Racing and tasting

What a great day! After a nice breakfast of eggs and bacon, Tom & I and Seth & Maddie headed over to Strawberry Bar for some more perch. We fought the wind for the first half hour, before finally figuring out the best way to maneuver the boat to keep it "on the ridge." We ended up catching 13 nice perch (Tom had one that was almost 11 inches!) in a couple of hours. Not our best morning, but not bad either.

When we got in, we discovered a lot of excitement at the beach. Deb & Roy had organized kayak races and everyone was joining in the fun! All of the kids participated, and there was even a heat for the 50-something ladies which I raced in. We had a great time!

After the races were over, Deb and I decided to go for our leisurely afternoon kayak ride (the one where we chat and "solve the world's problems"). Jared had set up a nice little margarita bar in the cabin, so he made us some special "hydration" to take with us. :)

At about 4:30, we left for ForestEdge Winery. This has become an annual tradition for Tom & I, and it was the first visit for Jared, Seth & Maddie. The winery offers free tastings of an array of its unusual wines...rhubarb, chokecherry, early white cranberry...to name a few. The two older guys who run the winery are fun and friendly, and very proud of their unique, award-winning wines. After the winery, Seth & Maddie went for a "date-night" dinner at the Boulders in Walker, while Tom, Jared and I tried out a new place, The Lucky Moose, just south of Walker. It was "half-price appetizers on Thursday," so we made of meal of walleye cakes, walleye fingers, crab and artichoke dip, blue cheese kettle chips, and wings.

We arrived home in time for evening bike rides for Tom & I, followed by a chat around the campfire with the cousins. Today was Erin & Leah G's 17th b-day, the first one they've had at the Cass Lake (as far as I can remember). As part of their b-day surprise (and our surprise too), they were told they were going to have a new cousin! Paul and Melissa are expecting a baby in February!

Well, I must get to bed...we have another big day of fishing and biking planned for tomorrow!