Catching Up

It has been four months since the last entry and I figure it's well past the time to catch up. The next few entries will have groups of pics that are a few months old, but I really want to share them, so bear with me until I get caught up ;)

First off, I want to complain about the cold. Why? That's one of my favorite things to do, of course.

We had a very long winter this year, and it was also exceptionally cold. Dan says he heard this May was the coldest May that Duluth has on record. Ever. Now, Duluth is known for being very cold, so when the local authorities say it was the coldest ever, then that's really saying something.

According to local lore Mark Twain once said, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in Duluth." Yep, that about sums it up. Today is July 1st and the high is expected to be 60 degrees, and the sky is completely overcast with a 30% chance of rain. It's been like this for days with a few gorgeous days sprinkled here and there. I'm *this* close to turning on the heater, but I can't stand the idea of using the heater in July for some reason, so I've brought down a few blankets and Johann and I are wearing layers instead.

It reminds me of the winter I spent in Louisiana where we had the air conditioning on throughout the year, including January. Except the opposite. So, instead of "opposite marriage," I guess you could say we have "opposite weather" up here. I love Duluth. Love it, love it, love it. The people, the environment, the focus on health and education. Yada, yada, yada. But this incessant cold really stinks and anybody who says otherwise is in serious denial and only trying to alleviate their cognitive dissonance. What? Do I sound bitter?

Here are some pictures taken of our time out and about enjoying some of the truly beautiful spring weather we've had. Beautiful and sometimes sunny. But don't let the pics fool you, it was cold. Okay, I'm done kvetching about the weather. For now.

The next few pics were taken in April just after the snow had melted. We were at our neighborhood park just a block away from our place.


If you look closely at the pic below you can see Lake Superior in the background.


The following pictures were taken in late May at the same park. The first pic is of Johann amazed at the seagulls flying overhead.




The two pics below are of Johann being absolutely amazed by a helicopter flying overhead. I'm loving seeing things I take for granted everyday through his eyes. It really helps you appreciate the little things. Like birds, helicopters, boats, and flowers. And, most especially, rocks and wheels. Those are the absolute best.