River deep, mountain high...

I hope you don't mind indulging me while I post a few more nature-themed photos... I promise I'll eventually return to the hustle and bustle of New York City, where my only references to rivers will include the East and Hudson! But for the time being, I'm in the Adirondacks and loving every minute of it!
Yesterday my dad, brother and I spent the afternoon outdoors.
My brother was looking for a new place to fish, so we headed to this majestic bend in the river about 10 miles from our cabin.
It was an absolutely gorgeous spot that required a bit of a hike over rocks...
And a wade through the river. (On a side note, I absolutely love these shoes. I originally bought them to hike the rain forests of Hawaii, but have since discovered that they are one of the most comfortable and practical pair of shoes I've ever owned!)
Eventually my brother found a perfect spot in the river...
And he got to work hooking big ones!
So my dad and I walked a bit further...
And found the perfect spot to read our books!
I don't know about you, but this was the perfect way to spend an afternoon: the rush of the river flowing by, my feet dangling in the refreshing water, and a hilarious summer novel to keep me entertained! (BTW- I was reading Janet Evanovich's Sizzling Sixteen as it was released on Tuesday. I think it's especially funny to read about all the Trenton, NJ antics in such an idyllic location!)
Thank you for visiting- I hope you're having a great day!

So much to photograph...

I've really had fun photographing the area around our cabin.
The woods are full of such interesting...
And beautiful things!
From the tiniest flower...
To the biggest fern...
There is so much to capture!
And even though the woods eventually give way to the river...
That doesn't mean the shutter snapping has to end!
From gorgeous foliage...
To fungus and moss...
There's so much beauty and interest to be found in nature!
But do you know what else I found when I was down at the river?
My little brother- he was casting away!
Fly fishing is such an intricate art- but it's also something that's completely foreign to me!
So my brother got out his flies...
And started teaching me about them. He told me how different flies represent different bugs/insects in different parts of the world. So if you're fishing in a particular region, it's important to have flies that look like the local insects- isn't that interesting? And some of his flies don't represent anything at all- they just look particularly tasty to the fish! Can you believe these little things are just made of fur and feathers?
I still have a lot to learn about the art of fishing, but tomorrow my brother is going to show me the ropes... here's hoping that I catch something big! (Only if that actually happens, let's also hope that my little brother takes pity on me and takes the darn fish off the hook for me!)
Thank you for stopping by- I hope you're having a great week!

Flippers and fins

The other day, when SFS and I had some free time in Chinatown, we wandered around and came upon this store. See all those orange things in the front window? Yep- they're goldfish!
This was one of the craziest fish stores I've ever seen- rows upon rows of tanks and aquariums, each filled with the most exotic looking fish.
And along the outer walls of the store, there were huge ponds full of koi.
Each tank was separated by fish size: the bigger the Koi, the more expensive!
And towards the front of the store were the large, even more expensive fish.
This guy was could've been mine for just under $300!
Unfortunately, those are the only pictures I have to share with you- the owner preferred that I not take any more pictures... but let me tell you, that fish store was crazy! Oh- and can you believe there was even a fish "ON SALE" for $800?! I couldn't believe it! We had fun looking around, even though I was terrified a fish would jump out of tank and touch me. (And while I know this fear to be mostly irrational, fish have been known to jump out of their tanks- and that makes me so nervous!)

If you'd like to check out this store, it's located on the corner of Broome and Mott Street. Thanks for visiting my blog- I hope you have a great day!!

Purifying ourselves in the water of Lake Minnetonka

The things we learn from SFS! Apparently Dave Chappelle did a sketch on his show where he played The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, and talked about the need to "purify yourself in the water of Lake Minnetonka". Since the lake is just outside of Minneapolis, we headed there on Saturday morning. If you're like me, you only know about Minnetonka because of the moccasins (which aren't made in the area to my great dismay)... but it's a really nice lake town 45 minutes outside of MSP. Here is my first shot of the area:
Our initial stop was The General Store of Minnetonka. It was a huge store, full of kitchen/home/local gifts. After picking up a few things, we headed to Maynards for lunch. It was a beautiful day, so we sat on their patio next to the lake and had a great time. Here's a shot of SBV:
And here's one of my mom- see the lake in the background? I have a feeling she's laughing at the person next to her...
Wouldn't you? This is how he combats the dreaded FARMER TAN!
And my Dad looking pensive (SBV took this shot- way to go!)...
The food there was SO yummy- plus the natural light was really nice so I could take some quick shots before everyone started. I can't remember who ate what, so here's a club sandwich:
Fish and chips:
And a chopped salad! (I remember this one was mine because it was DELISH! And for the record, those are black beans, not olives.)
After lunch, we went on a hunt to find a sign that would prove SFS' purification. Here's what we found...
The lake was really pretty!
The boys went off to fish, so my mom and I got to work on some crafts (I'll post about that later). Here's a view from where we sat...
Just some pretty dandelions (and Dad, I think it's okay to call them pretty because they're not anywhere near your lawn).
I eventually joined the boys during their fishing excursion.
Although I didn't have a license (shhh- don't tell), SBV let me cast a few with his new rod and reel. I didn't drop it in the lake ONCE! Are you proud?
Unfortunately, he said if I cast it, then it was my job to clean the gross weeds from the hook. This was definitely not my favorite part of the day!
Now a note about SFS! He hooked a really big large mouth bass that day. He had reeled it in, but it got loose just as the boys were pulling it onto the dock. Although I didn't get a picture, I saw the fish and can attest to the fact that it was big and gross!
And here's another shot of my baby brother- isn't he a cutey?
This on the other hand is NOT so cute. Especially since I don't have the longest lens, and for a shot like this had to get a little too close to the fish for my comfort level. Of course SBV only increased that discomfort by shaking the fish and pretending it was going to jump out and touch me... ahhh, siblings!
Later in the day, SBV got his line hooked on the dock next to where we were fishing. These were the private docks, and you could only get there if you had a key to the gate. Since we did not, SBV literally JUMPED onto that pier and shimmied onto the dock. Of course, once he was done, he had to jump in the water to get back to us! I think this shot is him coming to terms with the fact that there's no way he could avoid getting wet.
After all that fun, we headed to Phil's Tara Hideaway for dinner. If you ever find yourself near Stillwater, I highly recommend this Greek/American fusion restaurant... check out their pork chops:
Yummy, right? Well, that's it for our Day on Lake Minnetonka- happy Thursday!