Hey Summer, Here We Come!

Five school days left, and the kids are getting a head start on summer.

The HC Resort pool has officially opened and the kids haven't wasted any time testing the water. Eli was the first to jump in, but his siblings and cousins weren't far behind.

Cub Scout Rain Gutter Regatta aka Little Boat Race with Handheld Fans...

Eli was a trooper and raced strong, David cheered him along while Shelly and I visited with friends. Good job E!

Archer wasn't at the race because he was home finishing up some big school projects. One of these was his presentation on Norway. He had enlisted help from Grandpa and Eli and they made a zillion pieces of lefse over the weekend. Tuesday night we rolled up the lefse with butter and sugar and Wednesday he was off to school with two pans full. I'm happy to report that the Norway presentation was a huge success, and the entire class enjoyed the treats. And as far as I can tell, Grandpa is successfully passing on his lefse knowledge to the next generations. He makes everyone else do more and more of the work whenever we're around to participate. Pretty soon he'll just get to sit back and relax while the rest of us whip up a fresh batch!

Speaking of Archer... This weekend he and David are camping at the Milwaukee Zoo. This morning Archer participated in the 5K run, and although I wasn't there to cheer him on, I heard he did wonderfully. I think this is his first ever 5K? His troop has set up an activity station for kids to visit and learn about their group. David has reported that it's a VERY popular station and they've had a lot of visitors, despite the rain and the heat. Their troop won third place (out of 31 groups) for their presentation. Way to go Scouts :)

Since the gentlemen are out camping, the rest of us went looking for our own fun last night at First Fridays downtown. Live music, food vendors, all the shops open late, we went to check out the free admission at the museum. We visited lots of little shops and a gallery on our way to the museum. And guess what we found at the artists' gallery? Beautiful art, incredible pieces of jewelry and an impressive display of woodcrafts. And there, nestled in among platters and bowls and cups, I spied... you'll never guess.... A LEFSE roller! I knew what it was immediately, that long roller with the grooves, and it was incredible, an artifact that many people wouldn't recognize. But thanks to Grandpa's determination to carry the family tradition forward to the next generation or two, there we stood, admiring that lefse roller on the shelf with all the other beautiful platters and bowls. AND. And the artist who crafted those fine pieces was sitting right there, on a stool, watching us admire his work! He introduced himself and we chatted for a long time. He's Norwegian, he made that roller that we were looking at, he was surprised that we recognized it. It was a great chance to meet the talented man that created those things. I hope someday to go back and pick up one or two of his pieces. Shelly later told me that she thought he and Grandpa would like to meet each other, perhaps we can make that happen sometime!

When we left the gallery it was getting dark and we were finally ready to visit the museum. Sadly, we arrived just a few minutes too late and the doors were already locked so we headed for the van. Lots of fun just hanging out together, it was a wonderful time with the kids. And to close out the night, the snuggled into my bed so I wouldn't be lonely last night.

Today Shelly decided she wanted to try out a couple of smoothie recipes so we gave it a shot. One was OK, the other a huge hit. We'll post recipes later. The best part about it was trying new foods. Almond milk and dates, anyone?? It's great to see the kids trying new things, learning new things, and working together to create something we all enjoy. Great job kids!