Kites, Fishing, & Strawberries for the 4th

Since my parents had a long weekend for the 4th of July, I drove down (in Tanya's great Volvo) to Brookings to see them. They had big plans for the boys - kites, fishing, the parade, and more - but at the end of each day, I think Misha and Sebby tired out Grandma and Grandpa more than the other way around!

It's always nice to spend time in the beautiful yard I remember fondly from my childhood. The boys helped fill up the birdbath, water the plants, and dig for worms for a fishing expedition.

 

Another favorite - soccer with Grandpa now that his toe is better.

Digging for worms with Grandma

 We made it to the Brookings Nature Park one day for some "early" 10:00 a.m. fishing. Sebby was thrilled simply casting and reeling, casting and reeling. Whenever his bedragled worm could no longer stay on the hook, Sebby would say, "A fish ate it!" Misha got back into the groove of casting and was eagerly awaiting for something to start biting. Eventually, something did bite on Misha's line ... a humongous snapping turtle! He clamped onto the line for several minutes, making sure he got his worm, and then he let go and swam away. Just as we were about to give up on the fish, something tugged on Sebby's line. "It's stuck, Grandpa!" Sebby said, starting to give his pole to Grandpa. But it was actually a trout who decided to take a risk on a floating worm. So exciting to catch a real fish! (We let him go again though.)

Fishing with the boys.

Our hungry snapper

A big guy with big claws.

The catch of the day!

And it was THIS BIG!

 Kiting was another priority, which we managed to do a couple of times. Misha was excited to try out his new red kite from Grandpa, and I flew my double-tailer as well.

Hold on, Sebby!

Satisfaction.

For the 4th of July itself, we walked up to enjoy the parade, which featured a lot of tractors and fire trucks (and to the boys' delight, candy).

 

Watching the parade.

Playing an extremely competitive game of Sorry.

I always love picking strawberries at Sanderson's Gardens. It's the perfect summer activity. And we had the perfect weather, overcast and just a touch of sprinkles to keep things cool. Misha saw the patch and immediately exclaimed, "I'm going to pick EVERY strawberry!" We came pretty close - 24 pounds is nothing to scoff at.  Angelfood cake with whipped cream and strawberries coming up...

Stopping to see Grandma on campus.

Can't miss out on the Kids Museum!

Grandma helped the boys build a cute magnetic fishing game for the backyard.

On the bike trail.

Checking the milkweed for caterpillars, but no luck so far. Where are they??

An umbrella walk in the rain.

Time to pass on the tradition... we got out an old unicycle for Misha to try out!

A stop at the SDSU bookstore before driving back to Grand Forks

It was a very busy, very fun weekend.