Great Smoky Mountains Rafting Trip

Sherri got us a gift certificate to go whitewater rafting on our trip down to visit her brother's family in South Carolina. It was super fun, and it brought back some really great memories of when I was a river guide. One night we decided to drive up into the Great Smoky Mountains where we hunkered down in the car until morning for a hike. We climbed a butt-kickin' 12-miler that brought us to a beautiful overlook where we ran into Mr. Black Bear and some wild wart hogs. It was a long trip down as we slowly peeked around the corners of bushes yelling, "Hey Bear!"

Kayaking Sunrise River

To celebrate the commencement of summer break, Sherri & I spent a couple of days with my parents at their ranch. They live only a couple of miles away from the Sunrise River. It's a fun little meandering creek that winds down the valley under a wooded canopy, eventually emptying into the mighty St. Croix River. There were just enough rapids to keep things interesting, with little wave trains swerving around corners, and a few slumbering boulders here and there. Mom & Dad graciously provided 5-star shuttle service for our paddling trip, allowing us to throw all of our gear into the back of their truck, Big Iron. Mia accompanied us, cautiously observing from the river bank. It's been awhile since Sherri & I had been in our boats, so we spent some time practicing our combat roll at the put in. Mia rode along with Mom & Dad, who later waved to us from the overhead bridges down stream. Dad captured some great photos for us to remember the day. That afternoon, we all drove over to St. Croix Falls for lunch at a tasty Chinese restaurant, and later walked along the cliffs at Taylor Falls. We had to, of course, scope out the town for some ice cream since it was a hot summer day. We hope to enjoy several more outings like this in the future. It's good being around family.

Mom & Mia walking us down to the put in

A couple of river rats anxious to paddle

Both are a little rusty on our combat roll

Now remember- loose hips

Paddling a meandering river under beautiful canopy

Sherri gives it a thumbs up!

Can't wipe the smile off my face- born to be on the water

Banning State Park

Over Spring break, Sherri, Mia & I drove up to Banning State Park. It's only about an hour north of us, and has long been on my radar for places to whitewater kayak. We enjoyed a beautiful sunny afternoon, and practically had the entire park to ourselves. It's early enough in the year that people are not too stoked about venturing out in the "chilly" air. We scouted rapids, climbed cliffs, had lunch perched high above Hell's Gate rapid, learned from a local where all the great skinny dipping spots are- gross, weird, and illegal?!#@>&*. It was a perfect getaway for Sherri & I to explore MN scenery and spend some time together- "Just the Two of Us" (cue Bill Wither's funk band). On our way home we called my parents and asked how they felt about two weary hikers, a dog, and a Papa Murphy's pizza showing up on their doorstep.

Old Man Winter still showing his beard

Mia climbed cliffs like a mountain goat

We practically had the trails all to ourselves

Barely beat the 10 second self-timer on this shot

Icefalls

Found this cavern by accident- power of erosion!

I am definitely going to drop my boat in here someday

Creepy wide-mouth Grandfather tree

Winter Holiday Extravaganza!

Now that Sherri & I live in MN, we get the privilege of participating in all of the family fun and ruckus. Come holiday season, my family has always kept the tradition of bombarding someone's home to play games, watch slide shows of when we were young, laugh, nap, solve the problems of the world, and of course- eat WAY TOO MUCH! This winter was no exception!

Julie, Jill, Jake, Jan

LoveBirds

The ladies out on a walk in the snow

Mia has yet to lose a King Of The Hill competition

Keepin' It Real Yall!

I'm not sure what to say about this???

Allstar Trivia duo right here folks

Mia is down for the count

Grill Masters

Just wouldn't be right without a guitar jam session

Little Elise has her own custom fit sled

Not a bad deal getting pulled around on a sled all day

Proper technique using the Fireman's Carry

Buckle-up, time to shred some snow

Mia says, "That doesn't look very safe"

Mia still isn't sure about this whole sledding thing

Mia leads the way as Jenna & I rip-up the slopes together

Home Fixer-upper Projects

I was finally able to complete two major projects as Sherri & I have been settling into our new home. For awhile now we have been dryerless since the dryer hookup was mysteriously not connected to the electrical box. Come to find out, it was hidden behind the sheetrock in an adjacent wall. After plenty of head-scratching and detective work, I was able to cut a small piece of drywall out and feed the remaining wire around the corner into the electrical box and whalla- dryer is up and running. There was also a leaky shut-off valve in the basement that was corroded beyond recognition. Plumbing projects scare me the most since you always have to cross your fingers that everything works right when you turn the water back on. Fortunately, everything tuned out just fine, and I can cross two biggies off the fixer-upper list.

Treasure In Our New Garden

After cleaning out the garden at our new home today, I found some great treasure. I plucked a bunch of green beans that were climbing up and over the back fence, and later dug up some seriously huge "What's Up Dock" carrots. Anyone is welcome to come over for some green bean & carrot stew. Mia was in heaven since one of her favorite treats just happens to be carrots. Not sure she enjoyed the green beans as much, but she did gnaw on one for awhile.

Remodeling Projects

Sherri & I have been busy tackling some remodeling projects at home. We started with painting the living room, then ventured into the kitchen with new countertops. The downstairs of our house is still a bit of a mess, but things are coming together quite nicely. Here's what we've got to show so far.

Finally some paint on the walls

New Acrylic Kitchen Countertops

Built-in sink (hooking the garbage disposal back up was a BEAR!)