Thursday! The day dawned sunny and bright and I sent the kids across the street to chill on Grandma’s porch while I showered and dressed.
Coffee delivery a la Tiff! Have I mentioned how much I adore my sister-in-law?
We spent a lazy morning on the porch, thrilled to have the added company of our niece, Shanay.
This truck was Isaac’s very best buddy for the week. He spent hours opening the doors, putting the little plastic driver inside, closing the doors, repeat, repeat, repeat…
Tractor videos with Grandpa…
This kid’s hugs border on aggressive sometimes.
Isaac would stand at the top of the road here, spotting the water in the distance, and I knew he was making a mental calculation about whether or not to make a break for Grandpa’s boat.
Bring him back, Jules!
We headed into town late morning for the farmer’s market and doughnuts. Walker is such a sweet little community.
Afternoon shenanigans on the golf cart (we hid the keys!)…
And corn hole!
Heads-up:Â Isaac cheats.
We went back to City Park in the evening to do some swimming and catch a summer concert on the lawn. The kids took a minute to warm up to the water.
But once they were in, the were IN.
We couldn’t keep Isaac from launching himself off the edge of the dock at every turn.
Lake baby! Dream come true.
Eventually, though, his teeth started chattering, so I wrapped him in a towel, distracted him with a bowl of grapes, and sat him at the end of the dock to watch Dad and Sister swim out to floating dock.
It took some further wooing to get Juliette out of the water, but finally she emerged and we headed over to the main lawn for some live music.
We sat back and snacked as the band got going, but eventually, Isaac couldn’t help himself – Buddy wanted to dance.
Silly little goober…Â He hammed it up big, pausing every so often to soak in the smiles from his adoring fans.
Face painting from the same kind librarian that led story time at the farmer’s market earlier in the day…
And then flower tattoos for Isaac.
Back for more dancing…
And somersaulting…
Oh, Isaac. Way to bring the party wherever you go.
Friday! A quick pop into town for coffee and milk…
A walk on the Walker dock…
And then we bopped around back at the resort, golf carting and meandering and playing cards.
Tiff’s sweet pup, Gunner, smiles bigger than I’ve seen any dog smile before.
After naptime, back to the pontoon! Our happiest of happy places.
Best captains!
And more boat bops.
We anchored at a sand bar and pulled out the giant lily pad for the kids to play on.
Swim time with Auntie…
Isaac looks like a bug in these goggles, but you can tell they make him feel like the coolest kid on earth.
We hunted for frogs, but came up short.
And so opted to get our thrill from lily pad jousting. Get him, Jules!
VICTORIOUS!
Grandma and Grandpa watched from a safe distance.
From jousting to gymnastics.
She’s such a summer beauty.
Time to head back…Buddy’s tired.
Or is he?!
Shane’s dad hosted a fish fry that night with the Walleye he’d been stockpiling in the freezer over the previous few weeks. We hung out on the porch and the neighbors trickled over and we ate crispy fish and Tiff’s ice cream sandwich cake and reveled in our last evening of low-key camper life.
Tiff had bought Juliette a pack of those little capsules that expand into foam animals when placed in water and goodness, what a thrill! It really is the little things.
Grandpa and Juliette conspired to squeeze in one last fishing trip.
Hooked one!
(But she’s not quite ready to unhook the fish herself. That’s what grandpas are for!)
Juliette kept asking, “Just one more cast?!” It was nearly dark by the time we headed back. Another 5-star day.
Saturday was go-day, and the tears flowed as we hugged goodbye. We’d been so spoiled all week, with love and lake time and food up the wazoo.
Isaac’s face here says it all…”You mean we’re really leaving?! What the heck?!”
I know, Bud. It’s an awfully special place with some awfully special people we were leaving behind.
