The dogs like to sit atop their little houses and regard the temperature as balmy. Once we leave the base lodge they will sleep curled up in the snow.

 
My photographic responsibilities provided a convenient excuse to get out of the poop scoop detail, the least glamorous aspect of caring for our dog team.

 
In the morning we wake at 7am to feed the dogs. Temperature as we walked out the door was 12 below zero Farenheit. Trust me when I tell you, this is REALLY cold. If you have trouble waking up in the morning, I have a sure fire cure for you. Toby instructs us how to feed and water the dogs.

 
The house dog, Buddy, eats the same high protien, high fat diet as the sled dogs but does no work. The consequence is obvious.

Risk was the game of choice for evening entertainment. These games can last for days at a time and this one was mercifully ended when Nicolai was sent to bed after flicking the ear of his cousin despite a prior warning to cease and desist. In the Calabria family it is not unusual for board games to end due to such antics.( 

 
After settling in, we went down to the kennel to meet the dogs. These Canadian Innuits were as friendly as could be. As they heard us approaching they began to howl in unison. You could hear them a mile away.

Part of our visit to Mark and Marie’s was to include a family dog sledding adventure in the Minnesota Boundary Waters Nature Reserve. With Jeanine and Kyle unable to make the trip due to his illness, we invited Rory and Mario to join us in their place. We made the four-and-a-half-hour journey from Minneapolis to Ely, MN, and arrived at our first lodge before sunset. 

 
Had I bought my bathing suit with me, I would have surely sampled the surfing.

This evening Maya and Nico join Rory and Mario at a massive indoor water park to celebrate the birthday of a friend of the family. 

 
Preparing the Sunday dinner requires a team effort. Why my brother insists on being naked while cooking remains a mystery to me but I am not one to argue with the outstanding results.

It should be noted, that Nico is no less thrilled to play with Sophia or Rose although the bulk of his time is spent with Rory and Mario. 

 
Maya seeks every opportunity to cradle Rose or to play with Sophia. She is positively enthralled with her two new girl cousins.

 
Marie has to attend church this morning so the pleasure of feeding baby Rose is mine. Armed with a bottle of freshly squeezed breast milk, I enjoyed watching her snarf down all but the last few drops before the shear effort of doing so rendered her unconscious.

 
Mark about to subject his daughter to that barbarous thing he calls a face.