I've been without my camera for a little over a year before finally getting it repaired (thanks Ryan, and Canon). So for a long time I've been borrowing Cate's, or Elizabeth's, or dad's. I am just glad to have it back.
Been a nice week-plus here since Cate and the kids got home. Spent some time down at Lake Harriet last night visiting the Lake Creature (don't ask) and just missing the end of the concert at the bandshell ... again. But a nice long walk and the kids even almost fully cooperated with a group photo.
Robert has been waiting for this day for a long time, and I wouldn't have pictured it would come in the dead of winter.
Ever since we got here for Robert and Elizabeth to visit Nonna and Da in August 2007, he has wanted to go fishing. And today, actually, was the easiest way to get it done.
The annual kite festival was held on Lake Harriet this afternoon, with just enough wind to provide for a spectacular show but not so much that we froze our faces off. We took a horse-drawn cart ride up the west side of the lake, had some hot cider and Robert took part in a scavenger hunt.
There was also ice fishing, but I don't have the patience for it. Robert and I made it a little further into the day than Elizabeth and Colleen did, but we didn't fish for ice. And that really bummed Robert out. He trudged all the way home, about five blocks, upset and not really interested in my suggestion that we would go fishing when it was warmer.
But Da came to the rescue. He was willing to take Robert back down and do the whole ice fishing thing.
And since Robert had waited about a year and a half for this moment, he made the most of it.
They had about 25 holes drilled in the ice, and kids had been fishing those holes all day long, with poles and bait provided by the Minnesota DNR. So the odds were pretty long that he was going to come up with anything. But he sat, and waited, patiently, watching the bobber, for about 45 minutes.
No luck. But he wasn't discouraged. He came home and told us all what a great time it was.
And an hour later, his cheeks were no longer red.
As we've written before, Elizabeth has gotten a lot more confident with her new bike. I've been dying to get out and ride with her, but the number of daylight hours where we're both home and I'm not busy with my fall endeavors is really limited.
So this afternoon, with a temperature in the mid-60s, Cate and Robert off to the children's theatre, Colleen playing quietly and mom and dad home, I looked at the clock at 1:30 and said, "Elizabeth, let's go for a ride!"
I have not been on a bicycle since we got here. (No worries, still maintaining my goal weight, going on more than six months now.) And I know Elizabeth has been out biking with her PE class. They've gone around both Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun in one trip. So she's maybe even in better shape to ride than I was.
We went all the way around Lake Harriet, then up the west side of Lake Calhoun to Lake of the Isles, back down the other side of Calhoun to the house. Grand total of 8 miles. And Elizabeth kept up with me the whole way, though I took her smaller wheels and the fact that she is riding in fifth gear most of the way into account.
I can't wait for next spring, when we have good weather again and a lot more time.
I took this photo with my camera phone, hoping she was in the frame and trying to keep the phone steady. I showed the picture to Elizabeth at home and her response was, "Oh. That's what you were doing!"
