Tall Ships and Duluth--Part Two

After checking out the ships, we headed up the shore a tiny bit, to just outside of town.  The kids wanted to play in the lake some more, and Brad and I wanted to relax by the lake for a bit.

After that, it was time to (reluctantly) go home.  We always love going to Lake Superior.

Tall Ships and Duluth 2011--Part One

Sorry for missing the post on Monday.  I was a little under the weather.  But I've got some good pictures to share today that I hope will make up for it!

Sunday, we headed to Duluth.  We haven't gotten out much this summer, and the Tall Ships were in the harbor for the weekend, so we took a nice day trip.  One benefit was the 20 degree cooler weather by the lake.  It has been obscenely hot this last week here.  It was a comfortable, foggy day in Duluth on Sunday. 

We ate at Pizza Luce (one of our favorite places to eat that has great food and has trained their staff with gluten-free guidelines) practically for free because of the gift cards we got at the Celiac Walk this spring!


Then we took a walk down to Canal Park to get a look at the ships.

Canal Park, with the Lift Bridge in the background.

Fountain in Canal Park

Holly crossing the fountain.

One of the Ships in the Harbor

We played in the water, watched the lift bridge and the boats (and ships), and then saw one of the Tall Ships come sailing in from the lake.  It slowly appeared through the fog, with its rigging disappearing into the clouds above it.  As it approached the harbor, I noticed smoke, as though it had fired its cannon.  Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, a whistling sound that went over our heads and made us duck, and the noise echoed off of the hill the city is situated on!  It was incredible.  The cannon shot sounded real, and it was completely amazing to experience!

Firing the cannon in the fog out on the lake.

That's one happy man right there.  Henry's not as sure about the whole thing.

A few more pictures tomorrow!

Brad's Birthday

Brad's birthday was on Sunday, the 30th.  We had a really great day.

First, we went snowshoeing in Mille Lacs Kathio State Park.  It was pretty cold that day (10-12 degrees), but we stayed warm with our layers, our hand warmers, and, of course, snowshoeing (once we got moving, anyway).  The birthday boy took the pictures during the outing.

We came home to have dinner with Todd and Brian (Brad's brothers).  And cake, we can't forget the cake.  Brad requested lemon cake, and that's what he got!

No, the candles are not an actual representation of how old he is.  That would have set off the smoke detectors...

All in all, a pretty good birthday.  We still have to go out and get his present, though--which will be time alone for us (yay!) and shopping for new clothes for him (meh--don't really like shopping.  I know.) because he needs some really badly!

Winter on Superior

On the 27th, Brad and I took Dan and Stacey up to Lake Superior.  It was their first time up to the Lake, and I think they really enjoyed themselves.  We ate at Burrito Union for lunch, and Pizza Luce for dinner.  The food was fantastic.  Between eating destinations in Duluth, we headed up to Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls.

Here are a few pictures from our wintertime adventure on the North Shore.

 Gooseberry Falls in winter.

 Ice on the rocks near Split Rock Lighthouse.

 My sweetheart.  Near the campground at Split Rock State Park.

Stacey and Dan with Split Rock Lighthouse in the background.