Happy Trails

Libby and Luke got a special treat last week when our friend Nancy invited them to come horseback riding on her horse in Mahtomedi. They did some fun trail riding, and found a teeanager on the ranch who is willing to give them some lessons this summer!

Riding has been a passion for Libby for years, and now Luke has become really interested! Thank You, Nancy!!!

Bald Eagle for the Fourth!

We ventured to the cabin for the fourth of July weekend and were treated to a rare and exciting sight. A huge bald eagle was perched in the tree right in front of the cabin! He sat there for almost an hour to mark Independence Day weekend for us! (See the red highlight in the picture to the left - and a closeup photo below).
The kids enjoyed tubing, fishing, games, great food and playing with their cousins. Libby got up on skis again, and we couldn't get her off! She skied four times, and never fell. Now she is hot-dogging it, with one hand and funky moves. Time to remove the tie-bar, Libby!

CC enjoyed watching the fish come in - sunnys, perch, bass and sunfish... she loves to lick them for some reason... Thanks to Uncle Mike for cleaning all of the fish!

Woodbury "Shock" Soccer!

Libby is in competitive soccer as a starter for the Woodbury "Shock" team. Coach Mark has pushed the girls to be super-competitive, and they are really showing their stuff now, about 3/4 of the way into the season. They have a good record, even against some of the teams in the next higher league. One of the tournament games included an overtime, and then a "shootout," where the teams each had 6 penalty kicks - they won that one, including a goal by Libby. The season winds down in a couple of weeks... what will she do with all that time off??

Canine on the St. Croix

It is hard to believe that we live in a major metropolitan area, and are this close to such a beautiful spot... this is the St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park, just a few minutes from the house!

Airborne!

Today we decided to leave the boat in the garage and go above the lake, rather than on it... Part of "Manitou Days" at the City of White Bear Lake included a mini-air show and display at Benson's Airport, a tiny grass strip next to the lake. There was hardly anyone there, and the pilots were offering free rides to kids in the old Pipers and Cessnas!

The 20-minute flights were awesome! Jack got to sit up front and get some stick time in his airplane. Libby's pilot made sure they saw some deer from the air. And Luke wasn't sure he wanted to go at first, but got up the courage, and ended up having a great time! Dad, meanwhile, couldn't find anyone to give him a helicopter ride...

Here is an aerial view of White Bear Lake. Not a bad free activity for a Saturday morning! They each received a "Young Eagles Certificate" from the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and their names have been permanently entered in the "World's Largest Logbook" at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh Wisconsin. Click HERE to learn about the museum.

Afternoon on the Lake...

We spent a glorious summer afternoon on White Bear Lake this week, together with the bald eagles and loons! One loon was Libby, getting up on skis again this year. She got up the first time, and never fell!

Luke and Libby toured the lake on the tube as well, cracking the whip and screaming like Dad was going fast or something...

The water level is really low this year, which makes for some cautious driving close to shore... but it also means a great, expansive beach at "the point" - perfect for throwing the football in the shallows!

Terror on the High Seas...!

If you are headed out to Lake Calhoun in downtown Minneapolis this summer... beware! There are 8-year old pirates afloat, terrorizing the high seas... Luke and his good friend Jose are learning to sail on the "Optimist" class of sailboats - known as the "Opti" - just 8 feet long. These are "sprit-rigged" vessels with a flat prow - very forgiving for this age of pirate.

The last day of camp is this week, and it is Pirate Day... rumor has it that a hostile band of pirate (otherwise known as the sailing camp's counselors) are plotting the good pirates' demise. That doesn't sit well with Pirate Captain Luke, who is already working on his pirate costume and maritime grenades to ward them off. As I said... avoid Lake Calhoun this summer... we have around 9,999 more lakes around here that you could visit instead! Learn more about the OPTI class of sailboat, HERE.