Up North

Alright, so I know I've been silent for awhile now. I'll try to make up for it with some stunning photos. Tim and I went up north camping with some friends and great fun was had by all. Our campground was cozy, shall we say, a little smaller than it seemed online and our site was a little close to the road but it worked out just fine. Very cute little family place with a playground for the kids and canoes, kayaks, and a pontoon for the grown-ups. After months of teasing I finally got into a canoe with Tim, and we managed to see a pair of otters for just a second as they peaked their heads up out of the water. We also got do a little hiking- up the river at Tettagouche, snaking along the river from the lower falls to the upper and at Gooseberry. You could tell the water was really low but the view was as beautiful as ever. I forgot my hiking boots so was wandering around in my Teva flip-flops all weekend. I have to say if I wasn't sold on Tevas before, I am now. We tromped around for hours and my feet never hurt. Tripped a few times but I'm not so sure that had anything to do with the shoes.

There was still a fire ban up north for anywhere off the lake but we managed to find a marina right along Superior with a fire ring. It was a perfect night with a full moon shining bright on the water and the flames keeping us warm. We ate smores til we couldn't hold anymore. The next day at that same marina we also clambored over a walkway of huge Great Lake boulders out to an island just off shore, again me in my Tevas. Tim was a champ for sticking with me and picking out a good route for us on the rocks. We got out to the island and realized the only way up the rock face was a rope left there with knots to hoist yourself up and some driftwood for help. It was amazing. I like to think of it as Survivor: Silver Bay, MN. We had a great time out there. Some of the photos below are from that island.

Great time. So glad to finally make it camping this summer.

The Night Sky

I was laying in the hammock the other night, just staring up at the sky. I love the stars. Strange that things so far away can touch me in a way that nothing near can. They make me feel small but in a very comforting, no-your-life-is-not-the-center-of-the-universe and this-too (whatever it is)- shall-pass kind of way. It's a very comforting small.

I'm heading up north in a week and one of the things I'm looking forward to most is lying on the rocks in the dark as I listen to the waves and stare at the stars.

"Without a wish, without a will, I stood upon that silent hill and stared into the sky until
my eyes were blinded with stars, and still I stared into the sky."
Ralph Hodgson

"We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made or only just happened."
Mark Twain

"If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years how man would marvel and stare."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream."
Vincent Van Gogh

"Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light. I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."
Sarah Williams

"If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently."
Bill Waterson (ah, Bill Waterson :) )

Water + Laptop = Very Bad

So this should be a no brainer, I know. But still, there I was typing away on my laptop on the coffeetable with a glass of water next to me. One minute all was well and the next, there was water everywhere and my laptop was, well, kaput. So, I'm updating this now via my roommate's computer. Thank goodness for roommates. And it seems now I'm in the market for a new laptop. If you have rave reviews about your new ibook or dell or whatever and you think I should definitely buy one, let me know. Suggestions are good.

The New Place

It's great. Maybe that's all there is to say. I have a blue room with a window that looks onto the park. There are flowers at the curb and raspberries in the backyard. We sat out late last night on the back porch with wine and chocolate, while the girls chopped zuchini and I put my great new sunflowers in a vase. And I thought, "This is the life." Beautiful Minnesota night with good friends. And with the backdrop of sadness that's surrounded Minnesota these past few days, those simple pleasures seem all the sweeter.