Mermaids and mermen?

The ancient mariners are rumored to have thought that the manatees they saw in Florida looked like mermaids and mermen. When last January we went manatee hunting, we were so excited to see so many that we forgot to take a closer look to check the rumor out.

This last week we saw some more and decided to take a closer look this time. Were the ancient mariners right?

Gone fishing!

This month's adventure was to go fishing with 10 of our grandchildren under the age of 8 in the northwoods of Minnesota. Be sure to click on the pictures for a closer look so you can check if you recognize everyone. Aren't we a great looking bunch of adventurers?

They say the fish get pretty big up here

so we asked some pretty big friends we met for advice as to the best places to fish.

They warned us about the bears

but suggested we scout out the headwaters of the Mississippi

and Lake Superior at Duluth.

But we found the best fishing and the most fun at Lake Thirty One.

Of course you had to dress right so as not to scare off the fish!!

We caught lots of Northern Pike for a delicious fish fry. Here you can see the fish about ready for us to eat. The large aluminum foil covered things on the stove top are just three more of the Pikes ready for us to eat. On the center block are another whole Pike and another Pike cut up into fish bites dipped in batter,  fried and ready for hungry fishers to dip in various sauces. Of course, as you can see, we had a nice pot of grits to keep all the Florida born happy. There were no leftovers.

The fishing expedition with the grandkids was a joyful success. The grandparents, the parents and the children all had a great time.

But of course, in my mind the best part was early morning swims to get my blood circulating for the day while everyone else was sleeping, group swims across the lake and back, and every evening perfecting my Finnish sauna techniques.