September 15, 2017

After such a late night we slept in. I was awake at 7pm but tried to get to sleep again, unfortunately Scott got up at 8am and was very noisy. We had a slow start but fixed breakfast, did our Bible studies, and then Scott put my new phone holder on my bike. Around noon, we headed out on our bike ride. This time we headed south looking for the trail to Holland. We had a lot of hills to climb and my bike wasn't shifting correctly. When I would shift down it wouldn't shift at first then it would shift down to first or second and then pop back up into like 5th. This made it pretty hard on the hills so I ended up walking a lot. We finally decided we should go to the bike shop and see if they could adjust my chain. After going the wrong direction once, we finally got on track. We had ridden about 6 miles by the time we found the shop. He said my chain, gear cluster on the back wheel, and the gear shifting cable were all too rusty to fix. They needed to be replaced. Soooo we rode back to the campground and loaded my bike in the truck and took it back to the shop. While we waited for the call we headed to the beach. It was beautiful. We got in the water about three times. The last time we played in the waves. It was a lot of fun. In between we layed out and read our Kindles. It was very relaxing. My phone said to was 80 degrees. We got the call about my bike about 5pm so Scott went and picked it up. I layed out a little longer. When he returned I came back and we fixed a fabulous dinner: steak, fried potatoes, and baked beans. During dinner we watched a really stupid movie. At 7:30pm we went out to see the sunset. There was a really cool part but then it was cloudy on the horizon so it petered out pretty quickly. Overall it was a great day!!

 

September 14, 2017 Thursday

I woke up about 6am and laid there waiting to see when Scott and Philip would wake up. Philip got up and headed for the restroom a little after 7am and Mom texted me just after that. We decided to meet at Russ' for breakfast. Around 8am we took Philip to his car at the community center and he followed us over to Russ. We visited with Mom and Dad and Russ until about 9:30am when Phil left, we all headed back to the campground. Mom and I went for a bike ride down by the water. It was probably about two miles. When we got back Dad was rested so we headed to check out the pier. Dad and Scott stopped and talked to EVERYONE. Mom and I finally went ahead and walked down the beach a ways.

When we got back to the camper we decided to hop in their car and figure out how to get to the North Pier. We went over the draw bridge and exited 31 and Ferrysburg exit. We came upon Lakeshore Drive North and just started driving. We came upon some beautiful houses with an incredible view of Lake Michigan. We were looking for a specific house with four garage doors that had cement ramps right from the water. We found it! It was very exciting. Then we parked our cars and walked down the North Pier. It was gorgeous!! The water was crystal clear and we could see fish in the water. One of the locals told us that it is only clear like that two times a year. The next stop on the adventure was at North Beach Park that bordered the North Ottawa Dunes. There were about three hundred stairs so we decided to try that next time. We did however go down to the water on the BEAUTIFUL beach. There were like three other people there and the water and sand was incredible. 

Around 3pm we had dinner and Panera and then Mom and Dad dropped us off at the campground with plan to meet for the Bible conference. We met there around 6:30 and visited and goofed around on our phones until it started at 7:30pm. The lesson was incredible. It was from Proverbs 1:1-5. He called it the "scope of the basis of the Christian life." "They are fools who disdain wisdom and the discipline of instruction." We learn from taking in Bible doctrine or we learn from experience but we have to learn, understand, and apply to grow. Our friends Chris and Melanie were there so we talked to them quite awhile afterwards. Mom and Dad left and Chris and Melanie invited us to Kirby's for some food. There we met their friends from Bob Kreger's church, Lou and Wendy. They were a lot of fun and it was great talking to like-minded believers. We visited until about 11:30pm and then headed back to the campground. It was the first night that it wasn't really cloudy so the stars were pretty bright. Scott and I took a walk down the boardwalk and a little ways onto the beach and watched the stars for a little. It was hazy over the lake so we couldn't see the stars above there. But we saw the Big Dipper, Casseopeia, and Pegasus. The Milky Way was pretty clear, too. It was a perfect ending to a great day! 

September 13, 2017

I was up until midnight trying to get a little work done and slept fairly well, but I was wide awake by 7am. I read in bed for an hour so I wouldn't wake Scott up. When he got up we ate leftover breakfast and did our Bible studies. Around 10am we took my bike wheel to local bike rental place and he replaced my tube in about 2 minutes flat. It was totally blown. I got a phone holder for my bike while we were there too. I'm excited to try it. We saw a HUGE ship heading down the channel. I have never seen such a big ship before!! We couldn't believe it would even fit...

It was another beautiful day so we took a picnic lunch down to the beach and laid out and read. It was so relaxing. After a couple hours we came back up. One of our "neighbors" brought us some fresh tomatoes and we started talking about Christianity. He said he believed Jesus Christ died for our sins. Scott invited him to conference tonight and he really considered it but decided not to. I didn't have any of right books to give to him but maybe we'll see him again this week since I picked up a couple at the conference.

Mom and dad were getting close so I went and took a shower and got dinner stuff set out. When they arrived Mom and I walked as far down the pier as we could. They really have it ripped up right now. I saw some type of fish in the water - basically just a flash of white. When we got back Scott grilled burgers and we visited. They left around 5:30 to head back to the hotel and get ready for the conference. We met at the community building at 6:30pm and got our back row seats. We chatted with Chris and Bruce. Matt and Sonya (some "tapers" from the UP) sat in front of us again this year so we visited with them some more. The lesson was sobering. It was about Israel in Jeremiah and Hosea's time and how the United States is paralleling many of their choices and errors. He said that "God's plan is still apart of our lives and regardless of where we find ourselves it is always there. It never fails and lets us down. It is truly an amazing love that is not dependent up on circumstances." It's amazing how applicable that is to every situation. It's applicable to my friend whose husband's health is failing; it's applicable to the hurricane victims in Houston and Florida; It's applicable to me and the tests that I am currently facing... Anyway tomorrow night he is going to give us the encouraging side of it. I think it will mostly be in Proverbs. I'm looking forward to hearing it. So about thirty minutes into the lesson, I need to cough. I cough as quietly as a can a couple times when I realize, that I can't breathe. One of the weirder experiences in my life. I'm thinking what am I going to do even thinking I might have to go the hospital. I take a deep breath and confess and ask God about ten times to take it away. Then I held my breath for a couple seconds and let it out really slowly like I was breathing through a straw. (Strategy someone taught me a long time ago, but it never works instantly.) In a matter of seconds, I was okay. It had to be a God thing... Then I start to get acid reflux which I haven't had very often but I survived that ... not as bad as not being able to breathe!

When the lesson was over we went out and were visiting with people... mostly standing there awkwardly because we don't know too many people. Scott starts talking to an older gentleman that was eating some cake. It turned out he was from Houston, up visiting his mother in Fort Wayne, Indiana and had a reunion to attend there on Saturday. He had attended this Michigan conference in 1978 when the Colonel was here. Anyhoo he was talking about having to leave tonight and sleeping in the Walmart parking lot for the night. So my kind and generous husband invites him to sleep in our camper with him. He insisted three or four times that we have plenty of room and he's more than welcome. Long story short, Philip, is sleeping on our pull out couch in the camper... Not saying this again is one of the stranger experiences in my life... Not sure what the morning will bring...

September 12, 2017

Scott woke up about 5am and turned the heater on. He didn't get out of bed until 10am. I had finished my Bible study and was starving. After he got back from talking to maybe 800 people, I started breakfast. We had our traditional sausage, egg, potatoes, and onions fried in a skillet. It was good! While Scott finished his Bible study I went out to see if it would be good for kayaking. I talked to a couple of couples. The latter, Gary and Cathy, had kayaks too. I talked to them for quite awhile and even saw them out on the water later.

WHen we were unloading the kayaks we discovered that the front tire of my bike was so flat that it was falling off the rim. We got everything packed and headed down to the water with kayaks in tow. It's definitely good exercise to carry all that way through all that sand. We got in the water and headed north toward the lighthouse. After checking out the construction we rounded the corner and crossed the channel. It was a little intimidating. Crazy though the water was a totally different color more of a turquoise color. I wondered if it was because of the currents or wind that the water from the river doesn't flow that direction? 

It was rougher water on that side too so we headed back. We beached the kayaks and Scott went and got our Kindles. We laid there and read for about an hour. Then I took off in my kayak again. I went about a mile south then headed back. The wind had picked up so it was a little harder getting back but fun. I stopped on shore to get Scott's phone to take pictures of the construction. There was a barge being pushed by a tugboat. It had a crane on it and two pillars. Evidently they used the pillars to pivot around. They put one down into the sand and then turned the barge. It was pretty cool to watch. 

Cathy and Gary had been out there for about two hours watching them work. I talked to Cathy awhile and then headed back to shore. I read some more with Scott but started to get cold so we trudged back up the beach with our kayaks. When we got back we didn't really have any place to store them because our space was already pretty full. SOoooo we had to load them back on the truck which can be a real pain. We got them all tied down and decided to grill dinner BUT the steak we had bought was still frozen solid - Plan B - pick up dinner. We of course had to take showers which of course was an adventure in itself. Scott was complaining that he wanted the shower I took so I told him to check another and come back if he didn't like it and I would trade him sooooo I forgot to lock the door. I had just finished washing and was trying to turn off the water BUT accidentally turned on the child water which hit me right in the gut with really cold water. I was scrambling trying to turn it off when I heard the door start to open. Yep there was a man and me completely naked. I grabbed the door and shut it. I think he was apologizing but I couldn't hear. Needless to say he will have nightmares for years!! I am really hoping he did not see my face so that I don't run into him in camp. I didn't see him very closely but he had on a tan polo so maybe he was a park ranger. I'll probably end up in his life story sometime...

We headed to Mr. Scrib's pizza supposedly a local favorite. We took the tire to get fixed but it was three minutes too 7:00 and all the bike shops were closed. We ordered pizza. It was actually pretty good! 

Back at the camper we started a movie but saw the sun was going to be really pretty again so we went for a short walk and took pictures again. 

September 11, 2017

On 9/11 I was teaching at Custer Park Elementary School. We were glued to the TV all day. Most of these students came already knowing so it wasn't a matter of breaking the news to them but there were so many questions and discussions. Heading toward Grand Haven, Michigan for a getaway almost seems flippant. I fear that our country is forgetting what happened... 2 Chronicles 7:14, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 

Anyway we left around 8:30AM and made it without any incidents. We had about an hour to kill so we stopped at Walmart on the edge of town. We got a couple supplies and Subway for lunch since it would be awhile before we got everything set up. We it Grand Haven State Park Campground around 3pm Michigan time. There was a line in the office, a line to fill our tanks, a line in the camper road; even after we unhooked the camper and I drove back around, there was a line. We had to figure out how to get the camper in and still have room to park the truck. It took a little while but we finally figured it out. We finally got the important stuff down and headed down to check out the water and the beach. It was beautiful. We used our beach blanket under our towels and it worked great! It kept our towels from getting loaded with sand. We payed there and read for a couple hours until the breeze started to make me cold. We headed back to the camper and had ham and grilled cheese sandwiches. We watched a couple episodes of season 3 of The Librarians. In the middle of it, I noticed a lot of people looking at the beach. The sun had almost set and it was beautiful. Pictures didn't do it justice. Back to the shows - we both fell asleep so decided it was time to go to bed. I woke up about six times but fell asleep right away each time. So I almost slept ten hours! I really needed it. 

Fall Workshop Devotional for Informatics 2017

We live in a relative world. Anyone can make anything seem good while someone else can take the same idea and make it evil. Listen to what people say, listen to the media -- they say one thing one day and the exact opposite the next day depending on what their motives are. The scariest part of it is that they will vehemently defend both of their "sides" because in their mind they have justified their reasoning.

I am discouraged by the lack of integrity in today's world. I am often taken aback when having discussions with people about the definition of integrity. It seems so simple right versus wrong. Many of you were brought up in Christian homes and you come to college with clear standards of what is right and what is wrong. In the movie, City Slickers (1991), Billy Crystal's character's sidekick was asking him what famous person he would cheat on his wife for and Billy Crystal said he wouldn't and after that his friend pushed him further trying to entice him with the old adage - no one would know! Billy Crystal replied, "...I would know." That to me is the definition of integrity. It's what you do when know one is looking or analyzing. 

My pastor, RB Thieme, Jr. in his book, The Integrity of God states, "...whatever integrity can achieve comes only through a continuous series of decisions, through the proper and honorable use of volition. And in the same way that we gain human integrity, we can also lose it. We must constantly decide to do the right things and not to do the wrong things... We have integrity if we make enough decisions in favor of what we know to be right. But if we make too many decisions in violation of what we know to be right, we have no integrity."

I would like to challenge you to think about integrity, think about every choice you make. Hesitate for one second and ask yourself if it is the right choice or are you justifying your actions in order to do what you want to do? Some examples to consider:

• Do I do my homework instead of re-reading the policy that I don't quite have down yet?
• Do I visit or text my significant other instead of completing the every shift checklist? 
• My shift is only minutes, the next person can take the second count.
• Do I brush passed that patron that was obviously struggling with the computer because I need to get back and submit that assignment?
• Do I use the library account to print my jobs for "free?"

Ted Key, an American cartoonist and writer said, "Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence." That quote really struck me. Your integrity should define who you are. Do you want to be thought of as a good worker who projected a facade of integrity? OR do you want to be the person that stands out because everything you do represents integrity; someone who always chooses to do the right thing no matter how annoying or how minute the detail. You would be surprised at how many people you impact when you exhibit consistent integrity. You become a person that others trust and depend on. You become the person that they turn to for advice and guidance.

Our Informatics challenge is to work on our integrity not only on the job but in all walks of life. Our verse for the year: 2 Corinthians 8:21, for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

Some additional integrity verses:
2 Timothy 1:14, Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
Proverbs 7:23, For as he thinks within himself, so he is.
James 04:17, Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Romans 12:2, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
2 Timothy 1:14, Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
Psalms 90:12, So teach us to number our days, That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.
Proverbs 21:3, To do righteousness and justice; Is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.

July 24, 2017 Monday

I slept from 11PM-4AM without even moving! I snoozed off and on until 7:30AM. I finally started my Bible study around 8:30AM and Scott woke up shortly after that. We took showers which were a quarter for 80 seconds. I used seventy-five cents because I couldn’t get the temperature adjusted. Scott did it with fifty cents.

We had “breakfast” at 11AM at Hardees and headed on our way. We had trouble at one of the ramps. The guy slowed down and Scott couldn’t speed up because we were going uphill and he couldn’t get over because there were cars in the other lane. So instead of speeding passed us the guy slowed down which meant he almost had to slam on his breaks to get behind us. A minute later he cut in front of us and slammed on his breaks twice. Scott luckily wasn’t going too fast and stopped in time but he was pretty angry! God protected us in both situations so I consider it a win. We should be home around 6 or 7PM.

July 23, 2017 Sunday

Scott didn’t sleep most of the night so I tried to be quiet so he could sleep, the only problem with this was that we didn’t get on the road until 10:20AM. Mom and Dad helped us get the camper turned around and we were on our way. After about two and half hours on hilly and bumpy 502 we made it to the border. The officer only asked us four questions and sent us on our way. After filling up the truck with gas in International Falls we were on our way again. We made decent time and were in Hermantown around 4:30PM. We stopped at Gander Mountain (probably last year for that tradition because they are going out of business) and then had a nice dinner at Outback Steak house. It was nice to get out of the car for awhile. 

We drove a couple more hours looking for a campground to stay at. It was difficult because cell service isn’t the greatest in northern Wisconsin along Route 53. Finally around 7:30PM I found a place that had an opening. We ended our day at a campground Buck 'N Beam's. It was really strange. I felt like I was in the twilight zone. We picked a great site that we could just pull through and not even unhook the truck. I went in to reserve site 8 and found myself in a bar. I stood there for a couple of minutes and didn’t see anyone working so I finally kind of asked no one in particular how to reserve a site. Some guy after giving me a hard time (pretty sure he was drunk) told me the bartender was making someone a burger. I talked to him about fishing (or lack of) in Canada while I waited for her. She finally came buy and gave me the paperwork. $32 later I was finally back out at the truck with Scott. We pulled in and did a minimum setup, and took a little walk to stretch and check out the campgrounds. It appeared to be very small - only the 8 sites. Scott LOVED the bathrooms/showers. He kept saying they were the cleanest bathrooms he had ever seen. There was only one stall with toilet, sink, and shower for each gender. Luckily there didn’t appear to be anyone else on the campsite. There were seven other campers and all but one had a vehicle parked by it all from other states (except two Wisconsin plates). I saw a lady from the bar walking a dog around 9pm but never saw another person (besides in the bar). Now you might assume that they were all at the bar BUT we had talked to at least 5-6 of them and none of them were staying on the campground. AND there were only about 8-10 people at the bar. 

On our way back from the bathrooms, the bartender was out smoking a cigarette so I introduced her to Scott and she told us a little about the owners and the campground. She said the owners were wonderful and that the man was an ordained minister and often held weddings there. She didn’t know the denomination. Then she randomly gives me a hug.

We went back to the camper and watched some TV, then we went to the restrooms again. On the way there, we saw a truck and flatbed trailer loaded with some big boxes. This wouldn’t seem too out of place except that there was a guy in the dark with a flashlight under the truck. He jumped up and said something about fixing that muffler some day. We kind of acknowledged and started to move on when he hollered out to us… asking us if we wanted to buy a watermelon for $4. We said no thanks. I was trying to figure out whether to run or laugh hysterically. Scott didn’t think it was weird or funny. It’s moments like this that I really miss having Hannah with me!!

July 22, 2017 Saturday

It was a raining day so we did some laundry and worked on packing stuff up. It’s a lot easier with this bigger camper because most of your stuff is already packed. We mostly had to pack up our water/fishing/kayaking gear that was down by the water. We collapsed our beds in the camper and set up the two couches for bed. We thought that would be a good idea since it was supposed to rain all day. This way we could put them away dry.

Kayaked around Paradise with Mom then we paddled the kayaks to Deer Trail to load them up. Dad and Scott met us there with the truck and loaded them up. Mom and I took the double kayak back to the dock. Then she put on her wetsuit and we swam for a little bit. The sun came out for about a half hour. it was fabulous. I took my bath and waited in the sun helping Dad with his camera on the flatboat until Scott finished his bath.

We finished tying down the kayaks and then headed into Vermillion Bay to get gas AND a couple trinkets. The flavor shot ice cream machine was working again so of course we got some ice cream.

When we got back Dad had grilled hotdogs so we had dinner. We spent the evening in the cabin visiting and even played some cards. Mom and I played Double Solitaire and Spite and Malice and then Dad and Scott joined us for a round of Euchre.

July 21, 2017 Friday

 We had a late night and had to get up before 6am to see Janet off. Dad went to Dryden because the tire that he paid to get fixed was flat. The rest of us went back to bed. Around 9AM we got up and did our Bible study and then it started to rain. We were all sitting around doing nothing in the afternoon and the rain had cleared. All of our radars and forecasts said something different. I convinced them that we should head out because other boats were heading out and it was probably our last chance. We ate dinner first and then hopped in the fishing boats. We started at Three Towers around 7PM but only had a couple perch bites. Then we headed out to Tugboat Island where we didn’t have much luck fishing but there were three loons that were hanging sort of close. We talked to a group of people in three canoes that were returning from a week’s trip to Fisher Island. Mom was casting with a broken fishing pole. It was very entertaining. At one point, Dad and I turned just in time to see her cast forward and the lure fly backward and bounce off the top of her head. We had some fun with that one. There were now four loons together and we watched a fifth one fly up and land with them. I told Dad I wouldn’t mind if he headed toward the loons. He actually did - we got so close and we were all mesmorized!! We had never seen five loons interacting like that together and they let us get SOOOO close. We even went all the way around them once. It was fabulous. I took about two hundred pictures and then my stupid battery died.

We went on to the entrance of Peskimong and trolled on the way back at mom’s insistence. I think her main objective was to lose her broken pole… she never succeeded. Then we headed home. It was a cold fast ride… we passed the Back Channel, Boat Island, Canoe Island, Sunset Island, and Paradise Island. The sun was about four minutes from it’s official set time.

We were eaten alive by mosquitos after our baths and we headed up to the cabin. Unbelievably, Dad said he would play cards with us so we played one round of Euchre before we all headed off to bed.

July 20, 2017 Thursday

It was Janet’s last day and it was beautiful. She packed and Scott and I laid out on the dock and the boats. When Mom and Dad left for their meeting in Dryden we went back up to the cabin to take to Janet. When she had finished all of her packing, she and I went for a kayak ride. It was nice. We headed toward Deer Trail and all the way around the point. Scott jetskiied and then met us in the canoe on our way back. Janet laid out in the water and Scott and got ready for our hot dog dinner boat ride.

When Mom and Dad got back we grabbed the food and headed out on the float boat. We had fun fishing and just enjoying the beautiful day. The lake was like glass most of the time. We stalked a loon and got pretty close.

July 19, 2017 Wednesday

We didn’t do our Bible study until about 9am. After that Scott, Dad, Janet, and I took the fishing boat out to three towers. We fished there and around Puhfal Rock for about two hours and didn’t get anything. We trolled passed Paradise and as we were cleaning up Dad got a phone call from Bob so he told Scott to fish with his pole.j Not more than a couple minutes later Scott snagged a small northern.

After a short rest, Janet, Mom, and I kayaked the bay around Bailey’s, Hartman’s, and Bear Trail. There are a few cars and boats there so someone is using it. I’m glad because it was sad to see it sitting empty and getting ruined. It started to rain on our way around the Bear Trail Island.

We had hamburgers with John, Kim, and Alexa tonight. It was their anniversary. After they left. Janet, Mom, Scott, and I played a couple hands of Spite and Malice.

July 18, 2017 Tuesday

We had a grand adventure today. We all slept in and then did our Bible study. After lunch (pork sandwiches for the guys), Scott, Dad, Mom, and I hoped in Dad’s truck and went to scout out Nevin Lake. Our plan was to put in our kayaks in Nevin Lake and paddle to Bunyan Lake. We headed down Ingall Falls Road and it was deserted. There was NO ONE or no signs anywhere to be seen. It was bumpy road but not the worst we’ve seen. Every once in a while we would see a yellow sign with a number on it. We figured they were kilometer markers. After 10.4 miles down this road, we finally saw an access point sign. It didn’t say where we were or any helpful information. We pulled in and Scott and I walked down the boat launch to see if we could see anything on the lake - nothing. We studied the map more and decided that was Pickerel Lake and we had a ways to go to find Ingall Falls. We drove another 4 miles when we saw another access point sign. This one actually labeled it as Ingall Falls. We pulled in and hiked down to the falls. They were beautiful. It also seemed like it would be a place we could put the kayaks in.

We decided to go further to see if we could find an access point on Niven Lake. A logging company truck was headed toward us the opposite way. We flagged him down and talked to him a little bit. He told us we were going in the right direction and wasn’t sure if there was access to Bunyan Lake or not. We made it to kilometer marker 18 when we ran into another guy. He told us to go over the third bridge after marker 21 and the road goes off to the left but to stay right. 

Of course we did the opposite and turned left, but there was a guy on a huge John Deere excavator so Scott and Dad got out of the truck with the map and went and talked to him. This guy talked to them for quite awhile. He was even going to get his own map to show them. He said there was a way into Bunyan but it was virgin woods for part of the trip. We kept going until we ran into another worker in a truck who also stopped and talked to us. He said the last guy we talked to was the expert and he liked to talk fishing. He also told us the roads ahead were pretty good but if any of them looked questionable not to go down them. The roads were terrible!! We were bouncing all over the place. We came to a Y and went to the right where it appeared to end shortly after that. We got out and walked a ways thinking maybe it would lead to one of the lakes we were looking for. 

When we got back I discovered a tick on my pants. Later Dad and Scott found one too. It was God’s grace that we didn’t end up with any attached to us. Mom was crabby and needed a snack of course we didn’t have any food with us. I rubbed her shoulders for a bit and she came out of it somewhat! We had a lot of fun. 

We went back the way we came and took the other Y - that road was even worse!! Finally we found a little wider place where we could turn around so we did. Mom was very happy we were heading back except for the one time where Dad was looking at a lake on one side and almost drove into the lake on the other side. Scott hollered and grabbed for the wheel but Dad was fast and corrected quickly. :) When we were almost back we decided to find the entrance to Dore Lake. We ended up on the other side of 502 in some logging place. We went back and went in a circle - ending up back where we started the entire adventure. I talked them into heading back so we could find Dore Lake after passing marker 3 Dad gave up and turned around.

We had quesadillas for dinner. Mom and I kayaked around Paradise Island and we called it an early night.

July 17, 2017 Monday

We hung around camp most of the day because it was supposed to rain. Mom and Janet did about a hundred loads of laundry. We painted the unfinished lures and hung them in the garage so we could dip them in resin. What a crazy mess and huge project. After we had painted them we had hung them on the porch with fishing line. Scott and I tried to carry them all out at the same time to hang them in the garage. It was an insane mess. They were all tangled together and we had to cut most of the strings to retie them.

John, Kim, and Alexa came over for pork loin dinner. It was fun catching up with them.

Scott kayaked with me on a short trip.

July 16, 2017 Sunday

We got up around 6am to say good-bye to our guests. They were all out by around 7am. After breakfast (and a nap for Dad) we did our Bible study.

The four of us headed out to the lake after lunch and had a very nice time. We had a couple bites and Dad and Scott each caught a couple perch. Mom and I took a short kayak trip.

We had movie night in the camper. Scott, Janet, Mom and I watched the Zookeeper’s Wife. It was very sobering!!

 

July 15, 2017 Saturday

We got up a little late but still got our Bible study in before John, Kim, and Alexa made it to camp today. After we greeted them, we headed into Vermillion Bay. Scott, Gene, Suzanne, Scott L, and I took a truckload of garbage to the dump and then met the rest of the crew at Bobby’s. Scott and I had a lot of drama buying gas. You had to pay inside before you got the gas. I thought they would be able to guide you a little so I told them I needed 10 gallons for our two gas cans. The guy helping me had no idea. He saw the fifty in my hand and said just pay $50 and we will refund what doesn’t come off. Weird. Any way I paid fifty and it took $42 to fill them. I took the receipt back in and he refunded me. Then I went back out where Scott and I tried to calculate how much gas we needed to fill the truck. We decided that we maybe needed 10 gallons so I converted that to litres and this time went in prepared - so I thought. They didn’t know how much 40 litres of gas would cost and it was silver grade for this round so we couldn’t just calculate from the first fill up. Anyway, I went in and paid for forty dollars which didn’t fill our tank. We just gave up and decided to try again later!

Gene treated us to burgers at Quakers Diner but first I had to run Jeane and Zane home so Zane could get his nap. After lunch Matt and I road with Janet to the Fort where most everyone got ice cream. After visiting there for awhile, Suzanne and I road with Janet to pick some blueberries. There weren’t very many but it was a memorable ride home.

When we got back we headed down to the water. I kayaked around Eagle Island and someone had just dumped entrails there. I saw 11 bald eagles with white heads and white tails. I tried to swing wide as not to alert them to my presence but they were flying back and forth. At one point, one of them was coming in to land on the rock and he was pretty much right over my head as he was descending. I’m not going to lie that it wasn’t a little intimidating! When I went around and made it back on the other side one of the eagles from Paradise was heading back with some entrails in his talons. He was close to going over my head when another eagle took off after him chasing him. I paddled away quickly. :) It was awesome though. As I headed back I could see that the kids were tubing and jetskiing. I saw a very fat loon, he kept his distance though. On the way back I picked up Gene who had dismounted from the tube and hauled him back on my kayak. I ended up bringing Nathan back and then later Scott. Jeane and Zane tubed and then I picked up Zane and kayaked him back.

We took our baths and Jeane dunked Zane under water. He was not too happy. I took advantage of it by grabbing a blanket and meeting him coming out of the water. He snuggled with me for about a half hour in the sun. It was really nice!

At 5:30pm we headed for North Shore Lodge for a rib dinner (a treat from Mom, Dad, and Gene). John, Kim, and Alexa came too. After dinner, Matt took a family photo of us. It turned out very nice. I rode with Jeane, Janet, and Zane to Vermillion to show them where the gas station was so they could fill up for their trip home.

When I got back Gene wanted to play hearts so he and I along with Mom and Janet played a game of Hearts to 100. It was only the second time I’ve ever played it and I kicked butt!! Haha I think Gene was surprised that I caught on so quickly. Either that or everyone decided to let me win but there was a pretty high point spread! AND I even shot for the moon once and took all of the hearts and the queen of spades.

When we got back I watched a show with Scott and didn’t get to sleep until almost 1am.

July 14, 2017 Friday

Friday we decided to have a shore lunch with the fish they caught on Thursday. Everyone slept in late after a long day so we ended up messing around by the water and eating some snacks and sandwiches for lunch which pushed our lunch back to a dinner.

While everyone napped we got the boat loaded and food together and we left around 3pm. It was pretty windy and a little rough going out but we made it there without incident. The fire pit was a mess and we couldn’t fit wood in it so Dad and I had to dig it out. It was a good thing I had my blade with me or we would still be there trying to clear it out. :) Dad and Gene cooked the fish and we had walleye in the fresh air. 
The wind died down but there was still enough of a breeze that the bugs mostly left us alone. We had a great time visiting and laughing and taking pictures. Matt and Scott L went all the way around the island. Jeane, Nathan, and Zane followed them a little later.
 Zane had his first smore - that was the first time he’d ever had chocolate or marshmellows. He really liked it. Jeane asked him for a bite and he told her that she should make one. 


One the way back, Nathan was driving the float boat when we noticed activity in the eagle’s nest on the northwest side of Paradise. It turned out that a cabin on the north shore had put out some entrails and there were eagles feeding on it. Matt got some great shots! I hadn’t brought my camera but it was still a fabulous site to behold.

When we got back Gene, Mom, Janet and I played Hearts. I had never played it before so we played a hand open face so that I could learn. I got by butt kicked!! We played to rounds of it. I at least did a little better the second round.

July 13, 2017 Thursday

Dad, Gene, Scott L, and Nathan took the annual portage trip to Bunyan Lake. The rest of us spent much of the day on the Lake. We started on the float boat taking Matt around to get eagle pictures. We had chicken salad lettuce wraps near Paradise Island. Then we took Janet and Zane to shore for a nap. After we dropped them off, we headed out to other side of Boat Island. Matt got pictures with the Drone from the other side and then we all laid around and read our books. Then everyone got hot so they took turns jumping in the lake. Scott and Suzanne went first and then Matt and Mom, Jeane was the last one in.

When we got back I went on a short kayak excursion and everyone else regrouped. We had soup and grilled cheese for dinners while we waited for the adventurous group to get back. They didn’t get back until around 7pm. They had their limit of walleye. With Scott J’s help they  got the fish filleted and came in for dinner. We all headed to bed a little earlier that night!

July 12, 2017 Wednesday

July 11, 2017 Tuesday

It started raining at 4am and didn't quit all day. We started our Bible study but Jeane and Zane showed up. We played with Zane for about an hour so Jeane could take a run and have a little time to herself. Gene came over and said that they wanted to go to Dryden.

So everyone but Dad, Mom, and Scott went to Dryden. This made me the tour guide which was kind of sad since I never drive in Dryden and don't know it very well. I did figure it out though and navigated without any incident. The one place I like besides the library is the gift shop which was closed. 

We stopped at Egli's Sheep Farm on the way and shopped. Zane fell asleep so Jeane and I took turns sitting with him in the car. 

We had dinner at the Riveredge Lodge on the Wabaggon River. It was a pretty good lunch. Then we went to Safeway and Canadian tire. We planned to go to DQ on the way out of town but it was closed. SO then we decided to go to Moose Creek in Vermillion Bay for flavor shot ice cream. OF course the flavor shot machine was broken. BUT the kids could still get some ice cream. 

After homemade pizza for dinner, we played Shanghai Rummy until 10:30. Gene won but we only made it through a deal of 11. 

I was exhausted and freezing when I went to bed. I kept waking up shivering. Finally around 2am I got up and turned on the heat. It was at that point that I realized something was dripping on my bed and all of the edges were wet. We still haven't figured out the leak.

July 10, 2017 Monday

What a crazy day! We started with our BIble study nad waiting for the California crew to get ready to start the day. Dad, Scott, and Gene went to Dryden to take care of some bills and banking.

A bunch of us headed down to the dock and played in the water. It was a beautiful day. Sunny with a nice breeze. The water was fabulous. Mom and I were going to kayak but then the other group showed up so Nathan, Scott, Matt, Mom, Jeane, Zane and.I took out our canoes and kayaks out around Paradise Island. It was fabulous! Good company and beautiful scenery. We saw two eagles on the leeward side. One had a fish in its talons. We took a break on the beach and switched up some of the vessels then headed back. 

After lunch they put the jet ski in the water and everyone had a great time playing with it. Dad, Scott, and I worked on getting the little trolling motor working. Around 4pm, we headed up to rest and then eat dinner. Brats were on the menu for the night. After dinner Dad, Gene, Matthew, Scott, and Nathan headed out in the fishing boat. We followed in the Pontoon. We took the Pontoon to the beach on Connaught Point. The fishing boat showed up and Matthew had the drone. He flew it over Boat Island and got amazing footage of the lake on top of the island. He was showing me some of the clips and it was amazing!!

On the boat ride back we found a leech on both Jeane and Zane so I pulled them off. When we got back. I took my bath and Azne was playing by the dock. Uncle Scott saw a leech on him so brought him over so I could pull it off. It was about a half inch and black. After I pulled it off, I saw another really small nude colored leech. THen noticed there were about twenty on his foot and leg. I sent someone up for salt and Jeane and I salted him and started pulling them. It was crazy!! We had to have pulled at least twenty. My theory is that the first one I pulled off had babies connected to it. After we were sure they were all off, Jeane took him up for a good shower and checked him over really good. The fishing boat came back and we cleaned up and headed to bed for the night. 

July 9, 2017 Sunday

Sunday morning it was officially like Canada again. We started the morning out with a Bible study in the cabin with Mom and Dad. Then Scott and Dad tried to fix the porch steps but probably are going to have to rebuild them.

We put in the fishing boat first all went pretty smoothly. After that we had leftover spaghetti for lunch and everyone grabbed a nap while I went down to the beach for a nap. 

Around 3pm, we put the float boat in surprisingly that went really well too. We were expecting Gene and his crew very soon.

At some point we worked on organizing the beach dock area. Dad weed-eated while mom and I got the kayaks out of the way. :) We took a spin so that they wouldn't get weeds all over them. We went into Bear Trail bay and by the little island. 

When we got back Gene, Matthew, Scott and Nathan had arrived. We showed them around and took them down to the dock. Then we took them down to the cabin to get unpacked. Gene decided to sleep in Grove's cabin BUT it had been attacked by a squirrel. Mom, Scott, and I worked on cleaning up his room, the bathroom, and the broken glass all over the living room floor. Scott got the air conditioner running which made Gene pretty happy. 

We heated up the big pot of chili had dinner.

I also took Scott and Nathan on a kayak trip around the island. Dad met us with the pontoon the other way around. Matt had his drone. It was INCREDIBLE! He took air footage of the entire island and of the three of us kayaking. I can't wait to see the edited footage!!

July 8, 2017

Today was a productive yet lazy day. Scott was up at 2am itching like crazy. I had read online that an antihistamine and icing can help the itching. We did both of those things. That helped make the itching more bearable. He was able to bet back to sleep for.awhile.

After our Bible study, we went into the Bay and took our garbage to the waste disposal sight and filled all of our water jugs in preparation for our company. 

When we got back we made spaghetti for Mom and Dad's arrival and Chili for everyone else on Sunday. It's a Grandma tradition. She always had a pot of chili on the stove when company arrived to the cabin. She is the one who taught me how to make chili including her secret ingredient. 

I went down to the dock and was planning on relaxing awhile but it started to rain. Scott and I sat outside the camper until the rain got annoying and headed into the camper. We rested for about an hour until Mom and Dad got here. 

We helped them unload and had spaghetti dinner. After Mom and I cleaned up we went for a spin on our kayaks. We paddled to the island and back. The water was like glass tonight. 

July 7, 2017

It was a sad day, one of the few times I didn't get to hug Lou on her birthday. :( I did however send her birthday snaps at 4 in the morning. Scott and I face timed with her before she headed to work. I enjoyed sending her annoying snaps all day so she would know she was on my mind1

Scott had a horrible night. He was attacked and bitten by something all night After close examination in the morning we figured out that it was No See Ums. It was horrible. It looks like he has the chicken pox. There are bites all over his arms, legs, back. They itch horribly. He has been miserable ever since. 

I worked on the beach and kayaked around the island. Scott and I finished cleaning the shop windows and some other odd jobs around the cabin. 

Before dark we closed up the camper and sprayed the outside really well. Then we watched TV for awhile. When we went to bed we bundled up in blankets from head to toe. I had on long sleeves, pj pants, and wool socks. It was so hot!! BUT we weren't willing to let the tiny flying black bugs back into the camper!! At some point we realized that we could turn on our air conditioning fan. It was marvelous! I actually got cold and put on another blanket. I woke up with mosquito bites all over my head! They've been itching pretty badly today!! Scott has hundreds of bites though so I really can't complain! I have 7-10 on my face and 5-7 on my head. Then there are random ones on my hands, arms and legs. BUT mine are also mosquito bites, they look different than Scott's bites. 

July 6, 2017

Wow! The week is going by way to fast. I can't believe it is Thursday  already! I'm definitely sleeping better here but my back pain isn't much different. I think I'm just too tired to wake up from it up here. :) It rained twice in the middle of the night last night but I went back to sleep right away. There really is no better sound for sleeping than the rain hitting the roof of your "tent" bed. We have a hybrid so our beds are tents like on a popup. 

I was awake around 6am. I've seen chippy and mama groundhog already this morning. They are out looking for yummy treats. I heard a Pilated woodpecker knocking on a tree but he was too far away. 

After our doctrine, we finished washing the cabin windows and then we went for our walk. On our way back we saw another baby ground hog. He was smaller and darker ha. The other baby. When we got back it was almost lunchtime so we had leftovers in our lawn chairs outside the camper. It was beautiful and great weather with no bugs!! AND chippy didn't steal any of our food this time. We headed down to dock and read/laid out for an hour. Then Scott mowed and I continued working on cleaning up the beach. 

I saw a heron crane and some sort of mink type animal that was really fast. There were a lot of duck families today including some really cute little babies. 

I kayaked around the corner to Muses and then back. We were both tired and sore. Scott's shoulder hurt too much to kayak. Around 6pm, we took our baths and headed up to camper. 

We spent the rest of the night watching Bull episodes and fixed mac and cheese for dinner. 

July 5, 2017

We had a productive day but we both ended with sore backs and having flared up our injuries (my elbow and his neck). After our Bible study we washed windows in the cabin and finished the whole porch. Then we decided to have a picnic because it was so beautiful outside. I gathered all of the food and put it in a tub to carry it outside. Scott called me over to help him with the grill. When I came back a noticed a trail of bread crumbs leading from the tub... I was mad, that naughty chippy had crawled into our tub and eaten through the bread bag. He had taken bites out of at least three of the buns. I was not happy. I sanitized everything and set the contaminated buns aside for the ducks.

Scott moved the grill over by the camper so we could guard the food. We had cheese hotdogs with chopped onions. They were fabulous. The wind was blowing so there were no mosquitoes or bugs. It was really nice. After lunch we put together his little portable table that he won at Canoecopia last year. It wasn't as fun because I couldn't figure out the directions and he of course had to keep pointing out when I put something in the wrong place. Why do husbands get so much joy from telling you that you're wrong?! Haha! We got it finished and headed out for a kayak adventure.

We went around the island in about forty minutes, it was pretty windy so not an easy paddle for our first longer excursion. I think it really got Scott's neck and shoulders going. When we got back we laid out for an hour. That was five o'clock. It's so weird how much later the sun is hot up here! I talked to Dad around 8pm and he asked if it was dark yet. I laughed and said no the sun was still at the noon position. He laughed and said I know what time is it gettting dark there? I told him I think around 10:30. But I wasn't really sure because I'm usually asleep before 10pm. 

After that we worked on weeding the beach for about an hour. We both had overdone by that point. 

We decided to memorize a verse so he chose Jeremiah 17:7&8, Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord; for he will be like a tree planted by the water that extends its roots by the stream and will not fear when the heat comes but it's leaves will be green and it will not be anxious in the year of drought cease to yield fruit. 

July 4, Tuesday

Tuesday started out as a lazy day. 
 We slept in until almost 9am. By the time we had finished our Bible study and eaten breakfast it was afternoon! We unpacked the food we had taken into the cabin.

I did some social media today to see what my friends in the states were doing to celebrate our Independence Day. No fireworks in Canada. For some reason, I'm thinking their Independence Day is on July 2, but I might be wrong because I didn't see any fireworks or celebrations on Monday. There were even road crews on 502. 

We worked on weeding the beach. It's going to take a lot of work. It's overgrown with grass and other things. The roots are so intertwined that you almost have to pull off a layer of sod to weed it. 

We went kayaking to the island and back. Scott is trying to be a good sport and kayaks with me but I think it's really bothering his shoulder which in turn hurts his neck. 

We sat down on the dock on the bench (great idea to build a bench there. I think dad did that but maybe it was Alan). I took about a million pictures of a duck family. They were diving under so I was trying to get some underwater pictures. I don't think I was too successful but I'll check them out on my computer later. 

We saw lots of water fowl today. There was a merganser on the rock with three ducks. The white pelican flew over twice. An juvenile bald eagle flew passed the cabin. When we headed to the camper for the night, there was a different bird on the rock. I'm still not sure if it was a loon or a golden eye. I'll know better when I put my pictures on my laptop.

Baby groundhog was out foraging around the camper. He was pretty small and awfully cute. I got some pictures of him. 

Instead of ending our night with fireworks, it ended in a crazy storm. We were both pretty sure the camper was going to blow over. The weather said there were gusts up to 50km with would be at least 25 mph winds. It was no gust either it was a constant that lasted for a good half hour. The rain was definitely torrential!! At least we didn't get the hail that was predicted.