Weekend Recap

Last two weeks all of a sudden spring decided to happen. Even just over this weekend we watched the landscape go from mostly brown to gold, then next day to light green. A shade darker from morning to afternoon. 

We made sure to explore in woods, looking for wild flowers and mushrooms.

The river was a little high after a downpour with thunder and lightning, but we went to fish what we could. What was not planned was Joe's line had a backlash that caused his lure to fly backwards, sticking onto his arm. He spent the next 20 minutes fighting with the hooks. He was hooked really good-- the biggest catch of the day!

Everything was alright once we got to our favorite brewery, drinking beer and listening to live bluegrass music. 

Next day we started our day on the trout stream. Joe caught a decent brown first, and then Kayo caught her first keeper trout of the season, a 14" brown. Otherwise we didn't see much action. 

The afternoon had to be improvised a bit, since Joe got called out for work. Somehow we ended up back at the pub for a proper pint to make up. Now Joe cannot wait to train his crew at work fully, so he doesn't have to be on call. That would be a reason to raise a pint... hopefully soon.

End of Vacation

Now my 9-day vacation is coming to an end. Since Joe was working as normal, I got some reading done, had a couple of dates with friends, did extra laundry and cleaning but not too much. The weather got nice out, so I had to do a bit of spring yard work. I think I'm ready to go back to work. 

Though we couldn't travel far, we have plenty of things to enjoy around here. We finally tried a new brewery within a walking distance last night. Oddly enough, it felt like we were on vacation! I realized that vacation is a state of mind no matter where you are. And Joe's workplace has improved quite a bit during my vacation, 2 new promising employees started... hopefully in a few months he can actually take some time off.

Mini Vacation

Like so many people, we've been itching and needing to take a real vacation. To go places far away.... But right now Joe really couldn't take time off from work. So for our anniversary this year we opted for a weekend getaway only about an hour east from home.

These were places we could visit on a day trip, and we had done that plenty of times. But it was nice to be able to take our time and also try a few new places to eat.

Sunday, back home, we decided to get our fishing licenses and check out our trout stream. It only felt right on the second day of trout season... especially when most of the snow is now gone and the river water level has come down. We were thrilled to see a few steelhead, though none of them showed slightest interest in our lures. So our fishing season begins!

Winning End of April!?

Now at the end of April, we can say slowly but surely Spring is happening around here. Each week the amount of ice and snow declined. Snow melted. More brown and less white.

This past Sunday with strong south wind, the temperature hit almost 80, though only for a few hours before dropping to 50, and downward. Joe took advantage of the weather and grilled a steak. Grilled food always tastes better in summer.

Of course, it's not unusual for us to have snow still. This was yesterday morning. We are hoping to get by just wearing lighter jackets for the weekend.

Thinking of SPRING!

Happy April Fool's Day! We were ready to say good-bye to March after yet another ice storm plus 6 inches of snow this week. The third one this month... I guess the weather god didn't notice my spring wreath.

Joe couldn't resist bringing home a bouquet of orange tulips when he was at a store. Let's hope this can bring us warm weather!

Joe's Birthday Week

The month of March is slipping away... while the weather is swinging back and forth, between winter and spring. A few days before Joe's birthday we woke up to find our vehicles covered in 1/4" thick ice. Fortunately the temperatures stayed around 30 degrees, so the ground didn't get too slippery. Then the rain/ice mix switched to wet snow. Pretty... but we are ready for spring!!

Unfortunately I had to work this weekend... so we couldn't have as much fun celebrating Joe's birthday. He did get to have a candle lit cheesecake slice. We'll definitely make up next weekend!

Joe's New Truck aka Rado II

Joe's been looking for a replacement truck for about a year... because his red truck just had too much rust. Very trusty mechanically, but the body and frame as rusty as expected for any 15+ year old vehicles up this north where road salt coats our cars all winter long. This truck served us well for fishing and hunting, and we definitely got money's worth, but Joe had to say good-bye.

Meet this 2016 Chevy Colorado Joe bought yesterday. We were able to drive on the edge of this wintery mix/ice storm to Green Bay (3 hours south) and back. 

Joe has been working hard since he took the manager position, and his work place is still nowhere near perfect, but I know he earned this newer shinier truck. Well, this morning the truck is covered in snow... a proper way to welcome Joe's new truck to our home in the UP.