Friday's Walk. St. Croix County Fair Edition.

Walking through the poultry/small animal barn.

A very colorful and fancy pheasant.

A photogenic and friendly goose.

A pretty glassware project.

A unique magazine bag.

Hannah Ramberg's champion origami project.

A unique use of used baler twine.

A fun event.  Donkey races.

A family of champions!

And It Rained A Lot!

Woke up this morning to a loud thunderstorm and pouring rain.  Looked out the windows and saw that our yard was flooded.

The waters surrounded the south and west sides of our house.

The river of rainwater meandered through the pasture.

Thankfully we didn't get any water in the basement.

Front pond was overflowing.

As soon as the rain stopped, everything drained away.

Couldn't even tell that the yard was flooded just minutes before.

 The sun came out for a beautiful summer morning.

I love summer thunderstorms.

Friday's Walk

Made a batch of strawberry jam this week.  Ben has been enjoying it on his waffles.

Lots of rain today.  Just started to rain after Cooper and I got back from our morning run/walk.  Didn't stop until mid-afternoon.  Good for the flowers and the veggies.

The veggie plants are growing like weeds, and the weeds are growing like WEEDS!

I don't remember the name of this native plant, but the birds enjoy sipping water from its cupped-shaped leaves.

Coneflower.

Hollyhock.

Had to wear my puddle boots to take pictures because everything was so wet.

Phlox.

Pink hydrangea.

Clematis.

Making progress on the interior of Nellie, she has been painted a fantastic red and Doug has been installing cover plates.

Friday's Walk

Poppies are all abloom.  They look great against the clear blue summer sky.

We will be overrun with zucchinis soon!

The beans have had a tough start.  Slugs have been attacking my garden.  I have been sprinkling the rows with Diatomaceous earth to combat them.  Seems to be working.  We think the reason we have slugs this year is because this is the first year we don't have chickens.  The chickens must have been keeping the slug population under control.

I picked a handful of black caps this morning.

Orange Daylillies.

The row of radishes is ready.  They have been protecting the tender carrot plants that are just emerging.  I learned that you can eat the radish tops.  Sauteing them and adding to a salad.

4th of July, Grand Marais.

Ellie, Isaac and Ben left for home today.  After a picnic lunch Doug and I headed for Lutsen Ski Resort to take a ride on the gondolas.

We had a great time.

Beautiful mountain views at the top.

And of course, gorgeous views of the Lake.

We parked our chairs right on the rocky beach for 4th of July fireworks.

Happy 4th of July everyone.

Cooper is ready for some morning kayaking.

Waiting in line at the World's Best Donut Shop.

Silly Cooper!  She is so happy.

Cascade River.

One of the falls on the Cascade River.

Heading out for a hike.

Lots of feet have walked across this tree's poor roots.

Good to know where we are.  I think it is called lost.

Ben!!!

Ellie's view.

Lots of biking time for Ben.

Our family.