Quick Trip to Duluth

We made a quick decision to go to Duluth, Minnesota's number one tourist destination, for a couple of days.

The first day was overcast but the kids enjoyed climbing on the rocks, one of their favorite activities. 

The canal into the harbor is a gathering place when the ships from the Great Lakes come in or go out.  The schedule is posted but the times are not always accurate.

Here comes a 1000 footer into the canal.  The crowds are waiting.

This left-over from ice house days is a great diving spot for the locals. I wonder if their mothers know what they are up to.

The arial bridge lifts to let the ship under, though it looks from the picture that it isn't high enough.

The next day it was up to Gooseberry Falls State Park where we camped in our Scamp trailer when C was young.

Can you tell who is the boy and who is the girl from this picture?

Our hotel had this view of the lake and another ship entering the canal.

I remember a trip to the North Shore with the Hartmans when I was a boy and seeing the ships traveling on the lake at night from the car where we youngsters got to sleep.  There wasn't room in the tiny cabins for all of us.

Pictures don't do justice to the size of these ships... longer than three football fields and as they enter their horn sounds a greeting of one long and two short blasts followed by the arial bridge responding the same.

E asked if we could go to Duluth again next year.  It is great to make memories that the kids enjoy and will remember.

Last year the Leif Erickson park that had the rose garden was minus the roses because of a severe winter kill.  But this year they were back!

This weed was tiny but I thought it was beautiful growing in the State Park.

Summer Post from Eagle Lake

Summer is beautiful but short at the lake.
This beauty is a regular but I have seen no Monarchs this summer.  There are plenty of Milkweed plants, but no sign of them.   

The Blue Heron takes flight down the hill from our cabin. 

Mamma turtle made her way up the hill to lay eggs before sauntering back to the water. 

Mamma Hairy Woodpecker gives "baby" a seed from the feeder.  Baby is bigger than she is. 

This month (July) we said good-bye to our interim pastor, Walt, and his wife Jane.  What a blessing they have been to our church family the last two years.  A DTS grad one year behind me, I didn't get to know him until he came as our interim.

We welcomed Jason and Alison Holm as our new pastor and wife.  He comes from Racine and we are excited to have him as our new pastor. 

Breeze Campground has a golf cart parade on July 4 and I got home from town just in time to see one of the last ones heading down the hill.  You can't blink.

I have been watching a late nesting pair of Loons across the lake with my binoculars.  When we returned from a trip home over the 4th, we saw that the nest was abandoned.  So we jumped into the kayak and made our way to the nest.  Sure enough, the happy couple had one loon chick.

We know when the Bald Eagles are around as the Loons start hooting and hollering.  This one is in a favorite tree not far from our cabin.

These Texans showed up around the 7th of July and came to the lake.  What fun to have them.  We had to visit Itasca on their Mother's birthday and take a shot of them in front of these fire fighters' pictures.  Several years ago when they first saw the fire fighters, they said the one on the left looked like Papa.  Nice, since that fire fighter is female.

Here is half the horse power to my kayak.  She sits in front to spot sharks and whales and peddles, and I sit in the back and peddle and steer. 

This is one of my favorite shots because the eyes of Mamma and baby are clear.    Mature loons have red eyes... not sure why but I theorize that it helps them to see under water.  Not too bad a shot when you figure this was taken with a telephoto on a bobbing kayak.  As we got closer the male went under the water and I could see him coming like a torpedo right at our boat only to surface past us and begin making quite a fuss.  We moved on.

These two pictures are my favorites.  I took them as the Grands came running to me at the lake cabin arriving from Minneapolis where they arrived by plane.  They had just arrived and were excited to be at the lake and out of the car.

How can you top that excitement of seeing their Papa.  Carrie is in the background.

The Pileated Woodpecker showed up with two little ones.  Here one of them is enjoying suet from my neighbors' feeder.

Carrie celebrated her birthday soon after they came to Minnesota.  We celebrated at Itasca State Park for breakfast and then took a walk.

A couple from Indianapolis drove this vintage Nash to Itasca before making their way to Minneapolis for a Nash rally.

One of the favorite things to do at the lake is play in the sand at the beach.  Maybe you can see they have coats on because it has been cold even for us.  This morning it was 47!  Their Mother says she loves it!  Better than 100 degrees in Texas right now.