David Multer

George and Ellen put on a Mexican food night for everyone. I know my family loves this stuff, and the porch at Rose’s is always a great place for an informal get together.

Another great close destination is the Calumet waterworks. We love to search for Lake Superior agates and other cool rocks. You really want to go on cooler, windy days to avoid the bugs. Charlotte finds a few old photos of local cyclists. I didn’t run into groups anywhere near this size when I was here.

Gabe, Doug, and Zach have a turn with the paddle boat today. They are quite the trio. It also looks like another pontoon boat fishing trip is in order. Later that night, everyone gathers around for a fire on the beach. It’s great to have George and his family around, even if I had to leave the day they arrived.

I can’t recall ever taking out the paddle boat before, but Lindsey and Monica decide that’s no reason they can’t start something new. I think they had some rudder problems, so Karen glides in on her kayak to check things out. Looks like they’ve got a few boys caught in the prop as well.

Today we’re going underground at the Quincy Mine in Hancock. We all look so stylish in our yellow hats as we ride the tram down to the entrance. We all look so attentive as we absorb mining lore from our excellent guide. Back at the surface, Charlotte takes a bunch of really great pictures of the old buildings.

Charlotte is helping Monica with her first water skiing experience. She’s got to be thinking, how am I ever going to stand up on these things? Gabe helps out with the picture taking with a nice shot of the dock. Needless to say, there originally were a lot more photos just like this one that I deleted.

It’s a beautiful night so we’re off to Jacobsville some swimming, fishing, and maybe a campfire. We’re working the same spot Gabe caught last year’s pike, but we’re not having any luck so far this year. It’s really shallow on the beach side and Monica really loves heading way out even if the water is really cold. Back home it’s hard to capture how amazing the sunsets can be, but we can always try. ...

Gordon is taking my family out to the big lake today for a nice trip and some fishing experiments. We’re going to try for some salmon using the downriggers. I think everyone enjoyed the boat ride. Monica and Gabe even had a turn driving the boat. The fishing didn’t turn up any salmon, but we did manage to get a small lake trout. A fish always puts a smile on Gabe’s face. ...

Looks like the bald eagles are up early this morning along with a few crazy fisherman. Gordon, Gordy, Charlie, and I are heading out to the big lake this morning to get our fill of lake trout. The fish were pretty small this year, but they’ll still be some great eating. Cleaning this fish always attracks plenty of kids including Gabe and Doug.

Gordy has been taking the kids out to the big pond pretty much daily. First a stop at the little pond to check for bait and frogs, then out to the big pond to see if any trout are on the lines. Of course Gabe likes to make sure he makes every one of these trips.