The North Shore in Black & White

Still having fun with my new camera.  Still have a lot to learn.  But still enjoying the process of finding things to frame and angle and turn into black and white.  This is becoming a new creative outlet for me!  Here are several shots I've taken this summer of places and things iconic to the North Shore of Minnesota.

Aerial Lift Bridge in Canal Park, 

where all boats, from small fishing vessels to immense ore ships, 

come in/out of the harbor in Duluth

lighthouse in Canal Park

 sailboats under the rising moon at dusk

 pine tree in our backyard

crashing waves along the shore at Kitchi Gammi

rocks of Lake Superior

The North Shore

kayaker on Lake Superior, 

also known as Gichigami in Ojibwe, meaning "Big Water"

Sailboat Races

There are sailboat races on Lake Superior every Wednesday throughout the summer.  There's also a Mexican restaurant with a patio that overlooks the lake.  Eli and I have been wanting to enjoy the fantastic view of the sailboats while eating delicious Mexican food and we finally made it there last night!  We were celebrating the end of his crazy busy rotation in anticipation of his being home more often in the coming weeks.  Caleb was asleep when we arrived, but awoke to a lovely view and a cool breeze off the lake.

the moon came out while we ate arroz con pollo y carnitas.... mmmm....

Caleb was snuggly by the breezy lake

Home Again

We are home again, home with Eli, and it feels so good to be here!  We arrived safely in Duluth on Monday night, but Eli wasn't able to join us until the next afternoon because his shift at the hospital was crazy and he never made it home that night.  So we were especially glad to spend time with him the next night when he stumbled through the door after being up for over 30 hours.  Eli was ecstatic to see us since we'd been gone for a week, and he couldn't stop snuggling with Caleb.  Our son was happy to see his daddy too.  He was quite the little traveler, but he's happy to be home again and be with both Mama and Daddy.

Wisconsin Dells

While poor Eli is working like a dog this month, Caleb and I are currently on vacation!  We made the trek from Duluth to the Wisconsin Dells and joined my family for some summertime fun.  It's been special for several reasons, but mostly because it's Caleb's first big road trip (and he's been an all-star traveler, praise God!), and because we get to spend time with the Clarks!  Caleb hadn't seen Grandma and Grandpa Clark since he was born, and he met Aunt Megan and the cousins for the first time.  They adore him!

my older sister with the kids

There's a great little beach where we're staying and the kiddos have been swimming everyday.  Caleb put his feet in the water and was a little confused when they kept sinking into the sand, but overall I think he enjoyed it.  I had a great time taking photos of my nieces and nephew too!

We also went on an Army Duck Boat tour to see the dells on the river.  I didn't get any pictures, but it was a fun ride and it was interesting to learn about the history of the boats, which were used on the beaches of Normandy during WWII.  My mom told me afterward that my great uncle was at Normandy, which I never knew before.  

Tomorrow we're off to Chicago for a wedding.  I'm betting that Caleb will be the most sought-after boy on the dance floor :)

Three Months

Everyone said the time would fly by.  Turns out they were right.  It's already been 3 months since our moose baby made his debut!  He's a smiley kid who loves to be outside, read books with Mama, and play in his bouncy seat.  Life is good!

Caleb also loves this toy.  It's definitely one of his favorites.  We call it Mr. Moose :)

He loves to cuddle it...

 eat it....

and tell it crazy stories :)

And since he's learned to roll from back to front, he's done a lot of face-plants this past week.  This is usually how it goes:

"Ugh, I'm on my face again.  This hurts my nose."

"That's better.  Now a little arm muscle..."

"...and look!  I've got my head up!  Now I can see Mama smiling at me!"

"Go ahead.  Let your heart melt!"

A True Sabbath

After a horrendous week of what I sometimes like to call "that crazy, infernal, blasted residency!" we celebrated a true Sabbath today.  We went to church, ate a delicious home-cooked meal, sat on our deck in the cool Duluth air, played with our son, read our books, and watched the Olympics.  Life doesn't get any better than this.  We truly rested today.

Oh, and since it was pleasantly cool this morning we dressed our son like a true Northwoodsman.  (Thanks to my twin sis for passing on this perfectly Duluth-esque attire!)  There's nothing quite like flannel to keep a babe warm and cozy.  And handsome.  And irresistably smoochable.  Especially with those cheeks :)