A Day on the Lake

 

We had such a wonderful day on the pontoon this weekend.  We tooled around for hours on the most beautiful summer day.  We stopped by Hodag Beach for a dip in the water, after spending some time time fishing with Grandpa.  None of the fish were very big, but I think everyone caught one!  We finished up the day with some yummy supper from H2H, a new bar right on the river.  It was such a fun day with Grandma and Grandpa, enjoying one my favorite things to do in the Northwoods!

Story Stroll and Dino Fun

We met our friends at Hodag Park to read the Story Stroll book, "Little Houses." We hadn't seen our friends in a little while, so it was so fun to reconnect on such a beautiful day!

 

After playing on the playground, we headed to the library lawn for a program called Dinosaur Dimensions.  It was a super fun presentation with four amazing dinosaurs: a triceratops, a pteranodon, a velociraptor, and a tyrannosaurus rex.  The kids loved the engaging speaker and were so excited for a chance to meet the baby t-rex up close.  

Farewell, Winona

 This spring, St. Mary's University, where I went to school, decided to discontinue all of their fine arts majors.  This was gut-wrenching to hear, and our thoughts instantly went to the music faculty who have spent the last many years (decades, even) building wonderful programs.  We wanted an opportunity to say goodbye to them, and to St. Mary's, and Winona, as without those amazing people there, it is unlikely we will be visiting our alma mater again.  

The King's Singers, a professional singing ensemble, was giving a concert as part of the MN Beethoven Festival.  Brigid and I got tickets to take the O'Sheas with us to hear one last amazing concert at the Chapel of Mary of the Angels.  It was an absolutely stunning performance in such a magical place.

As I sat in the audience, I thought about the beautiful music and memories that have been a part of in that building...Lesson and Carols, the Homecoming Concerts when we arrived home from our choir tours, singing together at the wedding of Patrick and Lindsy, and the hours of rehearsing and performing there with Dale Warland and the MN Beethoven Festival Chorale.  It is such a sacred, special place filled with the voices and faces of some of the people I love most.  

The King's Singers' encore was "And So It Goes," a perfect fit to the closing of a chapter.  It was the first recording I had ever heard of their ensemble, back when I was still a high school student.  It made me tear up.  It was so very beautiful.

We spent the rest of the evening listening to Jazz performed by Eric Heukeshoven and John Paulson, two other of our music professors.  Dr. H was there too.  It was great to see them all and have the opportunity to tell them how much their instruction, leadership, and dedication meant to us.  Afterwards, we went to Garvin Heights to get a final look at the city on the river, and back to campus for one last goodbye to Yon's Hall.  

It was such an emotional trip, but it felt so important to be able to find closure and say goodbye to what was a beautiful chapter in our lives.  We know our friends will be on to wonderful new beginnings and that we will keep in touch.  And we know we will always be bound together by the deep love of music.

Backyard Campout

 

Fourth of July was super fun because we did a backyard campout.  This year we set up two tents so Mommy and Simon could join the fun too!  We started out with a very small 4 person tent, but when I realized I couldn't even sit up in bed, it had to go back and I came back home with a MUCH larger 10 person tent that everyone was jealous of.  We also got a new hammock, and everyone enjoyed taking their turn in it.  It is a super cozy place to read a book or take a rest.  The rest of the days we spent swimming, swinging, doing small fireworks on the driveway, having campfires, and eating plenty of good food.  It was a super fun and relaxing way to spend a beautiful weekend at home, and I treasure these special times with our sweet family of five. 

We finished our holiday weekend with the Rhinelander Parade.  It is always fun to see the floats and hear the bands playing.  Our community has a great turnout for this and it's a fun tradition to be part of.  My first Rhinelander 4th of July Parade was back before Eric and I were married and Grandma Ruby was marching with the Red Hat club...in her pink bonnet. ;) I love these family memories in our hometown.