Well, it was another beautiful weekend here in Minnesota, so we decided once again to venture outdoors. To take even one sunny, 80 degree day for granted here would just be blasphemous. After the Shabbat Sofit morning service, we took a 7 mile bike ride around
Baker Park Reserve. We rented a Burley and took turns pulling the girls. (Mike did most of the uphill work, I will admit!) Then, we took the scenic route back to Excelsior, where we headed to the playground by the beach. We were curious to see how cold the water felt, so we put our toes in. Burrr!!! We guessed it was probably low 60s at best. (Later, we checked the Internet to find it registered in at 58 degrees.) But of course there were people swimming...in bathing suits, not wet suits. (It is Minnesota, after all.) We played a bit, got some grub, then decided to take a boat ride on the
Steamboat Minnehaha. I can't adequately describe what a gorgeous day it was, so just take a look at this shot I got from the boat:
Sunday afternoon was even warmer (low 80s) than Saturday, so we ventured back to Excelsior beach once again. This time, Maya was determined to go swimming. We warned her about the temperature of the water, but she remained adamant. So we decided to let the kids wear their suits; we would bring their sand toys and at least sit on the edge of the water and build a sand castle. Once Maya put her foot in the water, we thought, she would learn for herself that the water was too cold for a swim. When we got to the edge of the water, she put her feet in, hesitated a moment, donned her goggles and dove right in!
Oh, to be young again, Michael and I mused. When we were six, frigid water wouldn't have kept us from swimming, either, if we really wanted to do it.
But, it appears, even childhood fantasies have their limitations when the truth is told. Last night, when we put Maya to bed, we said prayers and asked her the usual four questions before tucking her in:
- What are you thankful for today? I am thankful for going to Lake Minnetonka again!
- Who did you help today? I helped you by picking up my pretend carnival in the basement. (That's an entirely different story!)
- Who helped you today? You helped me by taking me to Lake Minnetonka.
- What did you learn today? I learned that it is still too cold to swim in Lake Minnetonka!
And there you have it, folks....straight from the horse's mouth!
