Great Lakes

Masters of Disguise!

Divers Feeding the Fish

My little engineers, mastering the locks

Tiger and I in a Mud Hut

"Gone Fishin'!"

Quite the View!

So, it's not the Shed Aquarium in Chicago, but the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth does have a lot to offer-- and at $40 for the three of us (Tiger was free) it was a budget friendly activity. The kids most enjoyed the hands-on manipulative's and "toys." They were excited to see many "big" fish and snakes up close, but they felt disappointed to not see any fresh water sharks. However, being that the emphasis here is on "the Great Lakes," I think they are forgiven.

park-drifters

Home of the Brave..and Right Home at Chester Park in Duluth, Minnesota
The waterfall you can actually walk across...if you're brave enough, that is!

This is a scene that looks really out of place in the midst of summer at Chester Park. It's hard to imagine the snow covering everything on such a warm day.

Lester Park Falls, or "rapids" if you are really imaginative!

Ample play structures for all ages, a ball field, and countless spots of "warm" water that everyone was basking in. There was even a cliff that countless people were jumping off of into the water of the creek below. It must be a Duluth thing! Of course, Nishad wanted to jump off with the best of them. (insert scream here)

One a park and rec. commissioner, always one. I have this habit of checking out parks in different locations, not only as a Mom and photographer (for on-site shots) but as a commissioner- well, ex-commissioner. I love to compare, contrast, "dream" and soak it all in! We visited two parks for the first time in Duluth: Chester Park and Lester Park. Chester Park is up above the city while Lester is down by the shoreline. There is even a self lakewalking tour for Lester Park. If you don't have a tree house, another amazing view for the fireworks would be at the top of the hill, on your way to Chester Park. If you're there, you'll know exactly the spot that I'm referring too! Another amazing view!

2 Harbors

Time stands still for those who toss rocks. Of course, Daddy captivated them by showing them how the rocks can dance.

Our Sailor "boys" on the lookout at the light house.


One Mighty Vessel docked in Two Harbors, Minnesota.

The Pier adjacent to the Light House.

Our Little Captain was all a buzz with the ship loading process and mechanics of the light house.

Visitors can purchase a ticket to see the historic Twin Harbor's Light House up close and personal. However, our boys were all about the vessel docked, the pier and the rocks! A 20 mile drive from Duluth (unless you encounter construction/traffic), makes this for a fun lunch time activity. We passed on the famous "Betty's Pies." I know, how could we, right? We'll the truth is that we stopped there a few years ago, and it was nothing to write home about. It was more of an over-rated tourist trap, and there are way better places to eat on the North Shore. Perhaps, it's time to make a homemade pie, with fresh seasonal fruit at home!

Tree Houses

"Cloud 9"

The Morning I Woke Up In The Clouds.
Marveling at all the butterflies in the wildflowers floating by.

Natural Beauty.

Love is: Remembering not only what is important, but who is important.

The Duluth Lift Bridge in the skyline.


The Boys Room, that they were so thrilled about!

Our love nest :)

Time for some R & R

Up with the trees, swingin' in the breeze, birdies sing with my babies and me... There is something so mystic and magical about looking out with a view beyond downtown Duluth, out beyond as far as the eye can see off toward Lake Superior- from a tree house. It really gives you a birds eye view of just how enormous things are. Each tree house (villa) is built to resemble the structure of a tree. There is a trunk that leads up to a circular base. Each tree house is equipped with a kitchen, living room, separate bedrooms and deck. Though they are fully furnished, each tree house is separately owned, so their decor does differ from one another. The views also differ. We stayed three days/two nights in the "Dream Catcher." It's name perfectly suits it! It has the best view of all the tree houses, complete with floor to ceiling windows. It was a dream to watch the fireworks in the privacy of one anothers company, above the crowds on Canal Park. We took a hike on the property in rows of tall natural grass and wildflowers, under the ski lifts that now stand dormant. There before us, in the vast openness, it's hard not to feel connected with nature. The experience brought me back to an enlightenment phase that tickled my spiritual senses. Ashish mentioned reserving one for a week in the winter as he thought it would be quite a view with all the ice and trees glazed with white. I'm sure it would be, as it's apparent that these tree houses have something unique to offer every season.

Me and My Love.

The last time we were in Duluth on the 4th of July, we weren't yet engaged.

Celebrate USA

Duckies: Under a Bridge

The Dancer: Tip-Toes


The Race: Too Close To Call

Chaos: Finds a Rhythm

Of course, I "could" have taken regular pictures of the Duluth Fire Works Display (ranked the #1 spot in the state to see them), however, I was in the mood to light up the sky through my own eyes to mark the occasion. After all, this was no ordinary 4th of July...This was the 1st of many 4th of July's to come in which my husband gets to celebrate as a United States Citizen!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!

Water Buds

The boys of summer and of the block, need no explanation! This is what the "dog days of summer" are about!

Lake Calhoun, Minneapolis, Minnesota
On Father's Day, the boys and I loaded up the car and took Ashish to Lake Calhoun for a relaxing day in the sun, sand and water. We had a picnic lunch, in which we ordered from The Tin Fish. We feasted on shrimp nachos, "the Lake Calhoun Lunch" and fish tacos. I stood in line for 1 hour (that's how popular it was- every apparently had the same idea). The nachos and tacos were well worth the wait. I think we'll pass on the tilapia in the future that came with the lunch. For $30, there was plenty of good food to go around. Happy Father's Day to a man that defines fatherhood. I couldn't have picked a better man to be the father of my children. Love you! And...to my Dad back in Chicago who has always loved me and taught me to respect myself and that men should respect me as well.

K's 1st Birthday!

We were invited to monkey around with a special birthday boy! Cupcakes dressed in theme (monkeys and nanners!) and a birthday boy that amazed me with his ability and sheer enjoyment of living in the moment...and wearing a hat that his Mommy picked out for him. (I could never get my kids to wear hats.) What a milestone...for all involved. K is lucky, but all of us are even more lucky for having him in our lives. We look forward to more "playdates" with them all- very soon! My friend and her friend, holding K's little brother. He reminds me so much of Tiger!
Good Cake!

K's little brother C looks on in the midst off all the excitement. Pour joys, sweet blessings... Congrats to a most deserving and loving family that we are so happy to be able to call our friends!

More Cake served up by Mommy!

Strawberry Fields Foreva!

There is something about a sun-kissed berry on a warm summer day that melts away your cares that makes your mouth happy. Though we have a small patch in our organic garden, I thought the boys would get a kick out of picking strawberries at a farm. I'm pretty sure Tiger ate more than he picked. Nishad was all about comparing the colors to find the most ripe in a deep red hue. After a short drive home, we came home to feast upon more berries...and more berries...all $5.90 worth were gone in a day. But, we did decide to make a fresh strawberry coffee cake too!

I highly recommend "Apple Jack's Farm" for an all around family fun experience. They are some much more than just apples! The three of us ate lunch in the bakery/cafe for $20.00. It was surprisingly tasty! One of the women that works there even came out to our table to see if everything was good. On a side note, the "cow train" is up and running daily as well.

WOZ Promo

Follow the yellow brick road to the Minnesota Children's Museum where you'll find that "somewhere over the rainbow" is actually in our neck of the woods! The Wizard of Oz exhibit runs from June 12th and blows out of here on September 12th. That's plenty of time for you to brush up on your lollipop guild lyrics and dust off your ruby reds.

The Kids and I were fortunate to be invited to help film a promo to be aired on PBS for the exhibit. It worked out really well because it was the perfect rainy summer day- typically, we would have headed to the Minnesota Children's Museum anyway! Even though the boys have never watched the Wizard of Oz, they enjoyed all the hands on displays and colorful atmosphere that generates energy! Some things I loved as a Mom:

1. Even though I have a 2 year old and a 4 year old there were enough varying things that they each gravitated to something- even a 30 "something" Mom was excited to play.

2. I loved the way the room was arranged. I actually could sit back and let the boys explore without worrying that I couldn't see them in my view or that I would lose one of them.

3. The exhibit down-plays the "scary" wicked witch and monkeys. Let's face it, there are scary enough things in life. The "dark side" was represented by the wicked witches castle that had low lighting on it and a spider web that older kids could climb. My 4 year old was ecstatic that he could climb to the top by the torch.

Thank You to the Minnesota Children's Museum for having a brain to get this exhibit here, the courage to let everyone freely explore without fear and a heart for sharing this with us all!