The Brown Girls

Sometimes there are things in life that you just don’t want to miss.  One of those for me is my trip to Lake Vermilion to visit Lanny & Mary and all the Brown girls!  Each year the Brown girls spend a week at Grandma & Grandpa’s cabin on Lake Vermilion, typically right after school is out in June, before the girls launch into their busy summer schedules.  This year was an extra bonus, Anika rode with Holly, Helen and I from Duluth to the cabin.  She had been vacationing with a friends family in northern Minnesota and we connected in Duluth.   Holly & Helen were a bit puzzled with hanging out in a parking lot but both were very pleased to see luggage loaded in the car and Anika hop in the front seat.   I told myself it will be Hermantown before Holly’s tail stops wagging.  I was wrong, it was Pike Lake which is even farther.  She paced the backseat pretending to look out windows instead sniffing Anika’s shoulder then coming back my way to tell me about it.  For much of the trip she panted in excitement knowing it was going to be a good day, how could it not be a good day – Anika was in the car with us!

Both dogs get antsy when driving on a dirt road so immediately once the road changed from tar to gravel, the whimpering and whining and wagging began.  Once the car stopped at the cabin, the doors opened and the dogs were off and running.  Holly had a bad case of the zoomies in the great outdoors and proceeded to do figure eight’s criss cross across the property through the trees and around the cabin.  After a few laps, she took time to greet the girls waving her down.   Of course Holly immediately found a ball – a brightly colored, perfectly shaped volleyball used by the girls to practice their game skills.  Visions of Holly’s soccer ball came to mind, the one that folds like a pancake now and hasn’t had a smooth roll in the grass since the day it came home, after rescued from the clearance bin.  I intervened quick and asked that the game ready volleyball be hidden, somewhere real good, so Holly cannot find it.  The girls found an alternative – a soft semi-inflated ball already punctured about the size of a softball.  It was perfect and Holly agreed!   She was by a lake, surrounded by 5 enthusiastic and outdoor loving young girls AND she had a ball.  Needless to say, I didn’t see too much more of Holly the rest of the day!  When it came time for us to eat, I did tie her up on the deck.  By this time she had so much contentment flowing through her soul that she didn’t even fuss.  She sat, watched and listened to all the stories and laughter being shared around the table.  I peeked at her occasionally, she wasn’t sleeping – that would risk missing out on something.  I think she was so content that she chose to sit and listen to us share our moments at the table and catch our peace and joy blowing her direction in the wind.  It was just that good of a day!

Thank you Lanny, Mary, Anika, Nina, Julia, Maia and Cora.

You made Holly’s day.

You made Helen’s day.

You made my day!

It was just that good of a day!