Wednesday, July 31, 2013

A Minnesota Resort Vacation in July...

      We just finished some of the best weeks of the summer...the guests, the activities, the weather...all blend together to give the word "vacation" it's definition!  These guests get out of their vehicles upon arrival and run to give us hugs!  They are so excited to be on "vacation"!  These are the same guests who have been coming to the resort for all of our 26 years here...and many of them were coming before we ever called this place home...lucky ducks!  They called this place "vacation" in the 60s, 70s and 80s...when we arrived in 1987, they "showed" us how to do "vacation" the Cedar Rapids Lodge way!  So here is a pictorial story of a July vacation "up north"....
Watching the turtles lay their eggs...

Thankful for waterproof casts so he can enjoy the lake!

Playing "king of the hill" on the paddleboard...

 This kind crew swept out the pirate ship without being asked...and then...
they all enjoyed a milkshake as a thanks from the lodge people(that's us).

Playing in a carpetball tournament attended by everyone in camp!

Sundaes on Sundays...the most-attended activity each week all summer long!

Getting a new animal on vacation and posing him in the duck food box...


Granddaughter Olivia enjoying her "almost" daily ice cream cone!

Brother John coming up to visit for a week!

Tea parties with Nana's hot chocolate and goodies...

Dipping your toes in the warm pool on a chilly July day...


Frog-hunting for hours...and they were all released!


S'mores for the Bonfire...


Having Daddy on vacation with you!

Building sandcastles on a warm day...


Going to the souvenir store in Bemidji!

Visiting Itasca State Park with cousins...

Walking across the Mississippi River...

And you always get wet!

And back at the resort...

Catching a big bass off the dock...and letting him go!

Getting your picture taken on the "Mermaid Rock"...

 Riding the hydro-paddler all by yourself!

Falling asleep on the swing after a long day!


And last but not least....
Spending time with the youngest grandchild, Calli!

July is the busiest month of the summer, the most guests each week, the most kids, the warmest weather, some of the best fishing, and for the resort owners, the best time to spend vacation days with all of our kids, grandkids and all our wonderful family and friends who return year after year for their "resort vacation"!

If you'd like to experience a Minnesota Resort Vacation, why not give us a try?
Be careful, our resort is contagious...you will catch the vacation fever over and over...year after year...but those memories will last a lifetime!













Monday, July 22, 2013

Summertime Summertime Sum Sum Summertime...

      Wow....is there a busier place than a resort in the summertime?  Life just flies by and we try and grasp for all those wonderful memories that are happening every single day!  Here's a sampling of the fun times at Cedar Rapids Lodge....

The candy counter has been busy this summer!

The homemade chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches are popular!

Steve's donut holes are served for the Sunday morning fishing seminar!

The paddleboards continue to be a hit with all ages...

And here's some of the great fish catches this summer...
Doug's northern...

Emily's giant northern...

Erin's northern...her biggest ever!

Jake's northern...

Tony and his big catch early one morning!

Benny's 30" walleye...

      We've had a great summer of fishing each and every week...if you don't see your picture, maybe I don't have it!  Send me those fish pictures...and all your vacation pictures!  I will try and feature you next!

      One of our guests took this photo of his cabin this year...an angle I had never thought of...and it shows the cabin and it's new awning so well...
      And of course, a grandma wouldn't be a good grandma if I didn't share a picture of the newest grandchild...again!  
Miss Callie just humors her Nana and lets me pose her, swaddle her and take a million pictures each time she visits...her face looks like she knows how goofy I really am!
And I promise to post pictures of our other 10 little ones...soon...they will all be spending time at the resort this month...and we can't be more excited to have them here!

The carpetball game continues to be the most popular amenity at the resort!

Don't you want to come play?
We still have a few cabins open in August...
come make memories with us!













Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy 4th!

Hope everyone has a safe holiday!

It's really hard to get excited when it's your first 4th of July holiday!
But next year.....