At the Cabin

Although getting ready to leave was a horrible experience (I really, really do not pack up my family and leave my house well . . . I loose my mind every time I have to do it, and that has been plenty often enough in the last few weeks) we had a stupendous time celebrating Auntie Dot’s birthday at the lake cabin.

We had lively discussions at the table about whether I should stop taking pictures of my husband and sister-in-law (I snapped several pictures to document the heated debate, further egging them on, of course).

We read peacefully by the lake when not chasing almost walking infants. I’m in the middle of a great book about six traits writing for primary grades, Creating Young Writers I love it, and am so sad I most likely will only get to put the information into practice with my own kids.

We cuddled with extra special aunts.

We scooped up piles and mounds and hills of sand with shiny new dump dirts.

We went swimming for hours upon hours in the lake, so long that lips were blue and skin was a strange mottled purple hue, and yet we could not admit that we were chilly. This is Mr. Perpetual Mess. You can’t hear him, but he’s yelling at the top of his lungs, “I’m SWIMMING!!!!” complete with his lifejacket, floaty inner tube and noodle in just two inches of water. Mr. PM drank a lot of lakewater, and I’m hoping we don’t acquire any nasty parasites. We watched Dot’s dog chase so many waves and swallow them that she was close to waterlogged as she bounded back and forth on the shoreline.

We had long, lazy and uniterrupted Saturday afternoon naps. This photo looks a little bleak, but the experience was wonderfully satisfying.

We ate fresh corn on the cob off the grill; scones from my favorite bakery in North Dakota, The Bread Poets; moving muffins, a bran muffin tradition at the cabin; sticky, gooey smores; and scrumptious ice cream birthday cake, which we rather gorged on, trying to consume the whole cake before we left on Sunday.

Cute babies took baths outside.

A sunset boatride was enjoyed by all, particularly those under age six who had the opportunity to do some WILD steering, and four-footed pals who enjoyed the breeze, the view, and a little extra attention.