Labor Day has come an gone (almost, we have another couple of hours left of 'official' summer). Every summer seems to fly by but this one had wings; I can't believe the kids start school tomorrow. I have been on a bloggery hiatus and thought a little taste of what summer looks on Lake Superior would make a good re-entry into your good graces. My sister, Katie, and her family came to visit in July and we had a lovely time— the pool on Madeline Island, Presque Isle Bay on Stockton, and dinners at the Pub and in my kitchen.
Katie celebrated a birthday that ends in a zero during the week (not sure how sensitive she is about her age and since she looks like she is 18, I will let you guess what birthday it was). We had a big table at the Pub, filled with the loud laughter and chatter that Dougherty's and Hollerman's are particularly gifted with. I love living in Bayfield but I treasure every minute I have with my family when they make that four hour drive North to visit.
We went to Presque Isle Bay on Stockton and spent the day with lots of sun, warmish water and no flies. We ate, played cards, built sand castles and swam. As we headed back to the boat, I said a prayer of gratitude— for my family, for the memories we are giving our children and for the lake that was the backdrop for a perfect summer afternoon.
I am the oldest of seven kids and my parents drilled 'family first' into our heads from the beginning. In fact, one of my Dad's favorite sayings was 'how can two countries get along if two sisters can't?'. It was unbelievably annoying to hear that little ditty when we were in the midst of World War 3 over who took my jeans or didn't empty the dishwasher but I am glad he never failed to utter it. As an adult, I am blessed to have four amazing sisters (and one sister-in-law) in my life who know my whole story and love me because (or in spite) of it. The week with Katie, Dan, Mollie and Jimmy was one of the sweetest weeks of the summer. Sweet because we added ferry and boat rides, Sadie and the attack of the Mama duck, singing Happy Birthday at the Pub, jumping off the boat and Mollie's posh air mattress to our family story.
