Settling in to summer

Winton is hot tonight. It is rare, but having the lake makes this heat bearable. Swimming is a daily occurrence, and if it cools off, we light the sauna and swim anyway. Pinch us because we still are adjusting to living here!

The deck outside helps to keep the dirt out.

The dressing room features a bench and some shelves for towels.

The floor is blue-gray, but Mark thinks it looks purple. Colorblind!

July was the month of camps, trips and fun! We hosted friends Taura, Maysa and Mara over the 4th week. Raif attended engineering camp at Itasca Community College, and Cora went to Madison to Girls' Rock Camp with her cousin Thea. I drove her down to Madison, then spent some time with my cousin Lori near Hartland, WI, as well as hanging with my bro and his family for the rest of the week at their place in Madison. Of course, it is all about the water with swimming pools, splash pads, and staying hydrated. We had some friends Nic and Riley visiting from WI for a week, and then returned those kids home to Prairie Farm in time for a joint 70th birthday party for Kate and Steve. In between these activities, we managed to swim a bunch in Fall Lake, travel to Snowbank Lake, take a dip in Lake Superior, and Mark picked a ton of blueberries!!

Lori and I spent so many summers together as kids - what fun to have a few days together!

Getting ready for fun on Snowbank Lake!

I celebrated my 43rd year on this earth with a gathering of family and friends. We made pizza on the grill, the kids swam, and my brother-in-law made a delicious and beautiful cake. Unfortunately, my camera battery died right when I got it out to take photos so you will have to trust me. The 3 layers were each soaked in raspberry syrup, then filled with lemon mascarpone cream and fresh berries! My mom sent me a Kitchen-aid stand mixer which honestly I have been wanting for years! It arrived in time to mix the dough for the pizza.

The wonderful mess that comes with making pizza!

Counters are still temporary, but the cabinets are wonderful!

In time for my birthday, Mark also installed the upper cabinets in the kitchen, and I spent a day arranging and rearranging things in the kitchen. Decisions that may change as we use the kitchen, but it feels nice to have things in their spots. I baked a cake yesterday to accompany the blueberries that Mark picked, and it was so nice to have everything on hand. So satisfying! I also made a few batches of Juneberry scones, a rare treat that only comes a few times per summer.

Fresh berries waiting to be folded into fluffy scones.

We hung a photo wall in our house, but have no pics of this little cutie! I think this one will have to be up on the wall.

The pantry is already full, but I keep rearranging the contents.

Mark and Raif built these benches and are selling them.

The mountain of sawdust has grown as Mark keeps his sawmill busy with work.

Some big timbers that were recently sawed. 

An exciting transformation is taking place next door as Ann and Dave dig in to remodeling the cabin we stayed at for the past two years. They took off the ugly fake wood paneling, ripped off sheetrock, and changed the layout of the bathroom. Replacing that damaged flooring in the bathroom changed the look for the better. There is lots of work left to be done, but Raif and Mark are assisting from time to time, and the progress is steady. Now they can feel comfortable staying the night in their own little cabin, while enjoying the sauna and swimming on our side. 

The new and improved bathroom in the Summer Rd. house.

Wood paneling removed, getting ready for renovation!

A post swim pic that captures the sun-kissed smiles of these three.
PS: you can't tell from this, but Cora is taller than Raif this week!

Mark has picked 5 or 6 of these buckets full of blueberries, dropped a lot of sweat into the bucket and endured the bugs to put these little beauties into the freezer!

I am realizing that not having a garden this year has been both a blessing and a curse. We are just not eating the amount of healthy fresh things, but have been more free to play as those garden chores are not holding us back. Our yard looks overgrown with many collections of various lumber scattered throughout. The next project will be to clear those piles out to prepare the yard for next year's garden projects. Mark did saw the lumber needed to side the house, and that stack is drying in the yard. That will be a big project to get that done before winter. It seemed like so far off, but as we know the seasons pass quickly. 

The compost bins and the stack of siding sit among the tall grasses in the future garden.