Brewers vs. Twins in MN 2010

I went outside to check things out and was left in charge of Reese while Mike talked to the neighborhood kid Joseph, who was mowing his lawn. So I watched his kid the only way I knew how - with a beer in hand. Sure it isn't right, but that's why I'm not a parent.

I don't normally like to sleep in while I am on vacation because I like to make the most of my time. I also don't like to sleep in while I am a guest at someone's house. I did both today. When I woke up Mike and Reese were outside and some kid was mowing Mike's lawn.

Joseph is like 12 years old and lives with his Grandma down the road. Mike says that he stops over now and then but this was the first time he offered to mow the lawn. This kid must have been bored because he tagged along with us as walked down the road to check out the nearby pond. Mike said that he often goes walking down here with his dog Roxy, and he wanted to show me this beaver dam. We didn't really have anything better to do because we were waiting for Katie to get off of work, so I had no problem going on a nature hike with Mike, Reese, Roxy and Joseph.

Both Reese and Roxy really loved it out here, which is probably why Mike keeps bringing them to this spot. I told you that Mike lives in the middle of nowhere, and this is proof of that. This spot is probably like a half mile down the dirt road that the Bates' live on, and it is pretty far removed from the city life that I am used to being in. But every now and then you have to get out of your element so that you can do something that you don't usually do. Like throw sticks into a body of water. It's so simple and so primordial, yet it is so incredibly fun.

This Joseph kid was pretty weird. Apparently he is home schooled by his Grandma so he doesn't have a lot of friends, which would explain why he wouldn't leave me alone. And then he invited himself into Mike's house and drank up all of his soda. I didn't mind hanging out with the kid, but I came to Blackduck to hang out with the Bates'.

I think that Reese was around 2 years old at the time that I was up there. She's at that age when she soaks everything up like a sponge and she is mobile enough to explore the world. But it would have taken her forever to walk down the dirt road to the pond, so she hitched a ride on her Dad's back. And Mike was delighted to let her.