Mid July-Mid August

A nice rainy Sunday has me sitting in the garage watching Halene play in muddles while I post some photos of the past month. It was a busy one..... 

In mid July we went on a vacation to north-central Minnesota for some family fun with the DeJager's and some fishing. 
I made three bacon explosions: fried bacon crumbled inside of italian sausage and wrapped in a bacon weave, then smoked and topped with BBQ. 
We took a side trip to visit John, Beth and Paul up in Brainerd and John took me out to fish the Crow Wing River for smallmouth. 
Tyler and his big fish!
Julie turned one year older-but still looks like a teenager.
Vacations rule!
I caught the bigger one.

Then at the end of July we closed on our new house. So far we love it. Alesa has me busting my hump doing various chores and such. It turns out that a year of living in a rental softens a man toward yard work. We like our neighbors out here. They are an interesting collection of retired folks, young hippies, and farmers. Together they make life pretty interesting-all having chosen a similar place to live, yet very different lifestyles. 

I've caught a few smallmouth below the house on the Black River, but I've wasted numerous hours chasing the gar around. I just can't seem to get them to bite-but I can see  them.

Our new backyard, the Black River...
A view of our house from across the river, its behind the trees somewhere in there.

A random picture of Halane-who put that diaper on her?
Samuel, let me introduce you to Mr. Brown trout. --Small stream Trico fishing near the new house.

Halene found this little tree frog on our back porch.