The End of the Vacation

We had a little boredom on the boat.

I decided to make things interesting by betting the girls that they couldn't catch as many fish as their dad and I. Kids v. Parents in the Great Fish Off. The girls were fresh off their poker victories from the previous nights, so they were in.

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Touching a Fish and Spazzing Out

We had a good haul today. A really good haul.

Do you call a bunch of fish a haul? Or a herd? Maybe a gaggle? A posse? Is it still considered a school of fish if they are strung up on a rope? Someone, please help. I'd hate to live the rest of my life in ignorance of what you call a bunch of fish.

I may not know what to call them, but I do know where they ended up ...

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How We Scarred The Children For Life and Triggered Their Gambling Addiction

The third full day of our vacation was rainy. Not the whole day, just until around 4 in the afternoon.

We took advantage of the rain and headed into town for a quick jaunt to Target (I love Target!), a movie, and a late lunch in a restaurant.

Target is my second home and I was pleased to learn that the small town near our cabin had a Target. I needed necessities like fuzzy posters with markers and a second pair of jeans. For reasons that totally escape me at the moment, I only possess one pair of jeans. Fortunately they are awesome, but still. One pair.

I decided that it was most grody to wear the one pair of jeans fishing on the boat where they could quite possibly come in contact with fish guts or worm juice and then wear them later that night to the community pot luck/fish fry.

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Lake Itasca and Yet Another Discussion on My Boneheadedness

As I was scrolling through the vacation pictures (all 1500 of them) to pull out for today's post, I realized that I made a mistake on yesterday's post.

50 (meaningless) points if you caught the fact that I was wearing two different shirts. I had on a lovely red tie-dye tshirt in my "I Snagged A Giant Stick Photo". Then, in my "Holding a Fish" and subsequent "Freaking Out" photo, I'm wearing last year's Old Navy 4th of July shirt.

Phooey.

I feel like I've let you guys down because you've come to appreciate my high level of accuracy and the unflinchingly rigid set of reporting standards that I've imposed on myself. I apologize and thanks for the slack, Jack. I will do better next time.

Today's post will contain photos from our day trip to Itasca State Park, the obligatory sunset photo, and surprise photo if you are good.

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A Giant Stick, A Massive Freak Out, and A Genie Wish

Let me recap our first full day at the cabin on a lake in Minnesota.

This will be a mostly pictorial review (shocker!).

I'd very proudly like to announce that I caught the first thing on vacation.

Me.

The gal who has never really been fishing before in her life.

The one who had previously assumed that all fish comes filleted, deboned, and prepackaged in the freezer section of her neighborhood Target.

Woop woop!

Not to get all technical on you, but for those who would like to know I used a green jig and a minnow as bait.

No, I'm not sure exactly what that is, but check out my catch:

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The Sunset and Mosquitoes or How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Because I know that you all simply cannot live another second not knowing how I spent the last two weeks, I've decided to blog about it. Probably several posts. Including pictures. Lots of pictures.

I have been trying to figure out how to break down my vacation into blog posts.

Do I do it chronologically?

By subject matter?

By incident?

Does anyone really care about my trip to the Great North Woods?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Bueller?

Bueller?

I've decided that chronologically is the way to go, mainly because I have 347 photos of sunsets and that's just one too many to put into the same post.

Yep. Just one sunset picture too many.

346 = perfect.

347 = one too many.

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Cultural Update: Minnesota Edition

Remember my New Year's resolution to be a more dignified and culturally aware human being? I have been on a small quest to enhance my culturalliness ever since.

My quest has taken me to an art museum in which I was sprayed by a rebellious self-flushing toilet.

Also, my cultural campaign has taken me to a comedy concert in which my knee was rubbed by the boyfriend of the girl (who inexplicably lost her Bump-It) sitting in front of me.

These instances might damper another person's enthusiasm, but not me. Third time's a charm, right?

Know what I found out? You can find cultural opportunities dang near anywhere.

Even on the long drive between north central Indiana and northern Minnesota.

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Commander of the Radio

I have spent the last twelve days in the constant companionship of my family.

All of us.

Together.

There were twenty-eight hours of all of us together in the car.

In. The. Car.

As in no escape route.

Surprisingly, I was fine with this arrangement for two reasons.

One, being in the car together for that length of time meant that we were going on vacation and I love to go on vacation.

And two, I got to be in control of the radio.

But first we had to discuss the role of navigator.

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This Photo Needs A Name

This photo needs a name.

Why do I have such a hard time naming photos of flowers?

Is it some kind of mental disorder?

A genetic flaw?

Creativity block?

Some kind of thinking disease caused by using too much Aqua Net in the late 80s?

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Lettuce. Pretty Lettuce.

Look at this lettuce. Isn't it gorgeous?

Mainly green leaf, but with a few red leaves throw in for variety.

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Ninja Kitty

I am Ninja Kitty.

I am awesome.

My powers are legendary.

Be prepared to be amazed.

I can look left.

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A Tale of Two Arms: Tanner and Whitey

Humans are weird. We're not built perfectly. We aren't symmetrical. Our left sides are not exactly the same as our right sides.

Take my arms for example.

They are scrawny and pale because I am a total cream puff and I load up on the SPF White Girl when I go outside.

Know what's weird about my arms?

They look like they belong to two different bodies.

Seriously.

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Good Thing I Don't Own a Sparkly Suit

Think this horse is getting ready to charge me?

You know, bull style?

Look at the flared nostrils.

The scraping of the front hoof.

Giving me the ol' stink eye.

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Just Thought This Was Pretty

I was outside this morning.

I'd love to tell you that I was doing yard work.

Mowing.

Weeding.

Sweeping the front porch.

Tending the crops.

Fixing the gaping hole in the back of the house where the backdoor used to be.

But I didn't think I could fool you guys into thinking that I was doing anything productive.

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A List For Your Thursday Pleasure

I'm having a problem completing any thoughts this morning so that makes today's blog post a list. A list of random thoughts, of course.

1. When cutting the lettuce out of the garden, some fresh dill was cut as well. It's drying in the kitchen. Now my kitchen smells like dill and all I want to do is sit around and gnaw on a giant pickle. Think those things are related?

2. I have a million things to do today, but I keep getting distracted. That could be for many reasons, most notably the Jackson 5 music blaring from the kids' end of the house.

3. I keep thinking about my Dorothy Hamill/Toni Tennille/Chevy Chase/bowl haircut. Think that style will make a comeback? Aw, really? You don't? But it's so versatile - good for a man, good for a woman, good for an eight-year-old.

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Cool Iris Picture

Cool picture, but it needs a name.

Any ideas?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Beuller?

Sorry. Little '80s digression there. You've probably come to expect them by now.

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A Dinner Surprise

Yummy goodness …

… had a tragic end when I found this on my plate:

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First Friday in June

Did you know that today is a national holiday?

No?

You weren't aware?

Today is the first Friday in June, which makes it ………. National Donut Day!

* insert raucous applause, a few fist pumps, and some hollerin'

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Me and Clark W.

I didn't post anything yesterday and I apologize. I have no excuse, other than I was parked in a lawn chair with the sun shining on me, a book, a big Diet Coke, and bottle of SPF White Girl.

And my hot pink iPod, shuffling through my extensive collection of Prince songs (available on iTunes!).

Some time into "Let's Go Crazy" it hit me how much I have in common with Clark Griswold.

You remember Clark, right? From the "Vacation" movies?

Clark W. Griswold?

Yep. That's him.

We have, like, sooo much in common.

We could be twins.

Separated at birth.

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