It’s been almost 20 years since we last saw Ed Van Buskirk and his family. We all worked together at Burroughs in Boulder. Since then we’ve been living in California and Ed and Barb have been in Kansas City. They came out for a whirlwind tour of the Bay Area and we’re so happy they stopped by Santa Cruz for a visit.
Charlotte’s very good friend Kim is unfortunately moving away along with her kids Lily and Jack. We’ll all miss her very much. Charlotte, Paula, and many more of her friends have a going away party where people can say goodbye. We’ll try to see them as much as we can for the few more days she’s still in town.
All the hard work on the new bathroom is finally complete. Everyone pitched in with the building, painting, flooring, window coverings, and more. It’s going to be a real pleasure taking a shower from now on over at Rose’s.
Gordon’s best friend Bob Stevens (uncle Steve) just passed away, so they head up to Lac La Belle for the memorial. Meanwhile the rest of the family enjoys the shoreline from Lac La Belle down to the Tobacco river.
The sand has been really building up for quite some time around the dock. Gordon has someone come and dredge the area and pile the sand on the shore. You know the kids are going to have a blast with this gigantic pile of sand.
George and our family take the pontoon boat out for fishing near Chassell right across Portage from camp. They caught a whole pile of crappies. Gabe and I like to joke about these fish, but who wouldn’t?
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.