that should be about 4 miles. I'll wear my “old” running shoes, though. Maybe the shoes I wore today will have to become my lawn mowing shoes.
Spent the rest of the day “chilling” out at the cabin. I got lots of reading time in. Rob mowed most of the grass today – almost 1-1/2 hours, and he didn't quite finish; left a couple areas where the grass doesn't grow as quickly.
I thought we were going to head into town today, but that never happened. Looks like we'll do that tomorrow.
The boys went fishing today! I think Brendan really enjoyed it. He was okay with putting the worm on his hook, but he kept hooking the fish in such a way (through the eye; swallowing the hook) that Rob had to take the hook out. Keenan caught a couple fish, too, but he got a little wigged out with all the fish-flopping!!! The bamboo fishing pole from my mom was a great gift!!! And seriously, those little fishies were very quick to go after the worm(s) on the hook. Makes for an easy, and rewarding, catch-and-release fishing experience!!! Now.....if you want to catch the bigger walleyes (bigger than 30”) that are in this lake, you'll probably need different bait, a different spot on the lake, and a lot more patience.
Headed out on the pontoon. After sitting out on the deck and reading, I needed to cool off with a swim. Keenan ended up taking a nap on the pontoon. Wish someone would drive a pontoon around and let me take a nap like that!!! Took my cell phone out on the lake to see what kind of a signal we could get out on the lake. It was a little better than at the cabin, but not much. Not enough of a signal, in my opinion, to make a phone call. We should still probably look into a cell phone option for here at the cabin, but I don't think we'll worry about that until next year.
Rob put the Roll-n-Go together, then put the Waverunner in. While setting up the Roll-n-Go, Rob asked me to get one more block from the garage; a huge frog was hanging out in it, and I didn't realize it until he fell out when I was re-adjusting my grip on the block. When I told Rob what happened, he said, “I thought I heard a dog!” Yep....the frog surprised me; I yelped! I took the Waverunner for a spin; saw a Bald Eagle while out on the lake, so I slowed down to watch him soar.
Since Brendan fell asleep watching Ben 10 last night, we re-watched it this evening. Rob made a quick run into town to get gas. He saw five deer.
All in all, it's been a nice relaxing day. I'm about ready to call it a night.
Tuesday, August 9
Today felt weird. I'm not sure 100% sure what the deal is, but I have an idea....and it has to do with me. Let's see if I can get through today's events, then I'll consider evaluating my take on what's going on with me.
I woke up around 6:30 this morning – 1-1/2 hours earlier than yesterday – and was the first one awake. Had a bite to eat, then hung out on the couch for some quiet reading time....started a new book.
Keenan was the last one to wake up....close to 8:00. He leaked in the bed, and we had to wash his sheets this morning. No big deal; I'm glad it's a rare occurrence these days.
It was a morning of electronics – Wii and touch pad games.
Since we didn't make it to Wal-Mart yesterday, it had to be done today. We took the boys to Burger King (blech!) for lunch and to play, and then it was off to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things, including groceries.
Got back to the cabin; the boys played outside, while Rob and I made pierogies. We don't have a rolling pin at the cabin (oops!); Rob made do with a coffee mug.
After making pierogies, Brendan and I took our bikes into town (Nevis), and rode the Heartland State Trail to Dorset and back. Two deer crossed the bike trail as we were headed towards Dorset; one of them even stopped at the trail and appeared to be staring at us as we were approaching it. We went 10.75 miles total. Kudos to Brendan. I bought him an ice cream treat once we got back to Nevis.
When we got back from our bike ride, Keenan and Rob were outside; the boys played outside until dinner was ready.
Went out on the lake for a pontoon ride after dinner. The boys were being pills for a good portion of the ride. Not sure what to say/think of their behavior. I was frustrated. Very frustrated. Squirrel-y behavior is not safe on a boat; they need to be respectful of the water, and the boat....if they can't do that, then I can't let them go out on the boat.
The boys played outside for a little longer this evening. And now, we're inside for the night, and they're watching a movie. It's almost amazing that they're still awake, especially Keenan, seeing as how he didn't take a nap today.
We've talked a little bit about what to do the next couple days, but haven't really come up with anything. I want to explore the area....bit by bit....to see what it has to offer. Maybe I should have done a little more “online research” before coming up on this trip, but I didn't want to over plan this vacation, either. I want to be able to relax and have a good time. For now....my thought is that we can explore the nearby towns and such by hitting up the public beaches and playgrounds – driving there gives a chance to get to know the roads; visiting the beaches and playgrounds provide us free entertainment, but we can also “tour” the towns to see what's around.
Wednesday, August 10
A little bit better of a day than yesterday. I was up early again (6:30); thought about heading out for a run, but it didn't happen. Started reading another book instead (one that I'm going to have to buy to add to my personal library).
I thought Keenan sleeping in 'til 8:00 was late. Guess I was wrong. That boy slept until almost 10:00 this morning!!!
Rob took a bike ride (left about 10 minutes before Keenan woke up) from the cabin up to Walker. In his words, “The first 4 miles sucked.” That's 'cuz it was all dirt roads and hills. It was a much smoother ride once he made it to the Heartland State Trail.
After Keenan finally woke up, the boys and I packed things up and headed to Walker in the van to meet up with Rob. I thought we beat Rob to the trail head parking lot. Got the boys' bikes out of the van and we headed down the trail to see if we'd run into Rob. Brendan got a little too excited about biking on the trail, forgetting Keenan is a much slower biker than he is, and that I was walking. He got way too far ahead of us. Mad mommy. Went down a little ways on the trail, without running into Rob, then turned around and headed back. Rob called just as we were getting back to the trail head. He was already in downtown Walker. He came back to meet us at the trail head; we continued on the path towards town to get the boys a little extra biking.
Walker is a cute town; I definitely want to go back to look at the shops. We grabbed Subway sandwiches and headed to the Walker City Beach on Leech Lake. I loved it! There's a playground, horseshoe pits, basketball courts, tennis courts, a sand volleyball court, picnic tables, and a swimming beach. Very pretty, and a great place to hang out.
Came back for a pontoon ride and swim. Keenan fell asleep on the pontoon (again). Brendan kept track of the number of docks and different types of boats we saw along the shore. We got rained on, too! Did not see it coming, and fortunately, it didn't last too long.
The boys played outside for a bit after dinner. Keenan bonked his head in the garage – playing on and around the trailer, from what we understand. We didn't see it happen. Boys will be boys. Maybe he learned a lesson. A painful lesson, with a bit of a bump, but a lesson nonetheless.
Place your bets on what time Keenan will go to bed tonight. If he slept 'til 10:00, and he got about a 45-60 minute nap on the pontoon, waking up around 3:00, when will he fall asleep tonight?
And.....what shall we do tomorrow? Head towards another town? With a park/playground? Go for a bike ride? A walk/run? Another pontoon ride & swim??? Guess we'll sleep on it and see what tomorrow brings.
Thursday, August 11
Aaaahhhh.....today was a good day.
Went into town (Nevis) this morning. Brendan and I went on the bike trail, headed towards Akeley. Keenan and Rob stayed in town (Keenan biked for a little bit, then they must have played on the playground). It's about 7 miles from Nevis to Akeley along the Heritage Trail – Brendan and I probably went about 4 miles up before turning around. I didn't have Garmin with (silly me), so I'm only guessing how far we went. It'll be nice to get Brendan a new bike next year – one that doesn't have a rusty chain and fits him better, probably slightly bigger wheels, too.
Brendan and I went out on the Waverunner while Keenan took a nap. Rob started putting water sealant on the deck. We then pumped up the tube and took that out for a spin. Brendan had a great time.
Brendan and Keenan found a frog jumping around in the grass. Brendan caught it (more than once) and held it in his hands. It's just fun watching the boys play like that.
We made our first bonfire at the cabin this evening. Had grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner (made in the pie iron). Scorched the first one (which became mine), but the rest turned out fine. I got the job of roasting marshmallows for our S'Mores. Mmmmmm.....roasted marshmallows....so yummy! The bonfire definitely made my day. I'm looking forward to the many more that we'll have here. I'll need to do find some campfire recipes....it'd be nice to make something other than grilled cheese sandwiches all the time. Maybe we'll do pizzas next time!
Brendan accompanied me on a pontoon ride around the lake. We were the only ones out there; very relaxing, and a great way to end the day.
Monday, August 15
So, I went back to the cities for the weekend. The weekend report was a positive one. They went to the pig races in Leader Friday evening. Brendan had a great time!!! He wants to go again and take his friends Ben & Zack. Keenan's name got drawn for the pig races, and his pig won! They had contests for adults and kids....such as hula hooping and jump roping; they also had a “dig for dollars” – they collected dollar bills from the crowd, then buried them in sawdust. The kids then got to dig for the money – Brendan got $2 out of the deal!
The puke monster showed up in the middle of the night – this time, it was Brendan. No apparent reason for the puking, and he's been fine ever since.
They went into town (Park Rapids) Saturday, which included a stop at the candy store for treats. It was a bit cooler on Saturday, with the temps only reach the low 70s, but they still went for a pontoon ride and swim. Rob wanted Brendan to wear his life jacket, but he had already taken it off and jumped in! It was slightly windy, and the pontoon got too far away from Brendan to swim back to it; Rob had to start up the pontoon and swing back around, and then threw Brendan's life jacket to him. Sounds like a moment when the life preserver ring we've been talking about would have come in handy (good thing I went to [the other] Fleet Farm over the weekend and picked one up!).
I arrived back up here before noon. I carpet cleaned the puke area; Rob had done a pretty good job cleaning it up, but said that it had been pretty stinky. He had opened up the window, and closed the door to try to air the boys' bedroom out.
I took Brendan out for a tube ride – as we won't be able to use the Waverunner these next few days. He was loving it, and at one point asked me to try and FLIP HIM!!! I was a little nervous about doing it, but I did, and he had the biggest grin on his face!!! Circling around and figure 8s created enough waves to make Brendan bounce out of the tube.
Keenan was a bit crabby in the afternoon; thought he was going to nap, but it never happened. We had an easy dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches, then went for a short walk down the Minimum Maintenance Road. After we had turned around and were heading back, the boys had run ahead of me; I saw two critters crossing the road, but because I only saw the rear ends, I don't know what critters they were – they weren't deer; one was dark colored. I had the boys stop, then stay walking by me. I then heard this scratching kind of noise; looked into the trees where the sound was coming from, to which I found a raccoon!!! Darn it; wish I had taken the camera with us.
Came back, showered up, and settled into bed.
Nothing like a big-honkin' spider to help speed up the shower process. I don't like creepy-crawly things, including spiders. I'm finding my guts, though – rather than leaving the spiders be, I squash 'em and flush 'em. Sorry spider, but that's just the way it's going to be.
The boys and I headed into town (Park Rapids) late this morning, around 10:30. We went to Heritage Park – another nice park that we'll definitely have to visit again. Playground equipment, basketball courts, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, picnic shelters, an unsupervised swim area, and restroom facilities. We ended up being there almost two hours! Brendan ended up playing and talking with some boys on the merry-go-round for a little while.
We then stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a few things, including some groceries. I don't like taking both boys shopping. One at a time is fine, but taking both is a pain in the rear. I spend more time reprimanding their behavior; it's quite frustrating.
By the time we got home it was almost 3:00. I put the groceries away, and put dinner in the crockpot. The boys asked to watch a movie. Well, it wasn't actually a movie – it was Garfield and Friends cartoon episodes. I let them watch way too much of it this afternoon. I had offered/suggested that we go out for a pontoon ride/swim, but Brendan wanted to keep watching Garfield.
When it was time to eat dinner, it was looking like we wouldn't get a pontoon ride/swim in. This upset Brendan. Fortunately, we did get the swim in. Both boys put on their swim trunks, and we headed out right after the dinner dishes were cleaned up. It was very nice out, and the boys had a great time jumping off. They both just love doing it. I kind of wish we had gone out earlier to do it, but at the same time, doing it when we did worked out, too.
As soon as we came in off the lake, it was straight to the shower. They colored for a little bit, had some Lemon Drop cookies, and then snuggled down for the night. Keenan is sleeping in his own bed, giving me my bed all to myself tonight.
Tuesday, August 16
My boys are fully capable of expressing what they do and don't want to do. With that being said, it took a little extra work to get them out the door this morning because Keenan wanted to stay home and play at the cabin. I want to be flexible in our activities, and be able to let the boys make decisions on some of the things that we do, but if I let them make all the decisions on when and where we do things, there are going to be things that they miss out on. And since Detroit Lakes is an hour plus drive from the cabin, this trip was going to take a good chunk of time out of our day.
We ended up getting into Detroit Lakes around 11:30; both boys right away said they were hungry. We ended up at McDonald's. Ugh. So not my favorite place, but they at least can agree on it. We were there longer than I wanted to be, but it was cloudy and cool outside. It also gave me the chance to use the free wi-fi and check my e-mail. We finally left McDonald's around 1:00. We headed back to the lake to play at the park. The boys had a great time (took a few pics using the camera phone and posted them to Facebook). Seriously, hitting up the playgrounds is really the best way for me/us to explore other towns. Is it necessary to drive an hour plus to play at a playground??? No, there are other parks and playgrounds close to us, but at the same time, it's fun to play at the different playgrounds, and as I said, it gives me/us a chance to see the other towns, and to find out if it would be worth it to go back.
There is a triathlon this weekend in Detroit Lakes. I also found out that there is a half-marathon coming up in September. So....if we hadn't gone to Detroit Lakes, I probably wouldn't have found out about these events. Finding this out makes me want to know what other races/events take place up here. I just might have to start doing some races up here in the summers!!!
By the time we got home from Detroit Lakes, it was almost 4:00. The boys played Wii for a while; I mowed the grass. After a dinner break, we were all outside. I had a little bit of mowing left to do, and then I joined the boys. I got Keenan on the ride-behind (I fixed it this morning, so I should be able to take it off and put it back on again with ease) to see if he will fit on it. I toodled him around the garage and down our driveway a few times – just walking my bike to see how he'd do. He had fun with it. The ride-behind is a little big for him, but I think tennis shoes might help. I'm hoping the three of us can go for a bike ride tomorrow.
After that, we played with the jump rope. We were playing “helicopter,” which is one person spinning/twirling the jump rope around them while the others try to jump over the rope. We modified the game so that when one of us messed up, either Brendan or Keenan missing the jump, or me making an error in spinning the rope, the boys had to run a lap around the garage, and I had to jump rope while they ran the lap. I tried to get as many jumps in as I could before they made it back to the driveway. We had fun with it, and will definitely be playing that game again.
Thursday, August 18
The boys and I had a great day yesterday. We had amazingly beautiful weather – clear skies, sunshine, and warm temps.
We had a relaxing morning in the cabin, then headed to “The Big Muskie Park” (as Keenan calls it) for a bike ride. Keenan did a great job on the ride-behind! We did just over 8 miles – not very fast, but that's okay. We had a great time, and we got to do it together.
Played “Helicopter Jump” again. I need to work on my kegels – too much jump-roping makes me pee my pants!!!
Went out for a pontoon ride, and the boys did a little bit of swimming.
Cleaned up, had some dinner, and watched Astro Boy. Brendan called it an early night (8:30), and went to bed before the movie was done. Keenan and I crawled into bed after the movie finished; Brendan ended up crawling into bed with us around 9:30 – he was having bad dreams that wouldn't go away. Plus, he was burning up. Poor Bren....not sure what's going on with him, but he's had a sore throat for a couple days, a headache, and now this fever.
We have company/friends due to arrive this evening. We're going to lay low at the cabin today, and I hope Brendan feels better – Tylenol and Ibuprofen seem to be helping.
4:00, and naptime seems to have arrived at the cabin. Keenan is out in his bottom bunk; Brendan is quietly resting, and possibly trying to nap/sleep in the darkened living room on the couch.
Brendan is still feverish. Tylenol and Ibuprofen are doing wonders, and there are moments when it's hard to believe this kid is possibly sick. We went outside and played for a bit after lunch. Brendan asked to play “Cabin Helicopter” again. We also played catch with those velcro-type mitts and tennis balls. I wonder if you can use regular tennis balls with that game; the balls are kind of cheap, and the fuzzy outer covering seems to pull away from the ball awfully easily. The catchers don't seem to be made to last long, either. Brendan's outer ring fell off after only 3 or 4 catches!!! It still works, but you still expect things to last longer than 5 minutes of use!!!
And this spell of Brendan being feverish has me wanting/needing to add another category to the cabin notebook – “In Case of Emergency.” We should have a list of phone numbers (police, doctor, fire, hospital, etc...). And, we really should have phone access here at the cabin. I can go out on the lake and get a reception (we have Verizon), which works okay for texting, but not really for phone calls. If I need/want to make a phone call, I have to go into town (Nevis), and that's 6 miles away. Not far at all, but when you're alone with two children, and can't leave them alone, it makes doing those simple things a little more difficult.
Saturday, August 20
Our friends arrived Thursday evening. Brendan and Keenan were very excited to see them. The boys all went off to play right away, giving Lynn and I a chance to talk.
Rob showed up while we were eating dinner. Perfect timing, really. We cleaned up from dinner, then headed into town (Park Rapids) for fireworks. Small town fireworks....oh my! Not quite what I'm used to between fireworks displays in the Twin Cities, and the 4th of July fireworks that we see on Big Brower. It was a very short display – couldn't have been much more than 5-7 minutes. But, the cool thing about it was that were standing across the street from where they were shooting them off – one of the buildings right on Main Street.
Came back from the fireworks, and Brendan pretty much went straight to bed. He was tuckered out.
Yesterday (Friday) was a wonderful day!!! It feels like we did a lot of stuff.
After breakfast, we drove to Itasca State Park. Spent some time a the Visitors' Center – they have great displays about different aspects of the area (the animals, the Mississippi River, the trees, firefighers, etc...). We then went to the Mississippi Headwaters. The boys kicked off their shoes, and went straight for the rocks where they can cross the Mississippi River!!! Keenan wanted to go across, too; it wasn't easy helping him across, and he got a little wet in the process, but he had fun, and asked to do it again! We also met a young man who is biking from the Mississippi headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico; he'll be leaving today, and blogging about his experience (http://www.cyclingsouthbound.blogspot.com). He's hoping to make it to the Gulf by mid-October. I'll start following his adventure when we get back home.
After playing around at the headwaters, we took a lunch break then played at the playground. Lynn and I walked over the beach area to look at Lake Itasca. I've only been to Itasca State Park a few times (I think this was my third time as an adult), and I've only experienced the headwaters....until today. Maybe some day (like next year), we'll take the bikes up there and hit up the trails.
Brendan jumped off one of the slides at the playground, causing his cheek to bump into his knee. It's all fun until someone gets hurt, right? With that, we called an end to our time at Itasca State Park, and headed back to the cabin. Stopped at a garage sale on the way back, though – I almost bought a purse that was made from Minnesota license plates and a seat buckle. It was very tempting; I like things that are different, but I can't imagine this being the only kind of place to get one, so I want to do some online searching to see what these sell for.
We took the boys out for a pontoon ride and swim. Brendan, Ben, and Zack each only jumped in once. Air temp was about 73 degrees; but, with the sun beating down, it felt nice and warm. Clouds had started coming in, though, and the boys got cold after their one jump. Keenan jumped in twice. I dove in once, but I stayed in the water for quite a while. It's chilly when you first jump in, but the water was actually warmer than the air.
Dinner consisted of sloppy joes, tater tots, and purple beans from our garden. We then did a bonfire and cooked s'mores. The boys continued playing together in the garage/driveway. Rob bought them a few fireworks/sparklers and pop-its.
Someone clogged the downstairs toilet, so Lynn went with me for a late night trip to the Park Rapids Wal-Mart (thank goodness it's open 24 hours!) for some plumbing supplies and a couple other random things. It was almost 11:00 when we got back. The toilet is unclogged, and today we'll replace the flapper and handle. Toilets are gross.
Sunday, August 21
Saturday was fun. The boys hung out at the cabin and played all day – riding bikes and scooters in the driveway, fishing off the dock and pontoon, tubing and riding the waverunner.
After lunch, Lynn and I drove into Walker to do some shopping. I ended up buying an ornament for our Christmas tree (a cabin), a Christmas present for my niece Victoria (a darling three-piece sweater outfit), and two pieces of furniture for the cabin (a bedside table for the guest room, and a wood bench for outside under the deck. We also took a walk over to the city beach.
Dark clouds were looming as we headed back to the cabin, and we ran into some rain.
Lynn packed their things up, ate some dinner, then headed to Leader, MN for the pig races. Very entertaining!!! We then said good-bye to Lynn, Ben, and Zack – they headed back to the cities; Brendan, Keenan, and I went back to the cabin for one more night.
Cleaned things up and packed up this morning. Rob mowed part of the grass, even though it was a bit damp; we left the cover off the pontoon, too. Rob found out that Nevis has a disc golf park – it's only 5 holes, but it's still a disc golf park. We stopped there and played a couple rounds before driving into the cities.
And thus....the boys' two week stay at the cabin has come to an end! Keenan wasn't ready to come home – he wanted to stay at “cabin home,” but I think seeing his friend Abby this afternoon helped make coming home a little bit nicer.
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