Catch of the Day

Last night Dad's meeting was cancelled, so after supper we decided to go fishing! August caught one all by himself! It was too little to keep, but the picture is worth a thousand words!

Growing up!

Katie has been after us for a while to cut her hair short. She mostly has had to work on Dad, since Mom is tired of combing and braiding every night after bathtime. So here is the new look and the happy girl who seems just a little older now. Or maybe not...

Soccer and Spring

The ball went across the street once, so the kids were waiting for the ref to go and get it. There is a fair bit of action in soccer now. Two years ago when Katie played it was like a small cloud of bees chasing the ball. They did not always know which way to kick the ball when they got it! Now there is purpose and they follow rules. The kids who are defense, actually play defense and the kids who are forwards are playing forward. It's neat to see the improvement from age 6 to age 8!

Thought these flowers were picture-worthy. It's so wonderful to have spring come on time! Especially after a very hard winter this year!

Wildlife Prairie Park

The Wildlife Prairie Park is a facility that rehabilitates local animals which are injured or endangered. Some they release back into the wild, those that can't be released are kept in a park-like environment, for our learning and viewing pleasure. They have a small bison herd and elk population. They also have a cougar, some bobcats, eagles, etc.

We enjoyed spending the day with friends! They are such a blessing!

Beavers in Peoria

We found evidence of beaver activity in an industrial section of Peoria. The Rock Island Trail, which is an old railroad that has been converted to a walking/cycling trail, goes right through the city and in this section, we noticed some beaver activity. It was a fun time to hike with friends and enjoy this little bit of wilderness!

This is not part of the trail, but an old railroad section adjoining the trail. It was a fun adventure. We didn't see any beavers, but there was a dam and we suspected they were nearby!

Maple Syrup etc.

Here are a couple of jars of the maple syrup--the lighter color means I didn't boil this batch down as much--but it's still really sweet. I boiled some batches down more and got a darker, sweeter syrup. Below is the maple sugar we made by accident during our sugarin' time. It is super sweet, tasting it is kind of like maple flavored brown sugar, with a smoky touch (thanks to boiling it down over a wood fire). We ended up with about a gallon of syrup which I canned in jelly jars.

"I've been too gone, for too long..."

When Bret returned from Japan, he treated us to dinner ala Japan. He made miso soup and tempura. We cheated and bought sushi from the grocery store, and enjoyed wasabi peas. I wasn't sure about the peas at first, but they became addictive and we thoroughly enjoyed them. Bret shared some interesting tidbits about his trip and we all got some Japanese "My dad/husband/son went to Japan and all I got was this lousy (blank)!" style gifts! Fun was had by all!

The scenic pictures from Bret's trip to Japan did not turn out very well, so I won't post them, the pictures of Cat Japan are mostly engines and machinery and guys you won't know. Not very interesting to the non-engineer.