Cabin Time

What a gorgeous place!

As I mention every year, "Minnesota" is from the Dakota for

"land where the water reflects the sky".

And every year, we capture photos like these!

Of course, the people were also wonderful!

Esme is my 3 year old niece, and she's hilarious.

She doesn't particularly like people to take photos of her . . . 

. . . but if it's Uncle Greg (she calls him, "Greggie"), 

she starts giving corny grins like this!

After we got back to the cabin after our trip to Bemidji,

the girlies were already asleep, so we hung out with Mark, Jillian, my Mom and Dad.

Mark & Jillian had gotten a new mattress for their bed up there, 

so we jumped on it a bit - just to test its bounciness!

There were late evening chats (with snacks!)

The next day was Monday!

I started out the day with some time on the dock.

Somehow I sensed Greg was taking a photo, even though I couldn't see him.

I got so spend some time cuddling my Dad.

My Dad and I played a bucket game with Cora.

Mark made some hot dogs for the girls' lunch.

Later that day, we celebrated our "faux birthdays".

We decided to give all our birthday gifts to each other while we're up

at the cabin so we can enjoy watching each other open them

(and so the girls have their birthdays spread out more throughout the year, too).

My Mom and Jillian made a chocolate cake (with lots of whipped cream frosting).

Cora & Esme helped whip the frosting and put the candles on.

At first we tricked Dad into thinking we were all going to blow the candles out . . . 

Then we got a semi-normal photo.

Then we all tried to blow the candles out at the same time!

Yum!  Cake!  (Not for me, though - not vegan, not gluten-free.)

The girls picked out the napkins.

And the banner.

The presents were a highlight, of course!

Cora is holding a water balloon filler (filled with balloons!)

Mark is adorable.

And when I laugh, my eyes disappear!

I love this "Birds Of Arizona" book!  

I love to watch the birds at my feeder, and this book is very helpful finding

out what their names are!

Allow me to read to you about birds . . . 

My Dad got a potty!!!

(It's for the pontoon.)

I also got a silicone doughnut pan!

It didn't take long for Cora to wrap herself up in Grandma's new soft blanket!

Grandpa is trying some of his dried mango - yum!

I am obviously very earnest about whatever I'm saying.

This is a little wooden elephant to hold a phone at the right angle 

for watching or chatting!

Greg got a VERY COOL 360 camera!

Jillian put on the mermaid blanket and looked adorable!

Then Esme and Cora put on the mermaid blankets, but pulled them up over their heads

and put their feet into the flippers.  They looked much more like walruses!

I helped put together a Hello Kitty emergency mobile hospital that

we bought Cora.

Grandma helped put together Elsa's castle.

Cora had Grandpa read her some of her big new nature book.

After birthdays, we went outside for some sunshine!

This is the Rubber Dockie.

Most of the Dockie fun had to wait for another day, since

the afternoon was over quickly.

Mark & Jillian, Greg & I went for a pontoon ride after the girlies were in bed.

By the way, look at Cora's pretty jammies!

JUST LOOK AT THAT!

There's a seagull.

We saw some loons.

I think this is one, but I can't be sure because of the lighting.

We saw geese with baby geese and even babier geese!

The next day was my parents' 49th anniversary!

We had shipped up a gift in a great big box.

My Dad had decorated it once it arrived.

AWWWWWWW!!!!

It says 

Christie

mark

Greg

Jill

Cora

Esme

And it's a canvas print of our most recent family photo!

Here's a bigger version so you can see.

The next day we went out on the pontoon into the middle of the lake

to play on the Dockie!

These are precious sweet memotires!

I tried to do some yoga poses on the Dockie.

Cora did great!

At one point, Mark had both girls in the tube with him!

Can you see me in the water?

I loved every minute!

That afternoon, while I was having a rest,

this spidey was discovered - eek!

He was on the JetSki.

Look at Mark's muscles!

Pretty big!

We looked, but we left him alone to go about his spidery business.

These beautiful double-decker dragonflies are less scary!

There was some kayaking later in the day.

Kayaking makes me HAPPY!

Here's the river that feeds the lake.

Here's my man!

And here is a beautiful pattern of wavelets on the lake

WITH LOON CALLS!!!

Blurry, but here's a sandhill crane!

They're very very tall and LOUD.

Pelicans:

Greg saw these ospreys in the aerie.

Mark & Jillian took the girls out in kayaks, as well.

They went over to visit the pelicans!

Mark likes to start fires, and he's very good at it.

So he started a fire!

My parents had had some spraying done, and the mosquitoes left us 

alone for probably 15 minutes or so.

We enjoyed it until the mosquitoes started biting,

which was longer than it has been in previous years!

The next morning, it was RAINING!!!!

I couldn't help myself and went out onto the dock.

Videos of the rain might not excite you if you live in a place where it rains often,

but it certainly excites me!!!

We did lots of indoor things that day (Thursday),

and did some resting!

The girls made a fort for themselves and their babies.

But it wasn't all quiet!

Look at my sweet parents, napping.

In the early afternoon, we went out for dinner to celebrate my parents' anniversary!

We tried lots of different selfies.  Greg usually takes LOTS,

and sometimes Google Photos compiles them into a moving picture like above.

Don't forget to clean, drain, and dry your boat before you put it in a different lake!

You don't want to transfer invasive species!

We had to go peek at the bowling alley.

Look at the carpet!

And the tabletops!

Some highlights from this day:

 Greg and I had to leave the next day to head to his Dad's house,

but we got these cute photos of Cora with her face painted

(done at Sinclair Lewis days!)

See you soon, beautiful Sauk Lake!