overlook
Not my favorite photo (the lighting seems distracting), but the hike, scramble and bushwhack it took to reach this spot overlooking Vernon lake in the BWCA, was definitely a favorite.
bonjour butterfly
A finger wet with kool-aide keeps the White Admiral content while Grace takes a closer look.
already
It’s started already… Setting alarm clocks, packing lunches, going to bed early and listening to dad’s hurry up chant. Today was the first day of school, and the last day of our easy living summer.
let the games begin
Isabel wins the gold in the uneven bar (singular, it’s not level), with Grace and Clarke taking silver and bronze.
Go world!
swept away
On our walk in the woods today we found yet another bridge swept away by the flood waters of last week. A slippery, half rotten log spanning a swampy area in our backwoods. Don’t think the repair crews will make it out there this week – probably a DIY job.
hike
Got the dog and kids in the woods today. Sun, 70 and no bugs, couldn’t be better. Photo was taken with the Ray Flash – a ring light adapter than transforms your on camera flash into a super cool looking ring light.
last stop
It’s the last day of 1st and 3rd grade, the last day of packing school lunch, setting alarm clocks, and the morning hustle to get out the door. It’s the last stop of the school year.
virtuoso
This shot was taken back in 2008, but today, we finally signed the girls up for piano lessons 
dirty dog
Apparently Clarke didn’t like the shampoo smell he had on his coat. So he took a bath… in the swamp.
open for the summer
After a weekend of weeding, tilling, and mowing we pulled the deck furniture from under it’s winter tarp and have officially open the deck for the summer. Today we had 70 degrees into 8pm, and Grace took full advantage.
alarm Clarke
Even with a wake up call as cuddly as Mr. Clarke, smiles tend to be few and far between before 8am around here.
study buddy
This shot is another reason why you should have a fast, fixed focal length lens in your camera bag.
time out
Sunrise ~ Sunset…
Thats it. That’s the schedule for a canoe trip. What you do and where you go in between is completely open. No phones, no internet, and no place to be. I can’t imagine a better way to take time out from the hyper connected and busy lives we lead.
ice out
An warm spring allowed us to make an exceptionally early Boundary Waters canoe trip during the girl’s spring break. With temperatures ranging from the 30′s to 50′s, it was a little chilly, but we visited one of the busiest lakes in all of the BWCA, and saw NO ONE.