We woke up this morning to find a haze over the lake. This haze started around Tuesday, and seems to be getting a bit thicker each day. The cause? Forest fires up north in Saskatchewan. We normally see blue skies, big puffy white clouds, or thick heavy storm clouds. This haze is really unusual, making the sunset look like an orange ball in the sky, and the moon a dark red.

Tom, Seth & I decided to try fishing near Star Island this morning. After about an hour and one small perch, we decided to reel in and move over to the Potato Islands. As soon as Seth dropped his line in, he caught a rock bass. After another hour we finished with a catch of 6 rock bass, 1 perch and 2 bluegills. We headed in a little earlier than usual so Tom could get the fish cleaned and we could head out on our afternoon adventures.

At about 1:30, Tom & I got on our bikes and hit the Heartland Trail down to Walker. The 24-mile trip was pleasant and a nice workout for me. We arrived in Walker at around 4:00, and after a quick ice cream cone break, Tom continued on his way another 23-ish miles to Park Rapids. I shopped for a bit, picking up the obligatory pound of Highlander Grogg (our favorite!), as well as a pound of Snickerdoodle coffee (something that's hard to find back home). The kids met me in Walker, loaded up my bike, and we headed to Park Rapids to meet Tom at Zorbaz for "zupper." We always have a great time at this Minnezota Pizza joint!

When we got home the girls enjoyed their last evening with Tomm, Andrea and Jake, while I had a nice visit with Christie and got our laundry done. It’s hard to believe our first week of vacation is over already!

Lazy, Hazy (very hazy)...days of summer