Chillin at the Lake

While obviously, anyone knows, my favorite thing about living here is NOT the climate. Super cold winters (and fairly cold falls and springs) make for not much fun. However, the redeeming quality of our weather is beautiful, mild summers. We love heading out to the lake, and it's nice because within a ten or fifteen minute drive we have countless lakes and ponds to choose from. Admittedly, it has taken some time for me to get over lilly pads, moss, muck 'n'mire (Wisconsin word -- I think), weeds, and mini fish to dive into the lakes; but the set up is nice at most lakes, we have man-made beaches that are fairly well cleaned out. The water is warm and shallow and the kiddies love it (well, actually, Ty mostly enjoys sampling the sand...he's a big dirt/rocks/wood chips/bug eater...tasty!!!)

Brooklyn and Ty both got their first shots at fishing and faired really well. In the few times we have taken them, we've pulled in a lot of little smallies and bluegill (which sadly, looked terribly sick and brown the first few times we caught them, but having not seen a mountain trout for awhile, they are looking better). The kids have a great time and Jake enjoys helping them catch fish (and a few weeds.) The lake also has a small playground and lots of shade, so it was perfect for keeping everyone entertained on a summer afternoon.