The Michigan Lakehouse, 2016

The lakehouse this year was wrapped up in a whirlwind of partial memory, most likely because we somehow managed to pull it off with a 4 week old baby in tow. So each morning I was somewhat of a zombie, and each afternoon I accomplished next to nothing, but it didn't feel much like the respite that is usually the lakehouse because, I was in the throws of postpartum recovery.

Even so, much like the fog of having a baby, I think about the lakehouse this year and smile. I wrap all of my memories in a soft blanket of happiness and tuck it in between the stress of work and the rigamarole of our routines to pull out and cuddle whenever I feel the urge. 

And so, here are some of those memories, captured in time. 

This poem, by Donna Lalongo, is fitting:

this night
on skies peopled in strawberry ice cream,
one sun, father of a moon,
tossed his head in a rain-loved lake
and came out dripping fishes in a morning.

this day
is picture framed in a million untamed oaks
and pelted acorns.

this gray pond
buzzed with boats and silent bubbling oars,
kisses the shore and runs from her crying.

this summer house
on Indian land
smelling of its heritage and once story,
melts mornings spent in bacon, eggs, and iron water

this week
pick of the blueberry season
made miracles of fire and joy fall from trees

The great MN get together 2016

 Minnesota in summer is glorious. It reminds us why we weather the winter. It epitomizes the sentiments of joy and happiness, running through long blades of grass, splashing in lakes, building sand castles, riding bikes, camping, soaking up the sun and the FAIR.

We're very lucky to live in a state that really knows how to put on a fair. There really is nothing like it. I grew up with those measly fairs, the ones that are barely put together and not really worth your Saturday afternoon. No one was grinning ear to ear at those things. A handful of carnies, one deep fried treat and viola, you had the type of county fair I grew up with, low on excitement, high in creepers. But Minnesota's fair is something straight out of a storybook. Its nothing short of wonderland. Our kids look forward to it all year, and honestly, so do we. It marks the end of summer and the transition to fall where we begin heading toward the new school year. Its like the last hurrah before the kids pack their backpacks and head back to their classrooms.

 This year continued to hold up to everything we expected from the MN state fair, and we enjoyed Eden's first visit.  This year we went twice, once as a family and the second time I just took the boys so we could enjoy some time together. They had not had much time as just the three of us since Eden had been born. We rode rides, ate till we nearly burst, rode the giant slide, visited every livestock animal we could think of, watched the horses in the colliseum and even wandered through some rain.

The rain was  barely noticed though- we bought some ponchos and made the best of it. The boys didn't seem to care much and it meant that the fairgrounds were not like a beehive of humans the first day we went. On our return trip though, it was absolutely beautiful, and it showed. We were there by 9:30 am, riding along in the skyride and the masses were forming.

We enjoyed everything we could! We ate mini donuts and ice cream for breakfast, snow cones for lunch and put corndogs, cheese curds, popcorn and cotton candy in between. The boys reported "it was a fun fun day" and we couldn't agree more. There is something magical on these fairgrounds, where joy beams from all of us, where the fleeting moments of summer hang on for just a bit longer so we can soak up the special moments of summer fun. Until next year, State Fair. We'll look forward to every moment.