Family Mellmann

On Sunday, after a weekend of overcast skies and rain, the sun peeked out and the skies cleared a little, so we threw the bikes on the rack and went for our 'standard' tour leading the Ethan Allen Tower. Part of this tour is a stop at the playground. It was a short ride, but it felt good to take a break from setting up the network server in our office at home and get everyone outside to move around. I'll try to get the rest of the pictures out to the website tomorrow (Thursday) so you can see the rest of them. It was a nice day.

The tower hike comes about midway along the bike ride. Patrick always likes to climb this tree.

Riding the bike trail.

Patrick is SO pleased to be getting a haircut.

Patrick really wanted to go fishing again today, but as we were loading the car to go back to Lake Iroquois he started to feel sick-to-the-stomach. By the time he started feeling better (we still don't know what brought this on) Katherine was quieting down in her room for a rest time and it was too late to go all the way to the lake. So, we settled for a little fishing in the river that runs through our back yard. We walked down to the area on the horse farm where there is a quiet area and bridge. Katherine and I swatted mosquitoes and Patrick caught a couple of fish.

More fishing! Patrick met an older gentleman and his wife who had come to the lake for a little fishing and enjoying the outdoors. As grandparents, they were charmed by his curiosity and mature social skills. The gentleman, who is an experienced fisherman, gave Patrick some tips and tricks and helped him fix a few little problems along the way. They were intrigued by Patrick's fishing technique and how he could continue to catch fish on even the most minuscule pieces of worm. I think Patrick caught four or five fish on the same quarter inch of warm. It was a nice afternoon outdoors.

While Joerg is in Germany for his uncle Juergen's funeral, the rest of us are enjoying the last warm days of summer. We're back to Lake Iroquois in Williston for a little water play and fishing.

What a week we have had! About two weeks ago Joerg and I decided that we would take the last few days before school started and make it a fun-fest. I call it the Blitz of Fun. Joerg took three days off work so that we could have five days to play. We started last Friday with a trip to Great Escape in New York. We left pretty quickly in the morning and didn't get home until nearly 23.00. Everyone was exhausted, but we had a great day. That was Day #1. On Saturday we went to Granby Zoo in Granby Quebec Canada. We started a little later and returned home a little earlier, but the drive is also a little shorter. We still had a great day. Patrick's highlight was the Lorikeet House. That was Day #2. On Sunday we went canoeing on the Green River Reservoir. We did a little canoeing and a little fishing. It was a quieter day, but still fun for everyone, which was really the goal. That was Day #3. On Monday afternoon we joined some friends at the County Fair. We spent the...

After a week of calm and quiet (NOT) here in Williston, Dad hit the white waters for a little thrill and chill! (He's the one with the yellow helmet and white beard, rear right.)