at Bemidji - day four - hikes and marshmallows

Thursday was the last day for Grandpa and Grandma Rose as well as Uncle Chris and Auntie Jann.

That was sad.  I guess some people need to be responsible and earn a living...

Before they took off, we put in a little hike.

The hike was forced for Cade, who really wanted nothing to do with it.  In fact, he wanted nothing to do with anything that morning.  

Being the meany mommy that I am, I made him come with us (only a select few had the privilege of going).

Sometimes (rarely) I kick myself for bringing along my camera and having to haul it with me and protect it.  Other times, like this hike, I kick myself for not bringing it.  The rationale was that I didn’t know how difficult a hike it would be but I needed have worried.  It was a completely paved walk through beautiful woods, dappled sunlight, glorious smells and the cheerful twittering of birds.  I tried to put the frustration of not having my photo-capturing ability out of my mind so that I could enjoy what is one of life’s greatest pleasures - enjoying God’s amazing creation.

(Thankfully Glenda brought hers, so I got a picture or two from her).

Living near and being able to go to the jungle is fabulous.  We are privileged.  But I love love love the forests of my old stomping grounds.   Maples, birches, pines, wild grapes and berries.

Complete gorgeousness. 

After the hike, there was more pool swimming, bike riding and all that good stuff.  The highlight, though, was probably the marshmallow roasting in the evening.

Big marshmallows.

Here is one next to a standard size mallow.

I’m feeling like I might have to bring some of these treasures back to Ecuador.

Brent set up a perfect marshmallow roasting situation they way he stacked the wood.  You could stick the mallow sort of under/in between the logs and it would get roasted on all sides simultaneously.

Of course, you didn’t want to be the one roasting when the stack finally crumbled.

Boys, being boys, managed to turn the roasting event into a life saber fight of star wars proportions.

We would roast them, pull off the cooked part and then roast them again.  We could get about five or six roasts out of one mallow.

I was thinking that it would be pretty cool to roast one, pull off the outside and use it like a cup to serve a dessert in.  Might have to try that sometime.

Lucy got a little sticky and eventually turned it into a game.

It was only fun for her.

Riley enjoyed her ring pop from her scavenger hunt reward.

It was fun for all of us.

There is something rather endearing about a blue-lipped, The Joker-resembling five-year-old.

In between marshmallows, Alex and Maddy took a few dips in the pool.  They had spent a good deal of time during the week trying to convince anyone to throw them into the pool.  Who wants to throw someone into the pool when they want to be thrown in?

Finally, they threw themselves in.

Smart girls.

(or not)