Labor Day Weekend

For Labor Day Weekend this year we headed up to Tofte, MN on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Here are some photos from our fun-filled weekend.

Found a new bird house for the yard in Grand Marais.

Hiking near Cascade River

I started off Saturday with some famous sourdough pancakes from Lockport Cafe in Lutsen. They were scrumptious. Unfortunately, breakfast ended with me dumping a pot of maple syrup all over the table.

Anybody know what is going on with this tree?

Made it to Lookout Mountain!

Cascade River Falls

A delicious, sustainable dinner at The Angry Trout

Harbor in Grand Marais

Hiking at the Temperance River

Adam said I looked like "a barrel". 
I might be 19 weeks preggo but this is due to 
a 7mm wetsuit, spray skirt, life jacket and raincoat.
I swear.

It looks nice and sunny but the water is 40 degrees. 
Thus the wetsuit.

Trail Center on the Gunflint Trail.

The "Goober-Burger" (peanut butter and mayo)

Glensheen Mansion

Lake Superior

New Roomies

Meet Chad, Tracy and Marley, our new roommates. You may recognize Chad and Tracy from a previous post or from our wedding since Chad was one of Adam's groomsmen. So far I have learned that Chad likes to mountain bike, Tracy also has a blog and makes a mean batch of chili, and Marley can roll over and is very tolerant of spoiled cats. We love having them and hope they stay for a long time! 

Happy Birthday Cassie!

Happy Belated Birthday to my friend Cassie! This video is too big for me to email, so I am posting your birthday present on my blog.... Maybe a pretty lame excuse for a present. And just a little self-serving?

Happy Birthday from one only child to another!


EcoGlide Zipline Tour Part IV from Anne Merrill on Vimeo.

The Perfect Day on a Stick

Greetings from the Land of 10,000 lakes deep-fried foods. For the last 6 years, around this time, I have sunk into a minor depression thinking about all the cheese curds, Sweet Martha's cookies, roasted corn on the cob, pronto pups and other delicious goodies I have missed out on, but this year my slump is over! And to make it better, I'm eating for two! The Minnesota State Fair, aka, "The Great Minnesota Get-Together" prides itself on having every food under the sun "on a stick".

For example:

(that's right folks... mashed potatoes on a stick)

Adam and I went for doubles on the cheese curds:

Adam had two pronto-pups:

We got together with some family:

And even saw Andrew Zimmern! (That's him in the back behind my cousin):

Where else can you see a 90 pound block of butter carved into the likeness of someone's head?

An entire exhibit hall dedicated to corn?  (Ok, maybe Nebraska...)

A block-long row of John Deere tractors?

And get your picture taken with the Spam mascot?

Ahhhh.... so glad it won't be another 6 years before we get to do this all again.

Adam & John

If I could give only one bit of advice to any new home-owner-ladies out there it would be this: Let your man get WHATEVER lawn equipment he wants. Overlook the expense because you won't have to mow the lawn ever again. (Seems like this strategy works for snow-blowers too). Adam is really into his new John Deere. If only we could figure out how to grow some grass...

Nina & Pinta

Last Sunday it was sweltering in MN... about 91 degrees and a 70-something degree dew point. That almost kicks an AZ summer day's butt. It was also sweltering across the river in Hudson, Wisconsin however, I have been looking forward to August 8th for a few weeks now and what we saw was worth the "swass".

We went to Hudson to see the "Nina & Pinta". For those of you that are not nerds like Adam and I, those are two of Columbus' ships (the Santa Maria sunk halfway through the first voyage).  These were not the actual ships Columbus sailed, but the Nina we saw is believed to be the most accurate replica ever built. It was built entirely by hand with the same tools and techniques from Columbus' time. 

Enough of my ramblings, here are the pictures.