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If you are ever cold, or maybe wet from continuous rains, I have the remedy for you. All you have to do is schedule a triathlon. No matter what weather woes you may have (besides extreme heat), a triathlon will all but guarantee hot, dry weather.

Congratulations to all of the people who took part in last weekend's triathlon. The number of entrants grew by an amazing 400 participants. The grand total number of people who participated was around 1,400 people. That is amazing. It's hard to believe that a race that had only been held once before would merit that increase in size. The kids triathlon had over 300 participants, and from what I hear, was a huge success.

Thanks to Brenda Palmquist and Amber Lindo of the Chisago Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, and to all of the wonderful hard working volunteers who withstood high temps and little wind to make sure the racers were well hydrated. Having ran a water stand in the past, let me tell you that these racers are very appreciative of all the volunteers in all aspects of the race. They have told me that the Chisago Lakes Triathlon is one of the very best in the midwest and it is because of the terrific volunteers. Nice job! I'm sure that next year's race will far exceed any and all expectations.

If you are looking for some late summer fun be sure to check out Stacy Daze this Friday and Saturday. On Friday night you can take in a classic car show and cruise. It will be held from 4-10 p.m. and there will be food and refreshments available. Saturday is the busiest of the two days starting with a pancake breakfast in the park that starts at 8. At noon the Stacy Daze Parade gets started, always a fan favorite, be sure to get there early and bring a lawn chair.

All day long there will be crafters and vendors displaying their goods in the park. There will be a money hunt for children ages 3-10 that starts at 2 p.m. At 2:30, there will be a candy drop for kids of all ages.

If you like American Idol, the Stacy Idol finalists will be singing from 4-6 in the park. There is also a street dance featuring the "Hyde Brothers" band. Everything is capped off with a fireworks show that starts at 10 p.m.

The good folks of Stacy would like to invite you to come out and have some fun so hopefully we will see you there.

As you may have read here last week, we recently installed a patio and retaining wall at our house. We decided to give up on our yearly summer stay at a cabin up north to fund our outdoor landscaping. Instead, we decided to go on a little three day jaunt up to Door County Wisconsin. The kids could swim in a pool, and let's face it, that's really all they care about when it comes to vacationing.

It had been 13 years since the last time we visited Door County and I was mildly excited (Mildly? Guys, have you seen just how many little craft stores there are? Millions.) to get back there. So off we went. After working here for four years now, I hold myself as pretty computer savvy, so I decided to mapquest the trip. The computer told me that it was a 5.6 hour trip. 5.6? No problem, we can do that with our eyes shut. Well 5.6 turned into around 8 plus hours with kids complaining that they no longer have any feeling "down there", we arrived. It was just as beautiful as I remembered. Cherry trees as far as the eye can see and water everywhere.

The one thing that stood out in my mind from our last trip was the fact that you were never rushed and had plenty of room to breathe. Those days are gone. Apparently the secret is out, Door County is a great vacation destination. How were the crowds? Let's just say at times I felt like I was at the Taste of Minnesota waiting in line for a basket of cheese curds.

I don't want to put a negative spin on the whole Door County experience. I really did have a wonderful time up there. If you go, I recommend taking the ferry across to Washington Island, it is spectacular and the kids loved riding the ferry. The sunsets in Sister Bay are also amazing, the sun drops down into the water of Green Bay. After it drops out of sight the crowds applaud the beauty of a terrific sunset.

If you are thinking about a vacation to Door County, I would recommend it. If you hate crowds, I would not recommend it. Being one that doesn't usually appreciate crowds, I would say I had a really good time. But, that could be attributed to the wonderful company I had to spend my trip with. Thanks to my family for a great birthday present.

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