Como Gardens and Heat Wave

We have wanted to get out on the weekends and do more hiking and outdoor adventures in our area however the air quality and the heat have made it tricky these last few weeks. We rejoined the Y for the next month so that the girls can train for cross country on the indoor track as much as needed without destroying their lungs. We did manage to get out to the Como area last night because the air quality numbers have improved a bit. It was still hot, but we found some beautiful ponds.

Friend Gathering

Carolyn and Brian and their girls, Angelica and Samantha, along with Wade, LiMing and their daughter, Kiris, came over to our house this past week for some outdoor games and fun. We grilled burgers and had watermelon for dinner. Emma and Analise entertained with the trampoline, some lawn games as well as indoor games.

The art table needed a good cleaning after everyone was done drawing. Telepictionary was a hit and had everyone laughing. It was lots of fun to see the girls stepping up and leading activities for the little ones.

The old building blocks and some cooperative games had a moment of glory again. It was also great to remember the excitement that the little ones bring to activities that may have been put to the side by the tween/teen group that now resides at our house.

More Grandma and Grandpa Time

Analise and Emma visited with Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Mark to celebrate their July birthdays. They hung out at the neighbor's pool in the morning hours, played cards and of course went through photo albums once the wildfire smoke came into the area. It was a good way to spend a hot, 95 degree day. Wishing the heat would disippate but it looks like it is holding on until next week.

Dan got a photo of the wildfire smoke this evening because it is extraordinarly awful looking. He commented that the sun makes it look like the end times. We are hoping they get the fires in Northern Minnesota under control.

Volunteering at Fresh Produce Market

This year we decided to try volunteering at the Fresh Produce Market in both White Bear Lake and Mahtomedi. Community of Grace Church hosted the first event followed by St. Andrew's Church the following week. We made sure items stayed in stock at the tables and that people got the items that they needed. We were put in charge of onions and cabbages at Community of Grace. We were not the privileged crew that got to give out corn ears and watermelon. Erin couldn't get the onion smell out of her nose by the end of the event. In all, each event served around 250 people. Our second week, we were promoted to plums and sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes were gigantic and the plums were coveted by many. The second round served fewer individuals, not being set before the 4th of July, but it was still fun to see all the different people that came through. Analise has been out of commission for the past two weeks due to her ankle being sprained at gymnastics. We were hoping she would join us for the markets. Perhaps in future years she will need service hours and can go out with Erin while Emma is at work. We were thankful she stayed home and helped clean around the house though.

Historical 4th of July

Erin signed the crew up for an exploration of the Sibley House for the 4th of July. We have seen the James J. Hillhouse, Fort Snelling, the Alexander Ramsey House, Mill City Museum, Split Rock Lighthouse, the Minnehaha Depot and Gibbs Farm. Today was our day to visit one of the final historic sites in the area. When Emma was little, she loved seeing inside the historic houses. She begged us to go back to Colorado so she could go through the historic town. Usually you have to pay a fee to do a tour at this historical house in Mendota, Mn but on the 4th they offered a free tour which would complete our list of locations to visit. The Sibley house was built in 1835. It was the office of Henry Sibley, the state’s first governor, and is known as the oldest private residence in Minnesota.

At various times it sheltered Catholic nuns, schoolchildren, and art students. Some fun facts we learned were that Sibley's wife was the one who wanted the indoor staircase otherwise she would have had to go outside to get up to the bedroom each night, Sibley loved his dog but his wife was not a fan and tried to kennel him and there were two slaves in the Sibley house (one being born in Minnesota) even though it was illegal in Minnesota to have a slave. They often had slaves at Fort Snelling because they had visiting army officers from the south. Even though slavery was illegal, it was socially acceptable and people often looked the other way if an officer brought a slave with him. We also discovered that the largest hanging of Native Americans occurred in Minnsota and was tied to Sibley. Originally there were over 300 Native Americans scheduled to be hung but after sending the list to Abe Lincoln only 38 were hung at the end of the Dakota War. We also learned that Fort Snelling was a internment camp for Native American women, children and elderly during the war. Many died of disease and malnutrition at the camp.

We are Growing Up

It is nice when the friend gatherings are starting to be created by the girls instead of by mom this past summer. The roles are finally being reversed. Erin has been hoping for this day for quite some time. No more planning with all the moms from Erin's end. Trying to work with everyone's schedule was always tricky. Phew! Although Erin and Dan are nervous about Emma driving, they are also thrilled that she will eventually be able to drive herself to school, sports practices, a job and social gatherings. Being a chauffeur is not something either of us enjoying much these days. Emma finally got her phone this summer so she can call home if she needs a ride and use the music feature when she is out for runs around the neighborhood. We are hoping the technology doesn't ruin us and drive our family crazy. There seem to be so many rules that need to be in place to keep kids doing the right things once they have a phone. Emma and Lily recently went out running to start to get ready for the cross country season. Of course a Starbucks trip was included in the middle of the run.

Connecting with Friends

After getting back from Canada, both of the girls have been interested in chatting with friends. Emma met up with a small group of 8th graders at the beach on Friday and Analise started a group chat with her closest friends. It is hard to believe that July is already approaching this next week. The summer seems to be slipping by quickly.