Reporting from West McDonald

[Sunday morning updates - posted late]

Wow!  Saturday night was the first night Shana and I spent at cabin without a kid or two since the summer of 1996.  Maria drove home last night so she could have brunch with her friends this morning.  Many leave for college this week.  It’s a happy/sad time as all these wonderful young adults (I almost said, “kids”) leave home for college.  It’s a bit difficult to read the screen as I type this. 

As for the other – well, John is in Costa Rica on a scientific adventure with 15 classmates and two teachers.  Follow along here. 

Awoke earlier Saturday, second night that I didn’t sleep well.  That is rare at the cabin.  Maybe it was the heat, or maybe my choice of bed-time-snack – something I don’t often do at home – and especially not this particular snack.  So tonight it’s no ice cream right before bed.  Maybe a glass of milk, or nothing at all. 

[Monday morning]

I slept better last night; why?  It’s hard to tell.  Once Helen knew I was having trouble sleeping she jumped into action, attacking my sleeplessness on many fronts.  We used the electronic massage wand (ahh – wonderful!), several doses of magnesium to relax the muscles, several times I used a heating pad.  All likely helped – thanks to H!  For my part, I swam early in the day, and enjoyed a 2+ mile post-dinner walk with Shana – something we do almost every night at home, but had not done at the cabin the last few nights.

Mid-day, Shana and I were out adventuring.  We visited the Bluestem Prairie SNA and spent an hour or so wandering around the natural prairie.  It was very beautiful.  We came back the slow way, through Detroit Lakes for lunch, then took the back roads home to the cabin to avoid the “crowd” at Loony Daze in Vergas.