Wrapping Up…

…the second annual Canada family get together at Lac du Flambeau. Very nice.

Polaroid by Becca

Lots of Action…

…not many photos.
Abby and I on an early morning 18 mile bike ride on one of the Manitowish Waters trails. Later, rowing and swimming. With Mimi—sewing. Still later, geocaching, campfire starting, followed by home movies.

And then an Aesop fable just prior to skinny-dipping.

Excursions…

…mostly by boat.

Mostly On The Water…

…while mostly sunny and pleasant.

Go North for the Rain…

…and for the fun.

Huge Storms, Massive Power Outage…

…not here, of course, but in a big part of Northern Wisconsin.

Here, I watched, on radar, a dark band of storms slide southeast this morning, and then disappear into thin air right around Fort. As a result, sunny, hot, and dry. As usual.

Abby’s cottage and Brian’s cottage both without power for something like 20 hours.

“I wandered lonely as a cloud…

…that floats on high o’er vales and hills.”
And if you are a cloud around here, you are very lonely.

Henmnmnmnmnnn… I’m getting thirsty.

Temp in the 90s, and not a cloud in sight.

Nothing New Under The Sun…

…but sun, heat, and drought.

Like Desert Lizards…

…hiding from the sun and heat and only coming out early and late. Walk before breakfast, bike ride at sunset. Trapped in a relentless weather pattern.

Above , a shaded secret garden, only slightly wilted, seen on our early morning walk.

Photo by Sue

And for dinner.

A Walk in the Park…

…to tentatively plan, map out, and plant an interpretive trail through the Arboretum At Starin Park in preparation for a big grant application.

And here’s the stump of a bur oak that came down last week of it’s own accord during a stretch of our calm, sunny, and dry weather—after more than 100 years of growing.
Oaks should last hundreds of years, but somehow rot got into this one.

Concert at the Fountain…

…with sandwiches available. Nice idea, but the band wasn’t so good, the sandwich was mediocre, and the walk home was hot. Odd to be one of the younger members of the crowd.

Living Off The Land…

…if beans, cucumbers, and a tomato are sufficient. (Of course, beets and squash and a whole lot of tomatoes are coming in soon. )

Cloudy and cool this morning, which was a relief.

We Have An Arboretum

The Arboretum At Starin Park.

It’s been a decade in the making, but today word was received that the AASP has been certified as an official arboretum by ArbNet. Sometimes, if you keep pushing, the objective is obtained.

Partial view from above, last fall.

Squeezing In…

…a little more fun.

More cookery, this time of the morning variety

Big cottonwood

Catching baby snapping turtles

Getting up close to pebbles and snails

And, as a finale, a long and loud double-engine freight train.

Best Little Hen House In…

…Wisconsin.

Photo by Bri.

Paint job and full metal roof. Hot work.
Earler, bike shopping with the boys. And this evening Ellie, Maddie, and Becca down for dinner and an overnight.

Big Beets…

…and other garden wonders. What with watering and the recent rain, the garden is prospering. Squash have climbed up an over several tomato cages, so we may have something more elevated than low hanging fruit.

BTW, it might be good to disregard my previous TV series recommends since I made them before finishing the series. However, I highly recommend the PBS Masterpiece series Professor T, which we started last night.

Home again, home again…

…jiggity-jig.

A few photos from the past few days:

Going With The Flow

Kayak paddle down the Manitowish River—today’s main event—in a crowded field of action.

Photo by Katy

Rowing In The Rain

If you like rowing and you like rain then it’s hard to beat rowing in the rain.

Photo by Katy

And this after a great bike ride on the Bearskin Trail.

Circle Tour

Ride around Flambeau Lake.

Also a little rowing and swimming, not to mention going up and down stairs. Sunny, low eighties.

Katy, up in her writing space.