We were able to make it up to Minnesota two times already -- once with me, Chad, Grammie, and Papa and the next time it was just me, Gramme, and Papa. The kids haven't came up yet due to work obligations, but we will be taking a family trip soon. Little improvements are being made as we enjoy our time there. Bit by bit, it becomes a home away from home. For the first trips, we have focused on getting things cleaned and in a livable state. We have a list of projects that sorted based on priority and cost, and we will get to them all in time. While we are in Minnesota, our priority should be to enjoy the lake and each other. We are learning that balance. To be continued on that one...haha! Some things that we have gotten accomplished so far: stocking the kitchen & bathrooms, changing out the storm windows, relplacing the hot water heater, new holding tank, tearing out the wall between the office and the living room, floor tiles replaced, removing the carpet in the living room, new basement door, new locks, fire pit installed, bushes cleared away from the house, weeds cleared from the dock, shoreline cleared, lots of mucking, and a couple of trips to the dump. We will be posting many updates to the blog so we can see the many changes over time. Rome wasn't built in a day, you know.
Round 1
Don't take the Peever exit.
Grammie Cleaning Windows
Basement Door Framing
Grammie and I scoping out the weeds to make a weed removal plan for next time:
Round 2
We left bright and early, and Papa had the boat tarped, packed, and ready. Little did we know that we would run into many problems with the boat tarp. I think we counted five times we had to stop due to the straps breaking or the tarp ripping.
I kept reminding Grammie and Papa that it was just part of the "experience." :)
Sacrificing myself for the "experience."
Luckily, I could fit underneath the tarp to try and prevent some holes from getting bigger.
By the 5th time, the tarp was shredded, and we decided to take it off and strap everything down. After we did that, it was smooth sailing to Minnesota.
Chad called it the 10-Hour Tour (cue Gilligan's Island theme song)
Finally made it!
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The only day I didn't wear my hat, I was regretting it. Thank goodness for sweatpants; they make a nice turban.
When we were getting ready to go back to the cabin, I was frantically searching for my pants. I swore they flew into the water -- questioned if I even had them and swore that I was wearing them when we got on the boat. For the life of me, I couldn't figure it out. Then I remembered they were on my head. 😔
Ready to tackle the weeds! I wish we got a before and after picture. We spent half a day clearing otu the weeds, and the results were amazing! Clear areas for fishing and getting kayaks in and out. There's even a sandy bottom under the muck! It will take more mucking on windy days, but we definitely made progress while we were there!
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Grammie throwing the razer:
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Door Installation
Christening the dressers with Holly Bibble.
On my walk I found this big guy crossing the road, and there just so happend to be a little buck on the road behind him. It's hard to see in the picture, but he's there. He's the buck that lives at the sewer mound. I named him Sewy. Chad told me not to get close to the turtle because he could snap.
I got close to the turtle anyway. How fast can he move...really?
The Gabelhouse Cabin
We went on a nice mule ride with Zach and Diane and visited with Donnie and Diane a bit. It was such a wonderful time and got to see some pretty neat places!
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