On Lake Ida

Dave didn't know I took this picture of him relaxing on the boat on Lake Ida, but I think it sums up the weekend perfectly: a little bit of fun and a lot of downtime. Dave and I tend to go full throttle most of the time, so the change of gears was nice. Our hosts were superb and enjoyable. We were treated like we were long lost cousins that you actually want to see.

We did a small amount of fishing on the lake. My job was to help 4-year-old Grace fish, while she waited patiently with a net. We got several nibbles but no real bites, so after a good amount of time, I was abandoned and the Disney princess fishing rod taken to Grandma who had already helped her little sister Anna reel in a small fish with a Batman rod. Hey, you gotta go where the fish are biting. 

Dave wound up reeling in a small bass, but it was nothing to get excited about. Come to think of it, he hasn't had that much luck with fish pictures on this blog.

That afternoon, it was time for skiing on a perfectly flat lake. Dave hadn't skiied in years, but he picked it back up again pretty quickly. I watched from the boat.

The water? Still chilly, but beautiful and clear. You could see all the way to the bottom of the lake in places. We pulled up to a beach at one point so the kiddos could make sandcastles. The Minnesota state bird, the Loon, was pretty easy to spot several times, and we watched it dive for fish. At night a nice full moon reflected off the water. It's a pretty place to spend some time.