Only in Duluth

It was a normal day at work - until I received this email warning:

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Black bear warning:

Campus Security has been notified that there was a sighting of a large black bear on the edge of our campus by Kenwood Avenue. Please be advised that black bears are wild and that you should avoid any contact with them.

For your safety, please follow these guideline:

1. Do not feed the bears. Providing food for them will only encourage them to return.
2. If you live on campus, do not leave garbage outside your apartments. A bear will take advantage of any foods available and will attempt to eat anything that resembles food in look, smell or taste.
3. When walking outside at night, do not go alone.
4. If you see a bear on campus, contact campus security immediately at extension 6175.
5. If you come upon a bear while outdoors, try to remain calm and go to the nearest campus building for safe shelter.

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This kind of thing never happened to me living in the Twin Cities. I love Duluth :-)

An Afternoon at Lester Park

This afternoon was another beautiful day here in Duluth - 70 and sunny. So, we decided today was the day to head to Lester Park/River (just 3 miles from our house) to take advantage of some of their hiking trails - and to test out our new Kelty Backpack carrier with Isaac. He (and we) loved it! Glad to have an option for taking Isaac along on those 'no stroller' excursions.

Lester Park is filled with trails for hiking, cross country skiing (don't think we'll be trying that with Isaac on our back!), and there are also numerous places for swimming, wading in the water and water falls throughout the length of Lester River. There is also a pavilion and a place for kids to play. It is a beautiful setting, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! We look forward to experiencing the park in different seasons to re-discover the beauties around.

We have heard there are numerous other hiking locations in and around Duluth, and we are looking forward to enjoying more of them in the near future.

Isaac Meets Pampered Chef

This week Isaac pulled out my Pampered Chef Chopper from my Tupperware cupboard (the only cupboard NOT baby-proofed) and began to practice his chopping skills. Apparently he has seen me use this a few times since he is so proficient in his skill. Of course, when I got out the video camera he was a little shy at first but he gets into it at the end. And...you get to see some of his baby signs as well (more...). I'm half considering sending this onto Pampered Chef and making him a baby poster board story for their product..."so easy, a baby can use it..."

Isaac Meets Corn on the Cob

Last week in celebration (or mourning) of the last week of summer, I proudly served corn on the cob twice in one week. We cut off the corn for Isaac like we always do and let him pick up the pieces with his fingers. But, last week he realized that he was missing out as he watched Joel and I munch from our cob of corn and became VERY interested - reaching, grunting, wanting a try. So...we decided to give it a try and here were the results. I don't think we'll get by with cutting the corn off from now on. Big boy needs his own cob!

(Great) Aunt Barbara and Books

Last weekend we were graced by the presence of Joel's Aunt Barbara for one evening as she was passing through on her way back home to Chicago. Although Isaac was a bit timid at first, he very soon warmed up when we learned she was willing to read him story after story after story...here are a couple snapshots.

Isaac Cleans!

Being the good toddler that he is, Isaac loves to "help" with everyday things that he sees us doing. Naturally, he has seen me doing some cleaning from time to time. I've caught him a few times in the last couple of weeks "helping" around the house and decided it was worth capturing. My favorite is when he is bending over in order to get the Swiffer/Sweeper underneath the bed. I even thought about putting an actual pad on the Swiffer/Sweeper so he would actually be sweeping the floor for us! Maybe next time. At any rate, perhaps I'll save these photos and show them to Isaac when he's 15 and resistant to help out with chores around the house. :-)

Time to Run

Being the good Duluthian that I am, I thought it would be good to sign up for Grandma's. So, as of this coming up weekend, I have 40 weeks to get myself in marathon condition. Should be fun :-)

-Joel