Squeezed in our van for a five hour drive to southern Minnesota:  six people, their clothes packed in six backpacks,, blankets, pillows, sleeping bags and mats, a tent, a cooler, a basket of food, four camping chairs, two totes of camping supplies,  a water jug, extra blankets because it was…

Inside Forestville State Park is the Minnesota Historical Society’s restored village.    The kidlets were really excited about the prospect of visiting another Minnesota Historical Society site after having just been to Split Rock.  They also have great memories of the Forest History Center in Grand Rapids.  All of these places have…

We spent the weekend in southern Minnesota at Forestville State Park  with Auntie Dot and her crew.  Forestville State Park was not a place on my radar at all.  Auntie Dot came up with the idea of meeting there, and before I thought too much about what it would mean…

The Banana was still playing at our neighbor’s house, and when she called home to check in and found out we were headed to the sandy beach in a few minutes, she decided to come home.  In the process, she mentioned to her friends that we were going to the…

  Mandatory first-day-of-school pictures were NOT popular this year.  Not popular at all.  Thankfully I’m used to being a not popular person, and I took back to school pictures anyway.   The Banana is in third grade.  Even though she was grumpy about taking her pictures, she was super excited…

Mr. Sneaky Pants came across The Boy’s Book of Adventures in the gift shop at Split Rock Lighthouse.  He begged to get it.  We convinced him to wait and check the library first.  He ended up coming home and presenting me with the funds to purchase it online.  OK.  It’s a…

On the list for last minute excursions before the start of school was a trip to the playground at Bayfront Park.  I was actually surprised that the kidlets really wanted to go to this playground; it was an idea they had all on their own.  It’s a terrific playground, but…

You might recall that we spent our first day of summer vacation at Amity Creek.  In the early part of the summer we went to this magnificent spot a couple of different times, but we haven’t been back for weeks.  When I asked the kidlets which things they would like to…

Early this week we headed just a bit north to Split Rock.  We’ve been to the lighthouse several times (although not for quite a few years) and we have kayaked quite a few times from Pebble Beach to the base of the lighthouse, because it’s one of my favorite places…