I'm Back from a Vacation. You Must Know What that Means By Now. TToT Week 58

Are you all beginning to think I should just make the jump and call this a travel blog?  I promise, this is the last vacation for a long while.  Probably.

Today, I bring you "Up North: When Chaos Descends on the Quiet Lakes of Wisconsin".

In the form of Ten Things of Thankful, of course.

1.  I forgot to take my real camera, and I could kick myself for it.  I missed out on a whole mess of great shots, including photos of the bald eagle that lived in a pine tree on the shore of our lake.  Fortunately, I did have my camera phone and was able to not just document the trip, but take some good photos, too.

2.  The lake we were on was a "no wake" lake, so it was the perfect place for the kids to swim without worry of getting run over by a boat.

3.  Since I had just gotten my stitches out, I wasn't comfortable getting in the lake with open wounds.  No swimming for me.  However, the house came with boats for us to use.  I didn't need to be able to walk in order to paddle a kayak, let some kids take me for a spin in a paddle boat, or take a ride on a pontoon boat at sunset.

I took this photo of Buttercup and our friend kayaking.

Bryan took this one of me.  Apparently, his motto is "Who cares if the photo looks good, so long as I get the photo?"

4.  It seemed the houses on the lake were mostly owned and not rented out.  Through the week, we saw very few people out on the water.  This was fortunate, seeing as how we are very noisy, competitive people.  We can't simply relax.  At some point each day, a competition was inevitable.

It could be a game of dodgeball, kayaks vs. paddle boat...

or kayak relay races around the island.

The start

the finish.  I had a good lead when I got the kayak.  Unfortunately, making turns isn't a skill that I possess.   Phoenix passed me first. That arrow is pointing to me coming around from the far side of the island.  I'll get passed by another kayak before I finish.

Either way, we're loud and obnoxious and not fit for other vacationers trying to enjoy the peace and quiet of a small lake.

5.  No vacation with our friends would be complete without a trip to a baseball field.  (I told you we are competitive!)  Fortunately, Giant has eagle eyes and spotted the one and only field we found all week.

Baseball fields aren't just for baseball.

6.  Every year, Bryan brings fishing poles.  Every year, kids fish for about 10 minutes.  Not the case this year.  Right off the dock, the kids were catching fish left and right.  Most of the kids were out on the dock every day, multiple times a day.  According to Cuckoo's count, he caught 1,003 fish.

Mostly, though, I'm glad I never had to touch a worm, a leech, or a fish.  Bryan brought the poles, Bryan can be in charge of that activity.

7.  What, I ask you, is vacation without ice cream?  Bonus!  The place we found had huge portions and reasonable prices.

8.  While I was able to participate in most every activity, there were some things I just couldn't do with a bum knee.  Hiking was one of those things.  Fortunately, I was still able to enjoy myself.

They found a nice, peaceful, pretty spot to park me so I could read and enjoy the scenery

while they went out and explored the forest.

This was the end of the hike.  Cuckoo and Turken were exhausted and bummed some rides.

9.  I did get to do the short hike to "Cascade Pines", though.  It was a gorgeous spot untouched by loggers.  By the time I caught up to the kids, they had already started a game similar to hide and seek, but more fun and more obnoxious.  I was a bit worried when an older couple came upon us, thinking we were intruding on their quiet.  Fortunately, they were our kind of people.  They smiled and told us they used to bring their kids up there to play the exact same game as well as dodgeball.  Dodgeball.  In the forest.  Brilliant.  I have no doubt we'll be trying that next year.

Giant is "It", the two on the bench were caught, and Buttercup and Turken are still hiding.

10.  While there were plenty of activities and things to do, the best part, for me, was being witness to the little moments.  The high fives between Turken and a big kid.  The hugs shared between my kids and our friends.  The laughter of the big kids over a private, shared joke.  With me still being down much of the time, I was able to see more of these small moments than usual.  It made my heart fit to burst.

What happened in your world this week to make your heart happy?  I'd love to hear about it either in the comments or in your own post.  Link it up!

Have a lovely day!

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