Rose Lake is one of my favorite places on earth. Every summer of my childhood was spent swimming, fishing, skiing, and spending time with my family here. There is nothing as beautiful as watching a calm sunset over these waters. There is nothing as relaxing as soaking up the sun's warmth in a boat, while hooking into a school of fat sunnies. Or reading on the swing in a gentle lake breeze. Being at the cabin makes me miss my grandparents through my heart and soul to my very bones. I miss seeing my grandpa puttering around in the shed, reading the newspaper on the swing, and slowly falling asleep in his green chair. I miss watching old movies with my grandma, hanging the wash with her, endless games of cards and dice, and the piercing "Rocco!" shouted from the cabin when a meal was ready. And, boy, could that woman cook. I miss it all. But I'm also excited, because my children are making their own memories, and Brad and I and my family get to be a part of that. So, even though we don't get up to the cabin as much as I did when I was a kid, it still feels like a piece of home once those car tires hit the gravel road.
We were able to take a few days off and go up to the cabin for an extended stretch over the 4th of July. We got to spend some great family time together, we saw the Crea family, and celebrated Alexa and Brendan's birthdays. It was quite a vacation.
Enjoying the teeter-totter.
A beautiful summer day on the lake.
Who's ready to go fishing?!
The sound of loons on a lake is one of the best sounds there is!
Megan, wishing her Northern good luck, as Brad gets ready to toss it back.
Emily loves Rose Lake!
Uncle Greg, Matthew, Brad and Brendan, playing some basketball.
The game of choice this vacation was definitely bean bags. Brendan just couldn't get enough...especially when you factor in that the boards were decorated with Vikings colors and logos. Can it be any better than that?
Brendan playing bean bags. The other players were good sports and let him have the advantage of throwing closer to the board, allowing him to fully participate. They played A LOT of cornhole (what we call bean bags).
Megan, helping peel sweet corn for supper.
Brendan, playing with Alexa.
My sister, Lauren, with a sleeping Megan.
Nona, Papa, and Megan, Alexa and Emily, relaxing on the swing.
Lauren with Brendan.
Nona and her grandkids.
Our family
Happy Birthday, sweet Alexa!
Yum! Birthday cupcakes!
Megan, enjoying her cupcake (and the purple tongue that came with it!)
And what one sister does, the other must do too!
Brendan, lighting his sparkler.
Look! Mom! I have a punk so I can help light fireworks!
Um. No.
Nicholas, Brendan, and Brad, watching the fireworks.
Uncle Greg, Dad, and Brendan, watching the fireworks.
Brad and I took the kids to a neighboring lake's beach, as Rose is high now and the water covers our beach. Part of the fun of going swimming is getting to play in the warm sand, so we packed up a lunch, slathered on the sunscreen, and played the afternoon away.
Brendan, showing off a drifting lily pad. (After which we had a mini science lesson about lakeshore ecology and the importance of not picking things.)
Brad, catching minnows for the kids to see.
Emily didn't venture too far into the water unless I was holding her, so we also built a sandcastle to keep ourselves busy. Above, Emily is watering the castle.
Bathtime in the sink! Another family tradition.
Family swimming time!
A beautiful Rose Lake sunset. Take 1.
A beautiful rose Lake sunset. Take 2.
The little dock. I just thought it looked cool.
One evening we had a rip-roaring storm (which is another fun/scary/traditional thing about being at the cabin). The electricity got knocked out during the night and the wind was so strong I was worried we were going to experience a tornado. No tornado (whew!), but we did get so much rain and wind that the dock was underwater the next morning and parts of it were unhooked and floating up on shore. The morning was spent raising the dock, bailing water from the boats, picking up fallen branches, and searching for miscelaneous lawn chairs and yard decorations.
Since my whole Crea family was together, we also celebrated Brendan's birthday.
Brendan, opening gifts.
Brendan, celebrating turning 7! Complete with a blueberry pie!
No comments:
Post a Comment