longest funnest day

if you thought june 21 was the longest day of the year, you are wrong. this year, it was definitely july 4. it was so long, and so fun.

the holiday kicked off with the neighborhood triathalon. the number of participants has grown substantially since david's first victorious entry. this year, he had to race against two of our athletic teenaged babysitters! don't worry: he came in second place, losing his first place spot to the natural winner, neighbor dave, a 2 time ironman finisher and born speed demon.

the entire field enters the chilly mendota morning waters...


staple had the fastest transitions! (those teenagers stopped to talk, change their clothes, check their phones, and probably take some selfies for snapchat or whatever kids do now)


david was likely cheered to his success by this sassy squad, who were happy to watch the swim from the lifeguard chair.


finish line!


next year, i'm doing it (as long as i can find a babysitter, because apparently all my babysitters are now in the race too).

immediately after the race, we decorated the kidss scooters for the neighborhood parade, where we all walked en masse behind our new queen.



as soon as the neighborhood parade ended, the dunk tank started. there's our friend christy, one of the few adults not afraid of the cold water.


here's a few of our favorite little neighborhood buggers.


after the neighborhood festivities, we took the kids home for a little quiet time. it was then that we discovered one of our resident baby green herons had become separated from his family in the tree along our driveway, and was far removed in a bush in our yard. he was squawking and flapping and panicking, and his mother was dashing about in the sky, but the situation seemed rather helpless. that is, until our brave policewoman neighbor arrived home, assessed the situation, and swung into action. she coaxed that little bird onto a stick, and successfully transferred him back to the nest. it was an independence day miracle.

lost bird


saved bird


and then it was party time. a neighbor's house full of cheer and happy people and lots and lots of kids was the perfect place to spend the evening of the fourth.  the kids got their hands on a spinnaker, and you can imagine how much fun they had!


beautiful sunset at the party. i came up with this new life maxim at the party: if you're going to live on a lake, live on the one with the sunset. right?


these two school buddies stayed up late, watched fireworks from the pier with the adults and big kids, and even got to play with sparklers.


james didn't fare so well. around 9 pm he loudly announced that he didn't want to see fireworks and wanted to go to bed. can't argue with that. david and james missed the small local maple bluff fireworks display, which we watched from across the water. it was nice, but i can't help noticing that this picture:


looks like this:

apparently my job is affecting my vision. ahem. anyway....

the next day, more fun. we went to the home of our dear buddies the damons, and blew stuff up.

the kids are equal parts terrified of the noise (fact: 3 out of 4 children will cover their ears when david staple lights a friendship fountain) and enamored of the thrilling blast.

after the kids were fast asleep, it was the adults' turn. this time, we had wine and bigger explosives.

 happy birthday america! way to stick it to those red coats!

northwoods escape

like all good camping trips, there comes a time to pack up the tent, head to a facility with running water, cozy beds, and pontoon boats. we found this place at dillman's resort. we drove a few hours south of bayfield to arrive at little sand lake, somewhere between the lac du flambeau reservation and the little city of minocqua. dillman's resort is located on a peninsula in the lake, and features little cabins, boat slips, beaches, gaming and gathering areas, using all the land of the small peninsula. it was a little slice of heaven, and if i had it to over again, i'd stay longer. like, a LOT longer. and i would take all my people with me. yes, you. you, reading this blog post. you should come with us next year. there were 2 family reunions happening while we were there, and they all looked so happy!

we stayed in the honeymoon cabin at the tip of the peninsula, right on the water.


we swam (or at least, david and i swam, and the kids pretended to entertain the idea of full head diving under the water from their wading position).


we took out a pontoon boat,


and the kids surprised us by willingly jumping off the back and swimming around at a sand bar.


we watched for bald eagles and were richly rewarded!

we played shuffleboard, and ramona COULD NOT contain herself. instead of intermittently watching us play while she busied herself on the playground, she kept begging for a shot. she is not half bad, actually.


we rested.


here is the office/meeting area/activity room. how's that for northwoods wisconsin resort glory?


you know what? i was all .... "i carried a watermelon."

i'm kidding. nothing like that was going on at dillman's. it's a family place!

island camp

earlier this month, we had another family adventure. this time, we went to northern wisconsin--about as north as wisconsin gets, actually. we drove to the tip top of the state, and took a car ferry from bayfield to madeline island for a few nights of camping and a few days of lake superior island splendor. camping with kids is really such hard work, and i nearly have a panic attack every few minutes, but overall it is an incredible thing to be outside where it is beautiful and quiet.

first we stopped in ashland to play and run and stretch our legs, where we discovered that we also needed coats. it was COLD there. cold, and beautiful. here is a little boardwalk into the bay, with a distant view of bayfield.


then we found our car ferry in bayfield, and took a windy ride on top of the ferry.
 

our campsite was separated from the beach by an estuary filled with birds making the most fabulous sounds, including loon calls and crane calls. the water behind these two adorable animals is the estuary. 

beyond the estuary was a wooden walkway to the beach. 

 

and at the beach? well, this.


beauty. wind, cold waves, smooth sands, agates and flat rocks perfect for skipping.
oh, and a ton of my old childhood memories, all happy and satisfying. 
 

 we also spent some time in la pointe, the only established community on the island. my favorite spot, hands down: tom's burned down cafe. this place defies explanation, but i'lll try. it's like...a platform? with a canvas and strings of light draped over the top? decorated in hand painted quotes. filled with people who have made a conscious choice to live in an alternative way. and there's a bar. and the bartenders are not wearing shoes. and we sat on some life jacket benches that appear to have been salvaged from the Navy. it's glorious. and ramona loved her juice, and while laying in the sun sipping her juice in the middle of a perfect cool june vacation day, she said "mommy, i just love this, double." yep, kiddo. me too. 

 here's a few images of the bar from the internets.



james and a big propeller outside the madeline island museum.

 back at the campsite, the usual fun took place: potty chair monocle action, smores, and swatting a million mosquitoes.

copa mundial!

the world cup is happening in brazil, and on a smaller scale, the kids of the tenney-lapham 'hood are learning to kick some balls. sometimes. if they feel like it.

ramona found some old shin guards in the basement, along with a pair of soccer shoes, and decided she needed to wear them right now and needed to play some soccer. this is a first. we've asked her about soccer before, but all the shouting adults, all the attention from a crowd, all the rules that could be broken leading to perceived punishement: all these things have limited her interest right down to zero. but a good pair of pink shin guards? she's in. james, obviously, will do whatever whenever.

but then she jumped into the goal and got aggressive. it was awesome.




 

in other news, the kids learned to play quarters at the terrace (thanks a lot, sara...)


and james learned to work a tap. when in rome.

chicken celebrities

look who made the newspaper! none other than the first ladies, their adorable and tiny curly blond owners, and the crazy adults (one of whom has been photographed for the article in a stooped butt-in-the-air position that is neither flattering nor terribly athletic, and suggests a certain lack of chicken farming and catching skill).


but this sweet photo saves the whole article: james had been clutching that frisbee for 48 hours straight by the time of this photo, even bringing it to school last friday and sleeping with it during nap time. ramona is just tons of messy cuteness with that hair and the saggy old swimsuit. there it is. the real-est staple family photo, in a true staple family moment, risking salmonella together.

let's go fly a kite

up to the highest height!

let's go fly a kite and send it soaring up through the atmosphere,


up where the air is clear.


oh let's go fly a kite!