Duluth

Who needs to travel to the Connecticut to see the Fall colors?  Jim, Delanie and I drove two hours north to see the Fall foliage in Duluth.  It was spectacular!  :)  Duluth is located on the edge of Lake Superior and the views are seriously incredible. 

We had to drive through several of these tunnels that were carved into the rocky coast......a little nerve-racking!  It actually reminded me of the tunnels in New Orleans and Detroit.  Thankfully there was no water dripping this time!

Since we were already in Duluth, we drove an extra forty five minutes north to see Gooseberry Falls.  This waterfall was one of Tracey & Doug's favorite spots when they came to visit last Summer.  Now I know why!  Even though the waterfall was running low due to the high Summer temperatures, it was still a sight to see.  The picture of Delanie shows where the water would have been in a normal state. 

On the way back from Gooseberry Falls, we took a detour to see the Twin Harbors Lighthouse.  I bet we saw 100 deer on the road to the light house.  It was like a petting zoo!  They didn't might us gawking at them one bit. 

The Twin Harbors Lighthouse was incredible!  I've never seen a lighthouse in person before.  This one was so majestic......we were awestruck.  What a responsibility these beacons have!

This is the bridge going into Duluth's harbor.  The middle section of the bridge raises and lowers to allow the freighters into the harbor.  Duluth operates a high-volume shipping industry.  It was pretty cool to hear the freighters honk their horn as a "thank you" to the drawbridge operator. 

OK, I know this photo is seriously cheesy but I have to take advantage of Delanie's hugs as they come.  As she gets older, they are fewer and farther between! :)

This was such a great weekend trip!  Well, at least until Saturday night.  Jim had been restless all day and finally, around 9pm, admitted to having stomach pain.  As it turns out, the poor guy had kidney stones!  My husband can handle some serious pain.  The only time he let it show was Sunday morning before we headed home.  We ended up in the local Emergency Room that night!

Delanie checking out the biggest of the Great Lakes - Lake Superior. 

Jimbo

Isn't he just the cutest thing you've ever seen?!?!?!

She's got talent!

Delanie's Fall band concert was awesome!  She continues to amaze me with her talent.  This time she played FIVE instruments! :) 

Snowed in!

Only in Minnesota could you get 14.7 inches of snow in less than 24 hours!  Yep, that was us last weekend.  Thankfully Jim bought a snowblower Friday night on his way home from work.  Poor guy had to blow three times before it was all said and done! :)

This photo of Delanie will give you an idea just how deep the snow was......it came up to her knees!

Our sweet shorty Bailey didn't know what to do.  Thankfully her bladder is the size of a basketball!

 

Testing......1, 2, 3

Delanie wants to spend Sunday at Arbor Lakes (the local hangout) with her first boyfriend, Jacob.  While waiting to see if she's allowed to go, Jim poses a question to her: "How do I know this boy is going to take care of you?"   Sweet Delanie starts a long explanation of what a nice, kind and thoughtful boy he is.  :) 

Jim says, "Well.....I have a test for Jacob."  He proceeds to draw a map of Arbor Lakes.  Keep in mind, Arbor Lakes is a grouping of restaurants and shops that spans a few city blocks including some pretty busy streets.  He draws the map pictured above making sure to explain where the movie theater is located (AMC), where a specific restaurant is located (Malones), etc.  He then draws two people walking down the street.  He asks Delanie, "One is you and one is Jacob.  Which one is which?"

So the testing begins.......Jim wants to know Jacob's answer plus how he got to that answer.  

What would your answer be?  I'll post the "correct" answer tomorrow and let you know what Jacob comes up with.  Wish him luck!! :)

Holy buck!

Because we have seen so many deer in the backyard lately, we decided to try to catch them on film.  On our weekly trip to Cabela's (I wish I were kidding!), we bought a hunter's trail camera to scope out the action.  Can you believe these pictures???