On the Run

Cousins having fun playing in our swimming hole.

By Allan Olson

I have given up hope that this summer will be anything but being on the run. I like being busy, but so busy I can’t even get my boat out? It will take a little less busy-ness to get some fresh fish in the fry pan.
Friday evening was laid back, but there were still some things I needed to do, and the weather wasn’t what I like for getting out in the lake on my little boat, and everyone else seemed rather exhausted – so we stayed home.
Saturday we debated about whether or not to go visit my cousin at a state park near Big Fork. Both my wife and I were really torn; we wanted to go, but we wanted to stay home, too. About that time, my niece called and asked what we were doing. She was looking for something to do with my wife’s brother’s kids. That made our decision for us; we decided to stay home and entertain them. Shortly after that, another niece called who lives in the area and asked if we wanted to go swimming with her and her two kids. 
Suddenly, with all the unexpected company, we decided we’d better head to town to get some supplies. While enroute, my cousin called to ask if we were coming up, and we informed him that we decided to stay put. On our way home, my wife came up with a crazy idea – let’s load up both Yukons and drag everyone along to the park to play with their kids and celebrate their son’s birthday. Back at home we suggested that to all parties, and everyone was in agreement, so we loaded up one canoe on each vehicle, along with all the supplies, and hit the road just before 4 p.m.
The trip to and from the park was (thankfully) uneventful, and we had lots of fun while there – even putting one of the two canoes in the water for the first time. The kids got to swim, the adults got to visit, and my cousin and I and Abigail managed to find the lone geocache in the park. We got back just in time to join in birthday cupcakes. Then we loaded up the vehicles and hit the road again, making it home and finally into bed about midnight.
Sunday, supposedly the day of rest, was not restful. I woke up about 8 a.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep. Then Abigail decided that she was in an extremely helpful mood and wanted me to make hot cereal for the family and our guests. She volunteered to help get the table ready and make the toast. 
After breakfast, it was time to read. I was way behind in a book, and this was my last chance before it expired on my library app, so I laid on the couch and took a nap after reading a few pages. 
That morning, we had agreed to help my wife’s brother and his wife out by keeping their kids two extra days since they had our kid for a over a week. That evening, just before I headed to town to take Nikolai back for his final week of Upward Bound, my little nephew asked if we could go swimming again. I told him I didn’t know, so I asked my wife and suggested she call her niece to see if they wanted to come out again. 
After a quick trip to town and a quick bite to eat, we were on the road again – this time to our favorite swimming hole, much closer to home. We spent nearly two hours swimming and playing in the water before returning home. While the rest of the gang was changing into dry clothes, I got the fire started for S’mores. That summer evening treat was great, and I still managed to get into bed and fall asleep before 11 p.m.
Regarding our recent plumbing problems, after some advice from the local hardware store and ultimately my desire to not mess with it again, I called in reinforcements – my younger brother, who is far handier than I. He helped me get the pump adjusted and hopefully now the waste will go where it belongs without any further issues.
This week, my weekend will be spent at Rib Fest, which is always a fun time – and exhausting at the same time. Hopefully… just maybe… a couple kids and I will be able to put the boat in the water on Sunday and go in search of some panfish – because it already looks like the next two weekends we’re gonna be busy and on the run.

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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