When we visit Minnesota we feel like we need to see everyone. As if we might not be back again for years. That was the case when we were sailing around the world, but since then our visits home have probably been more regular—and certainly longer—than they would be if we still lived in Chicago.
Grandma brought two of these things home one day.
The kids out digging for worms.
A friend of ours was putting on a vintage van get together. I can’t claim to know much about vans, but these were pretty sweet. Throwbacks. A 60s Chevy Greenbrier? I’ve never even heard of it before, and now I want one.
And seriously, a working Magic Fingers? Sweet.
Twenty years later: Groomsman – Groom – Best Man.
Ali and the kids built pinhole boxes to watch the solar eclipse. We got to see a bit of it, but despite this sunny picture, we soon had rain move in. Still, at the end of the day they knew what a solar eclipse was, and could explain it, so it was all good.
Out to Grandpa Schulte’s house to get a fix of some wide-open water.
And now that we’ve got a boat again we’ll need all the tools we can get our hands on.
Out on the lake at another friend’s house the kids used a loaf of bread and two nets to catch a dozen sunnies. The next morning they were asking if we could go again—like right that minute.
And now, next time we come see Grandma and Grandpa, they’ll be in a new house on a lake. Apparently everyone wants our kids to feel very much at home when they visit Minnesota.
8 Comments on “Minnesota Summer”
A Greenbriar? Cool. I think they were basically Corvair vans. Air-cooled rear engine.
Aloha, guys!
Minnesota always looks like fun for you.
Forget where in Florida the new boat is, but I’m sure you’re aware that Irma, a Cat 2 predicted to be a Cat 4 is out there in the Atlantic, and one of the targets is Southern Florida. Then again, I’m sure you’re on it, Pat.
Best of luck regardless!
Nice snake…dinner??? :>))
Just caught up on a few blogs, so
congradulatuons on the boat. I like to think of myself as a sailor and that the sail thing is so much greener….but after traveling 1500 miles over the last eight months and being that 50% of that time was just motoring and another 25% of the time was motor sailing. Makes for a fine line between having the sails or just skipping them all together. Hard to sell a 30 hour sail to the kids when motor sailing gets you there in 12 hours.
I dig the van show, our family has a soft spot for vans after our cross country voyage in a $2k van.
Enjoy the Minnesota summer visit and the new adventure. Carry on Bumfuzzle, carry on.
(Hi Guys – I posted the following to an older blog post after my email to bumfuzzle.com bounced, but you may not have seen it. Since you’re in Minnesota, I thought I’d re-post it just in case it’s something you might want to look into. All the best. . . TJ )
Hi Pat and Ali and the Little Bums,
This is something I just learned about and thought you might find it
interesting, given your return to the Life Aquatic. It’s a handmade
paddleboard and it’s a real work of art, to my eye . . . and it’s even
produced in Minneapolis, of all places. It’s here:
https://fitzkeboards.com/
I love that you’re moving onto a trawler and I think you’re going to
enjoy it immensely. 42′ is a lot of vessel, but given your experience
with boats it’s nothing you won’t quickly master, I’m sure. Best of
luck to you all in this new phase of your fascinating lives.
Kind Regards,
Whats the story behind Lowe and the snake? Be blowed if I would touch one.
Ha, come on now, it’s just a garter snake. I saw him slithering around and grabbed him for Lowe because the boy loves all those things—snakes, bugs, worms, and pretty much anything else the rest of us consider gross.
Yikes. The GB still in FL? Hope it’s in a safe place with Irma bearing down. Fingers crossed —