A weekend at home



Photo: Marcus and Alivia examined the contents of a geocache we found near Blackduck on Sunday afternoon.

By Allan Olson
A weekend that we planned to spend on the road turned out to be a weekend spent mostly at home. My wife and I decided on Friday that due to the way we were both feeling, and some of the hacking the kids were doing, that perhaps it was best that we stayed home Saturday – instead of attending a cousin’s wedding reception. It wasn’t an easy decision. While I’m admittedly not a fan of big, loud parties, it still would have been nice to see some family members I don’t often see.
So instead, on Saturday I came and grabbed some photos of the spay/neuter clinic and then headed back home for a nice long nap. That pretty much summed up Saturday – it was largely uneventful, although I did beat the family in a game of bowling on the Wii that evening and I made some peanut butter cookies as well.
On Sunday morning I made the family some banana muffins for breakfast – possibly my best ever. We assigned the kids some tasks, then took care of some items needing our attention before watching some late morning television.
I informed my wife that I wanted to go out and find a couple geocaches, but didn’t want to go far – not an easy accomplishment. I had saved a few near Blackduck for just such an occasion, so Marcus, Alivia, my wife and I set off geocaching for a couple hours. The first one we attempted, I had searched for in vain nearly a year prior. Ultimately, we had the same results this time. Next we set our course directly for Blackduck to attempt five of six we had left to find right in town.
On our first stop there, since Marcus and Alivia were better equipped, we let them cross a ditch that was partially frozen to go after the geocache. After a little bit of searching, Marcus made the find just as I was figuring out a way to cross the ditch without getting wet. Next we headed a little further north and quickly found the next one. We failed to find the next one, likely due to the snow that was still covering the hiding area. Then we headed over east of town, where we picked up two more geocaches. 
I had almost given up on the first one when Alivia “sang” to it and then, just like that, she spotted it. “It answered me,” she said with a grin. The next one was fairly simple, and Alivia found that one, too, before Marcus and I had even had a chance to search.
This turned out to be a perfect little outing for our family; after our geocaching excursion we grabbed some evening supper supplies and headed back home.
The remainder of the evening was spent getting caught up on the dishes, and making sure the kids were showered and ready for school the next day. We also had them clean up a couple of cupboards that were in dire need  of neatening, and since they are chiefly responsible for putting away dishes, it was only right that they should straighten things out. We took them at their word that the work was done; neither of us went to inspect their work afterwards.
Plans for this weekend include going to a meeting on Saturday, along with a geo-event. I fully intend to balance things out and attend both. On Sunday, if the weather holds, maybe we will go find a sugar camp to visit, or do some geocaching – or both. It remains to be seen.

Please remember to watch out for the buses that are carrying our most precious cargo. Also snap a photo or two to preserve a lifetime of memories. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Feel free to drop me a line at cltimes1@arvig.net or stop by the office for a visit.

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