HoneyRock with Gieser family - yee-haw!

Six days at HoneyRock with our Gieser family - 8 adults and 7 children (age 5 and younger). Wow! What can be said to thoroughly describe it! Such a peaceful setting on Long Lake. It was wonderful to be away from typical daily routines (and internet access). We were split between three cabins, which surround the facilities of the ongoing summer camp. Mostly we kept to ourselves but it was fun on occasion to visit the horses or the camp store or the chapel or the beach or the trails.We had beautiful weather - mostly in the 70s but cool at night with a bit of rain on a few afternoons. Thus we could put on swimsuits for morning swims and make campfires in the evening. 

Amazingly it had been NINE years since Jim and I had been up to HoneyRock. He grew up spending summer vacations there with his family, and I got to join them once in college and three times when we were married. Lots of happy memories, and now Timo and Mattias can hopefully start making some memories and having fun there, too. Timo was SO excited all week leading up to the trip, and in the car as we drove, he must have asked 30 times, "Go HoneyRock now?"

Timo and David get along really well now! These guys are only 2 months apart in age!

Here is the back view of the main cabin where two families stayed, with the waterfront. There is also a dock at this cabin, and Dad/Granddad rented a Ski Nautique for the week. More on that in the next post...

I think this photo needs to be framed for the Gieser hallway at 516! So cute!

Down at the camp's beach area, which had a nice sandy swimming area. This was the day before campers arrived, so it was very quiet.

Mattias at 7 months, and Katie with Millie, who turned 1 the previous week.

A favorite spot for the cousins to look at the lake and throw in sticks and rocks

Early morning at the waterfront lagoon area outside our family's cabin.

One of the highlights was seeing and riding - for the older granddaughters - the horses at camp. The wranglers were very kind to give us extra time. Avery and Bella spent three or four mornings having riding lessons, and one evening three of us siblings did a trail ride, including me. It was just a walk but boy it's fun to be on a horse!

Timo was quite interested and not scared by the horses.

It's not camp if you don't cook over a fire at least one meal!! That's how Jim and I feel anyway! So "Eggs McDeerfoot" it was - English muffins, eggs, cheese, sausage. (Veggie sausage and non-dairy cheese for some of us.)

Two evenings the siblings got to hang out and talk - much needed time together because the days were full of activity and children and meals! One night we had a fire down at our cabin's fire pit. Wow, just perfect. Love it. Except the mosquitoes.