Minnesota Trip Day 7

My mom, sister and I spent the day together, along with my three youngest and Lara's two youngest (our hubbies and oldest sons were with my dad on a grand adventure, more on that in a minute). We went to the park for some playing and a picnic lunch, then headed to the mall for some shopping (there is only one store in the mall we really care about, a department store called Herberger's, and we always spend hours there; Mason was a grumpy mess, so our trip was shorten than we would have liked)-

I stopped to visit my Grandma Downing; I always loved playing in her lovely yard as a child-

And my sister and I did some crafting in the afternoon, making felt flower hair clips. Meanwhile...

Brian had requested a day of walleye fishing while we were in MN, and my dad was more than happy to oblige. They set out early in the morning for the Kawishiwi River, part of the famed Boundary Waters Canoe Area north of Ely, MN. As the name suggests, only canoes are allowed, no motor boats. It is a serene, lovely, wild place, and also a great place to catch big fish and often glimpse wildlife. There was some portaging, and a lot of mosquitoes, a bald eagle, and mostly non-stop smiles and fun for the boys of all ages, from Connor and my nephew Ben, to their dads Brian and Josh, to grandpa.

Brian caught the biggest fish of his life, a 31 1/2-inch norther pike, Connor caught the biggest fish of his life, a 16 1/2-inch walleye, and in all they hauled in 30-some fish. It must have been quite the experience, because they are all still talking about. This will clearly be a repeat event.

After the returned home with their catch, we had my mom's fabulous fish fry and MN wild rice pilaf. Nothing short of heavenly.

  

Someday, my littler boys will join them. For now, this will suffice-

Little Mason in the big woods-

The evening cousin Ben spent the night with my boys, and Isabel headed to her cousins' for a sleepover with Grace and Emma.