Up Here at The Rushes

Another beautiful day on the lake

What we mostly do up here  at The Rushes in the daytime is bob around the lake in one type of watercraft or another, such as the Hobie Cats . . .

A mellow sail on the Hobie Cat

C'est Moi

Maggie

Tom

Kayaks . . .

Erin targeting Echo Island

Erin chillin'

Me headed toward the clouds

And the new rage, paddle boards . . .

Tom gives Joni a few pointers

Scuffle on the high seas between Ryan and Noah (Nate wisely remains neutral)

It's a pretty simple equation really: you take a placid body of water rimmed with trees on a gorgeous day and throw any manner of floatable craft on top and the possibilities for fun and relaxation are limitless. One of my favorite things to do is watch the clouds. Garrison Keillor calls them "prairie mountains" and I think this says it all. They're the one thing we have here in the vertically challenged Midwest that can make us tilt our heads back in awe and reverence.

Cloud watching on a lazy day

Also, Derek and Bella, after two-and-a-half months in Sweden, will be flying into O'Hare tomorrow -- we'll see them on Friday. Välkommen hem!

Bella and Derek