Duluth

Ahh, vacation . . . and know that I use that term VERY loosely when vacation involves our three children. Some parts of traveling as a family are a relaxing break from reality, but others are much more difficult than everyday life. I have to say it was much easier driving to Denver two years ago, which was almost twice as far. The number of children has stayed the same, but now we have three talkers--all who are most willing to express their opinions and observations. All. of. the. time. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. The departure.
We finally departed on Monday at 5pm. I had hoped to make it halfway through Minnesota the first night, but shortly after we left our house I wondered if we would even make it through the corner of North Dakota! We did eventually cross the Minnesota border--barely--and stopped in Fergus Falls for the night.
We reached Duluth late in the afternoon on Tuesday. As soon as we crested the hill that overlooked Lake Superior, Nathan delared, "This is the best vacation EVER!" We spent the rest of the week doing the following: watching ships go under the Aerial Lift bridge,

climbing Enger tower, finding real acorns, throwing rocks into Lake Superior,

watching Nathan drink out of the lake,

wishing our cabin had air conditioning, touring the William A. Irvin Ore Ship Museum,

watching "Mysteries of the Great Lakes" at the Omnimax Theatre, playing in the sand and water at Park Point Beach,



figuring out how to use the world's oldest microwave (all by myself!),

hiking and coming upon a discarded toilet in the woods, picking wild raspberries, watching carpenter ants make huge piles of sawdust, playing Polish golf, mini-golfing, eating lots of good food, touring every possible public restroom with Teresa (sometimes more than once), and building a campfire just as the rain was beginning to fall.
We still have lots left to see and do in Duluth, so we hope to return again someday!

Back from "Up North"

Our family just returned this evening from a week in Duluth, MN. I'm too tired to post much--I'll give you all the run-down of events once I catch my breath (and get through that mountain of laundry)!

Two -Wheeler

In the busyness of the past week, I forgot to post a most important milestone for Nathan. Last Friday, (6/30), he learned to ride his bike without training wheels!
I wasn't there for the occasion, so my sister-in-law thankfully thought to take pictures (and video) so I could see some of the first rides around my in-law's farm.
His cousin Carter, who is 8 months older and started riding his two-wheel bike earlier this year, told Nathan he was proud of him. Now he is really one of the big boys!

Dilly Roast Beef

Wheat harvest is in full swing--on the downward swing, actually--and that means I have been spending even more time than usual in the kitchen!
For some reason, those peaches I was admiring on Sunday seemed to multiply in their boxes as the days went on. Even after canning 40 jars, making strawberry-peach jam, peach crisp, eating some, and freezing some, I was still left with about 1/2 box, or 30 peaches! So, today I spent my morning making another peach crisp (which went in the freezer to be enjoyed later), peach bread, and puree to freeze for peach bread in the future. I am now down to 5 peaches. Yeah! I really do love peaches, but it was getting a little ridiculous around here! Have you seen that "Everybody Loves Raymond" episode where Marie is stressed because she has too many pears? That's how I was starting to feel about peaches! Next year I will be more aware of when wheat harvest will be happening before I take on such a huge peach project. I may narrow it down some, to maybe two boxes. :o)
Anyway, back to wheat harvest. My main job during harvest is keeping the field workers fed. I wrote about the traditional Melius lunch last year--bologna sandwiches, the Pepsi float, etc. It's still the same this year!
The noon meal allows for a little more creativity, but beef is still the meat of choice. Today we had Dilly Roast Beef. My friend Sarah shared this recipe with me a few years ago. I've tweaked it some, meaning that I replaced the measurements with "abouts." It tastes delicious every time! You really can't mess it up!
Dilly Roast Beef
1 beef roast (Chuck roast works especially well, since the pickle juice tenderizes it. If you have room in your roaster, make 2 roasts and save one for leftovers.)
About 1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 jar chili sauce
1 jar dill pickles (The original recipe called for a small jar, but I always use a big jar.)
Cook in a crock pot on low for 8-10 hours or in the oven for 3-4 hours at 325. Before serving, discard pickles. Slice roast and pour some of the juice over the meat before serving.
This is good served as a traditional roast and in sandwiches. My leftovers will turn into BBQ roast beef sandwiches tomorrow. Shh. . . don't tell the guys!

Aren't They Pretty?

For the second year in a row, I have purchased an insane number of peaches and honored my food-preserving ancestors by canning them. Here are the first 31 pints of peaches to come out of the canner. I ran out of sugar for my syrup, so the other half will be done soon!
In past years, I have frozen them with lemons and oranges or made peach jam. Last year I canned some for my dad's birthday present. After I remembered how easy it is to can them, I decided to can most of my three boxes this year.
Of course, we will share some, too!