Fabulous 4th

After not being invited to my brother's house to spend a hot and humid day on his pontoon for the 4th of July, Amy and I celebrated a little more quietly and oh so beautifully.   On the 4th of July proper, we had ourselves an intimate fire in our yard.   Meeka did great, after her initial barks, at the loud booms and pops of neighborhood fireworks being lit off around us.  After a while, she became a bit more desensitized to the intrusion and settled in with us at the fire.  Following that, Amy and I watched from the comfort of our couch the city's firework display on YouTube.

Ever since we moved to the home on our little lake, I have always wanted to do a nighttime kayak under the light of a full moon.  When we learned that Mont Du Lac would be lighting off their own firework show on the 5th of July, we were hoping for good weather to make a nighttime kayak come true.

Alas, the weather was absolutely perfect for a Duluth summer night.  Nighttime temps in the mid 70's with absolutely no wind, accompanied by a nearly full moon, made for a perfect opportunity to venture out on the water.  Plus with the addition of fireworks, how we could turn that down.

So out we went at about 9:15 PM (we kept Meeka at home for this excursion and had ourselves a "kid-free" date).  Once we got out on our lake, the beauty was only beginning.  We paddled through a magical galaxy of shimmering dragonflies, each one a flicker of summer's breath.  Peaceful and Serene, they enveloped us with their delicate wings as we made our way out to the most breathtaking sunset over the river.  

Amazingly mosquitoes were not bad!  Normally, mosquitoes make outside water time unbearable, but this year, they are a little more scarce.  Not absent completely, but definitely noticeably very few.

Once we got to the bay to watch the fireworks, the moon started to get covered up by some clouds leaving us a little concerned about paddling home in the absolute darkness.  While we waited for the celebration in the sky to begin, the current of the river started to slowly slowly take us towards home.  We just quietly flowed with the current allowing the river to be our navigator while we watched the distant sparks light up the night sky.  A beautiful reminder of our Independence especially when the outside world is a bit unsettled.   

Once the show was over, we made our way through the pitch black tunnel to return home to another mystical scene of hundreds of illuminated fireflies greeting us at our dock.  Pulling up to the fairy-tale scene  was the perfect ending to a perfect evening spent just with my lady love and God above.  

Life doesn't get much better than this, folks.  

Facing Fears for Birthdays

 This year for our Birthdays, we opted for having an experience rather than giving gifts.  Inadvertently we ended up choosing activities that challenged us to face a fear of ours.  OK, so maybe not those life altering fears that get songs and movies, but fears nonetheless.  

Amy wanted a quiet, low key experience for her big 4-0 and she opted for a petting zoo!  So fun!  

How is this facing fears you might ask?  Well, see that llama there (or maybe that's an alpaca.... I don't really know the difference between the two)?   Llamas are notorious for spitting on people, and that is just not something either one of us want to encounter.  We have both been too afraid to approach llamas at zoos until this day.  The lady at the petting zoo ensured us that her llamas did not spit.  True to her word, we remained dry and got to pet and feed this furry little guy.  

When it was time for me to pick my Birthday experience, I opted to do an instructional art activity.   I have always had this belief that I am not creative nor can I do art.  These instructional art classes are kind of trendy right now, and I have been curious by people's finished projects they have posted on social media.  Certainly, I could not make a beautiful picture like they did...or could I? 

By Golly, I can!!  This is my painting.   It was a class of about 20 people all making this same picture so it was easy to look at the progress of neighboring painters, which is dangerous for me since I have a tendency to compare and criticize my own work.  Alas, I suspended my own self judgement and just let my own picture develop from my own brain and hands (and the guidance of our instructor).  

Side by side of my picture (left) and Amy's picture (right).  Of course, there are a few places in my picture that are not perfect or exactly how I imagined it.  However, it is a piece I am quite proud of.  A symbol to face fears, to allow imperfection, and to focus on what is beautiful rather than what is wrong.  This painting has so much beauty AND imperfection.  

And I created it!   

Spontaneity at its Finest

 Yesterday was such a fun, spontaneous day that I wanted to capture it.  Capturing these fun days and moments are something I want to focus on.  First, to formulate those feel good pathways in my brain, and second, to remember them!  

We woke up yesterday to a cool, foggy, humid July morning.  My first day off after a full five days.  Nothing was on my agenda but maybe to do some messy yard work.  The idea of taking a road trip to Michigan was kind of in the back of both of our heads, but we also kind of postponed it for later in the week so when Amy suggested Michigan, I wasn't mentally prepared.  After a few minutes of thinking about it, I thought it sounded like the most perfect way to spend an overcast and cool summer day.  

After packing ourselves some organic ham sandwiches and tossing some water in a cooler, off we went.  No plans.  No agenda.  Just take a road trip and see what we see.  These are often our most fun outings usually with fun surprises and few, if any, disappointments.  

Neither one of us was dressed for the coolness of the day (lowest recorded temp from the car thermometer was 57 despite the forecast of a day in the high 70s).  We had planned to get out to stretch our legs,  take a few hikes, but the weather was not super inviting.  We had wanted to sit outside somewhere beautiful to eat our brought-from-home food.  Alas, our tummies and our body temperature had us settle for the parking lot of the Ironwood rest stop where we watched old people slowly walk into the building and back out again.  

After that, our next spontaneous stop was non other than WAL-MART!  This was actually fun, and we even bought a few things.  Me:  a new outfit for work.  Her:  a knee brace for her bum knee.  Plus on the drive there, we got to go through a cool, old, downtown looking area of Michigan that was reminiscent of a ghost town.  

One more stop to get what we could obtain legally from Michigan before heading back home.  On our way we drove past a sign for Interstate Falls.  Should we stop?  Should we continue home?  Amy had a bum knee, and I didn't have warm clothes to hike in 57 degree, rainy weather.  We both figured, "what the heck, why not?", so I turned the car around and headed back to the trail head.  This was not a mistake.  

As luck and preparation would have it, I carry some extra clothes in my car that included a rain poncho, long pants, and my work jacket.  Amy now had her knee brace which made walking a bit less painful for her.  I was warm.  She was mobile.  The trail was short.

This foggy dampness only added to the beauty of the woods.  Dewey moss, dripping leaves, trees, roots, unseen critters, and of course running water with mini waterfalls kept pulling us to adventure.  Waterfalls are my medicine.  I love them, find them healing, and am often called to play in them.  After arriving at the big waterfall, I wanted to do just that, so play I did!  

Outdoor temperature was chilly.  Waterfall water temperature was sure to be cold, but something was calling me to play in the waters.  I wanted to swim and play.....until I saw the crayfish.  Or I should say "Michigan Lobsters".  

These things were swimming and scattering all over the rocky bottom of where I wanted to play.  Big.  Creepy.  Eerie. And so many!  But I  didn't let them stop me.  After stripping down to my bra and undies,  and screeching reluctantly for several minutes, I surveyed the water, reminded myself they likely were not going to hurt me, and took a dive right in.  (Seeing strangers approaching from up above also expedited my dip in the frigid water as they were on their way down and I was half naked.)

It was a quick dip, but it was a full dip indeed!  No crayfish got me and I emerged feeling victorious, proud, and rejuvenated.  As a cosmic reward, the sun begin to shine and miraculously the temperature spiked up to 75 keeping me warm on the hike back to the car.  One seldom regrets the things they do, but often regret the things they do not do.  I left this trail without any regrets.  Thanks to my lady for her photography and pep talk.  Not sure I would have done it without her undying support and encouragement.   

Our trip didn't stop there.   We visited a small, but beautiful cemetery where we wondered about those who passed, and enjoyed the beautiful vegetation and insects along the border.  Another stop in Ashland where I wanted to take another dip in Lake Superior, but opted against it while making plans to revisit in the very near future.

This was a wonderful, beautiful, day filled with spontaneous moments and mood lifting experiences.  Waterfalls are healing indeed. 

Canadia Land

Living just two hours from the Canadian Border my whole life, I have always wanted to venture to Canada.  A bucket list item you might say.  Actually, my bucket list item was to cross the Canadian Border, not necessarily go to Canada.  After Covid prevented this from happening two years ago, this was the year to make it happen.  It also happened to be Amy's and my seven year Anniversary so it was extra special.  

We have seen the border before, but never crossed it.   It was a little nerve wracking approaching the border patrol agent even though we weren't international smuggles of any kind.  Unless you count egg salad sandwiches.  We packed our own lunch to have lovely picnic at our first Canadian stop: Kakabeka Falls.  When the patrol agent started to question us if we had any poultry items on board including turkey, chicken, or eggs, I began to panic.  What do I say?  Do I tell the truth and risk them confiscating our organic egg salad sandwich lunch we were eagerly anticipating?  No, don't lie.  Just tell the truth.  So I came clean.  Admitted the contraband we had on board.  Thankfully he let us enter since the poultry items he was referring to was LIVE poultry and unprocessed egg items.  At least we could eat our sandwiches without a guilty conscious thinking the Canadian Mounted Police would come get us.

Next up:  Kakabeka Falls!  Also known as the "Niagra of the North" because of its sheer size.  Though no comparison to the real Niagara Falls (also on my bucket list), Kakabeka was definitely the biggest waterfall either one of us have ever seen. 

We enjoyed our almost illegal sandwiches and then went on a lovely hike in the Canadian wilderness.  It was a perfect hike with just the right amount of hills, climbs, miles, and surprises like this one below. 

Another smaller waterfall put a giant smile on my face and some pep in my step.  This hike was one of the longer and effort inducing hikes I have been on since recovering from Lyme, and I am happy to report that I was able to do it without much struggle.  

Canada was pretty much like home.  Only different.  We rode our bikes around our equivalent of Bayfront Park and Canal Park.  We found ourselves in the middle of a lovely outdoor festival where we partook in some legalized greenery and some delicious ice cream. 

Our hotel was an interesting experience.   Our room number was 217, which is well known to be one of the most haunted rooms in the Stanley Hotel from the Shining.  Though cool in and of itself, our room was anything but.  Amy got a horrible asthmatic reaction from a horrible odor or from the incredibly moldy air conditioner that blocked what should have been our lake view.  Instead, we had a teeny tiny window that we had to stand up to enjoy any view of the lake.  

Still, we had a wonderful vacation.  Before heading home we hiked another hike at Cascade Falls where there was reported to be a group of "mermaids" hanging about.  Though we did not see the mermaids, we saw plenty of trees, mushrooms, squirrels, and babbling rivers of water....just like home.  Also we made a must do stop at Walmart to see the different food items they had available.  We packed our bags with chips (All dressed chips) and several different chocolate candy bars (afterall, we were still in Canada where weed is legal) and headed back home, across the border once again.  Reentering the US was equally intimidating with camera taking pictures of the vehicle and yet another border patrol agent questioning what we were bringing back.  Again, I got all nervous and confessed our smuggle.  Chips and candy.  Though it was "just Canada", it was a little sigh of relief to be back on American soil where the speed limit is posted in Miles and not Kilometers.  

Though I got a bucket list item knocked off, the best part of the whole trip was just spending time with my lady on our 7th Anniversary.  I could not ask for a better travel partner nor a better life partner.  I am excited to continue crossing bucket list items off as we continue to venture through this weird and wonderful world together.