So Much To Do!!

Brian my Baby Brother is on his way back to California - we talked a lot, reminisced a lot, had fun and once again we are thankful for our families!

So the funnies:  It was our 41st anniversary on August 19 and Ross wanted to treat Brian to a nice steak dinner downtown.  When I reserve I always specify if it is an occasion and I know here we get FREE dessert - best steak in town too.  The waitress first looked at the 3 of us and asked if it was Ross and Brian's anniversary; Ross proceeds to say that Brian is my son - NOT - we are 13 years apart in age and Ross and Brian are not married.  We had a good laugh over that and discovered a great new white wine from Sardinia.

 First trip to the MN State Fair for Brian - too many to count for me.  We got the free cardboard hats and I choose the moose, he chose the goose.  Alex, Lucy, Amy, Ross, Dee and Brian headed out in one car and shared cheese curds, mini donuts, bull bites, ice cream and most likely things I don't even recall.  We grew up never missing the Red Lake County fair.  My Dad would always take us more than once and we got to do all the rides if we wanted that.

 Road trip - Alex driving, Lucy and Brian chilling.  The big John Deere area is always their favorite.

 So Brian gets to pick his places - Von Hanson's meat market for the "Special Spice" and $3 baseball caps.
 These pictures are going backwards in time.  Lucy on the way home from the Jolly Fisherman Resort - we all may have felt a little like that:)

 Chris wanted his family to see the Headwaters of the Great Mississippi - Alex, Lucy and Brian walked across the rocks.  We did that when we were kids and we took our kids to this same spot.  Itasca State Park is a beautiful spot and "next time" we plan to spend a full day there.

 Grammy and Lucy on the brother Kent's boat.

 Every year Kent lets the little kids drive the boat, he provides the fishing rods, the tube for tubing, the water skis, cleans the fish and feeds us a good meal.

 Brian and Lucy "driving" the boat.  Alex and Lucy just love their "Unkas".

 So ....Alex...who can do almost anything.  Loves tubing very fast behind Kent's boat, paddleboating is a new sport and Kent even took him out on his sailboat.  Kent has a little cabin on the lake with lots of "stuff" - canoes, kayaks, catamaran, sailboat, fishing boat, gear - all with a big smile.  He is attached to the menfolk like a little velcro guy!

 Brian rented the pontoon for the full time so we could go out whenever we wanted.  "We" is used loosely as mostly the "boys" would sneak off for hours and go fishing.

 The little refrigerator of supplies at the lodge had these eggs and they were excellent and I'm happy these chickens were happy.  Click to enlarge any photo.

 Lucy's first time tubing with her Dad.  She loved it too.  Chris:  "I think we should do this every year instead of every other and tack on an extra day".

 Niece Chelsea (Kent's daughter) and Lucy.  Chelsea braided Lucy's hair and it was so cute.

 Carlos Creek Winery stop on the way up to the cabins.  Good wine, good food and a wonderful view.

 Sunrise from our deck over Big Elbow Lake.

 Same cabins for the 3rd year now - they work good.  We are, however, thinking of getting one of the huge ones at the other end of the resort which have 4 or more bedrooms....thinking!  Kind of like a family compound but not quite like the Kennedys or the Rockefellers!  Rather more like the Schultz's who hail from Pomerania in Germany.

 Great niece Angel, daughter of nephew Corey.  She is a doll and just one year old.

 Back in time - 2011 - Kent's cabin area.  A few different faces than this year and hopefully next time when Molly and Josh are living in Alexandria instead of Iowa they will be in the photo again also.

 2009 - first time at Jolly.  My mom is right side front row.  Alex was about 4 and Lucy was sleeping.  Little did we know that less than a year later my mom would no longer be alive.  Or that a few months later Amy would be diagnosed with a brain tumor.  We are thankful for our blessings one of which Amy got to paddleboard this year and is the best of any of us at it.  Jolly has 2 great free paddleboards and they bought them with proceeds from recycling aluminum cans.

 My mom and little Lucy.  The grandchildren that knew her always remember how sweet and patient she was with all of them.

So - what's next?  We have all our travel documents for our China trip leaving a month from today.  But - before that - my high school friends and I are going on a Graveyard Tour Road Trip to our hometown and staying in the only motel in town - the Chateau.  If you are thinking of something like Versailles in France - it's not!
And as an added bonus niece Molly, Josh, Lily, Claire and little Hazel arrived last night for the weekend so they got to see Brian.  I do notice that Molly and Brian look alike - Schultz genes for sure.  Her Dad would have been so happy with these get-togethers.  I know in many families the reunions stop when the old folks die.  I'm the oldest folk now and I see a promising future for the reunions for many years to come.