Ahhh Summer is Almost Gone!

Sadly, Summer has come and is nearly gone. I woke up this morning to a crisp 41.8 degrees, I can't say this makes me sad, nor can I say I am jumping for joy. I am ambivalent about it, don't really want to see the summer days go by, but boy am I ecstatic the mosquitoes are no longer feeling the love. Unlike last summer where I felt cooped up, recovering from the hip replacement and the ensuing staph infection, this summer I have had some really great times with my kids. My daughter Seonaid came for a short visit in July, and we got to visit some places we hadn't been before. Crystal Cave for example, is outside of Menominee, about half way between Stanley and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Tucked in the hills of the dairy farmland we spent a really nice morning on a great tour. The cave about 7 stories down down down.... had some really nice examples of crystal for which it's named. As caves go this was nice, because I as a tourist has no problems navigating the trails. I have been in a few caves, my first, Colossal Cave outside of Tucson has the romantic history of being the hideout for a gang of bank robbers, and when I was a kid during the Cold War, the hiding place of choice, in case the Russians felt the need to bomb us to "smithereens." One thing about caves, that can be counted on in fact, is that they are wet and cold. Not so bad for me, having lived in this cold climate for a while now, but Seonaid was freezing. Yes, 41 degrees calls for a wool jacket and a good amount of teeth chattering. It was nice day out complete with bats flying, hard hats, and some good laughs.