Beer, Movies, and a Fish Fry at Cousin Sean's

MLK weekend was family time, spending Saturday night with my dad, my Uncle Ed, and cousin Sean at his cabin somewhere near Brainerd, MN. My dad (The Timmer) and I arrived Saturday morning, bloody marys in hand, finding Ed and Sean watching Chevy Chase in Fletch. We sat down as Sean cooked a major breakfast and finished watching the first of many movies throughout our stay.

Uncle Ed upon our arrival

Soon Sean and I were out shooting his semi-automatic 12 gauge at some empty booze bottles. After that we cracked some beers and brushed the snow off his "sled," finding it wouldn't start. Sean decided the spark plugs were the culprit, and 30 minutes later all three had been replaced. Still, only one cylinder was firing, so we drank a beer and decided to give up.

Frustration meets Sean and myself with cold hands and a broken snowmobile

Having already shot guns and no sled to ride, Sean did not relent being a great entertainer. Luckily, his entertainment center included surround sound and a loud subwoofer, which he demonstrated by playing jets flying over Nick Cage in The Rock, so we decided to crack a beer and watch the whole film.

Good viddles: Sean prepares some fried Crappie to munch on during one of our film screenings

Later on in the day, the four of us drove to a nearby lake to meet some of the locals. I finally got a ride on a snowmobile, but with Sean driving I became very afraid and asked to head back about 90 seconds after he darted away from the icehouses we were stationed at. Ed and Timmer hung back and talked shop with the fishermen and their kids:

My Uncle Ed and Dad enjoying the icefishing scene on the lake

After riding and fishing, we all decided to head back and watch The Borne Supremacy, or one of those Jason Borne movies. I fell asleep and woke up to an amazing steak dinner with rosemary potatoes and beans. We all had a blast and I look forward to future partying with my family in the middle of nowhere.

Back at my folks house, the only thing that has changed is the size of Murphy, our dog. He's still a raging puppy who chews on everything and harrasses us as we try to sleep: