"Well, I'm back."

It was a fantastic week, folks. It always is, even if the weather is bad, which was certainly not the case this time. I spent many hours fishing with my brother-in-law, as well as my dad, uncle, brother, and others. There was a near-perpetual campfire thanks to my uncle Pete, around which many hours were spent just whiling away the time with good conversation. My niece continues to be the cutest baby in the entire world, and it was good to be able to spend so much time with her as well. In fact, the idea of simply spending time with others is what makes our annual family vacation so singular. Aside from the fishing, tubing, skiing, eating, card-playing, and swimming, the yearly vacation is really about building relationships with family members whom I do not get to see as often as I would prefer. In fact, as people grow older, the activities take an increasingly backstage seat to the relationships, which are increasingly becoming the focal point of these vacations for me. It's awesome to visit with family members, especially my parents and siblings, especially among the beauty of the Minnesota North Woods.

That being said, some of the highlights of this year's vacation were, in no particular order...

• Burning a laptop and several cell phones in the campfire
• Playing cards with my cousin Eddy
• Choking down the *extremely* spicy cheese dip we concocted
• Dropping a worm on a hook right off the dock and watching a half-dozen fish swarm around the bait
• The boat ride on Monday (I think my jeans are still drying out)
• Sunsets. Seriously, man.
• Eating. All. The. Time.
• Playing tennis

I had no camera this time, so maybe I'll post some photos if I can get them from my dad and others.