Guess what news snuck up on us already? The invasive species of the daisies are blooming-

In the resort business, happy people come and go, some familiar friends, some new— and all the stories pile up. It’s way too much for me to record.
We sure get to hear about a lot of camping trips.

This nice California family took me on a trip through Ham Lake and Cross Bay, Snipe and Missing Link. They plan to visit all 50 states, have checked off 21…and are doing Minnesota this year. Lucky for us.

Stuart from North Carolina took the kids climbing again –along with their friend Ailee. It was my job to take the photos, and this year–and that was AOK with me.

While you’re not allowed to bring cans or glass bottles into the BWCAW, there are no limits on the size of your jumbo plastic State Farm coffee mug.

We sure enjoy hearing about canoe trips.

Alan might be the shortest one in his group, but he caught the tallest Northern……more than 30 inches, from Round Lake.

The staff is really starting to gel. We like this whole teamwork synergy thing….a lot.

Did I mention how much we like to hear about canoe adventures?

It’s an honor to meet so many charming people.

Happy staffers Andrew and John returned from an impromptu trip into Larch Lake with a fine catch. In fact, John (who has since been known to me as Juan, as he’s now supporting a fine mustachio) is the current leader of the staff fishing contest (I’m still betting on Maggie).

6 guys, 2 families, 3 generations……Sheldon and his dad Carl are favorites of ours, and not only because of the name Sheldon. We met them back in 2004, when Sheldon’s son was only an idea.

We get the lowdown on the campsites and the lakes.

Lunchtime around here is a high point of the day–Haley, Anne, and Rachel, Megan, Shelby have all taken turns cooking–and it’s tasty and funny and loud at the same time.

Yesterday though, I just needed a half an hour to hear myself think, and I took the lunch break to go for a run in the rain.
The thing is, among these hundreds of life stories that touch us, there are some really sad ones.
Life can be hard on people we care about, and sometimes it feels like it might be too much.

Then, I noticed the daisies. Daisies are my favorite flower. They’re so plucky, they’re sunshine, even when it’s raining. Are they oblivious to the rain? Or do they soak up what they can, and just keep on shining? I know they’re not supposed to be here, I know they’re a noxious weed. I know that there will always be some sad stories. But I’m glad there will also be daisies , the most resilient flowers that I know. It’s OK by me if they invade.