Hm. So we went on vacation this past week to the U.P. Vacations are a completely different animal with a two year old. It's a lot of fun, but it is also a lot more work.
Pre-Will vacation scenario: do nothing, read a book, swim for long stretches of time, nap, eat and drink late, get sun burnt.
Will vacation reality: wake up way too early by getting rapped in the head with a sippy cup, pluck boy off winding staircase, fish roll of toilet paper out of toilet, feed peanut butter sandwich, brush sand off sandwich, wriggle boy into his swimsuit, keep eagle eye on now naked boy on beach, put boy down for nap, put boy back in pen for nap, repeat, repeat, repeat, clean up broken glass of lemonade, keep curious hands off hot grill, keep curious hands from turning on stove or getting coffee pot, take bag of popcorn away after eating half the bag, take wriggling boy out of stroller, retrieve child before going off the side of pier, tell boy to "look with his eyes" at curio shop, repeat, repeat, repeat.
That's not to say we didn't have fun. Highlights for me:
A near-private beach. The neighbors were out 3 times a day to let the dogs run, and one other time, another couple brought their dogs to the beach for a run. Otherwise, it was all ours. Beautiful, clear water with one cold spring to the west, and one warm spring to the east.
Our cottage was very cute, a wood chalet interior with scalloped gingerbread detail, barrel furniture with argyle leather upholstery, winding staircase that led to a darling master loft bedroom, gaslight sconces, stained glass lights, wraparound deck.
A day trip to Tahquamenon Falls on Tuesday was pleasant, from the road trip to the walks. We stopped in Trout Lake for snacks and we learned all we needed to learn about hunting bear, fowl and deer. Will got the second of his Great Lakes at a roadside park, dipping his feet into the tannin-stained waters of Lake Superior. We had perfect weather for a walk to both the Upper and Lower Falls. Linner (was it lunch or dinner? It was both!) at the T. Falls Brewery was fantastic, and I found a stout I like, a blend of beer, coffee and chocolate. And the rolling farmland of central U.P. was picturesque.
Live music. Wednesday it was Catholic Girls Gone Bad on the pier in St. Ignace. Thursday was jazz in Cadillac and bluegrass in Reed City. My favorite was by far the bluegrass band.
My kind of souvenir shopping. The Hope Chest in St. Ignace is a pay what you want thrift store. I scored a purple Mossimo top, a midnight blue military top with fantastic buttons, a fitted lime green button down for me, a bear cookie cutter for Will to play with on the beach, and a pinewood derby medal for Dave. $1.60.
McDonald's. Cheap on the go eats for the trip up. An oasis to let Will run off some energy after being cooped up in a car seat. Don't judge.
Fish. Good on the grill, in a dip, on a sandwich, yanked off a carcass.
Time. I think Dave and I spoke a handful of times on Wednesday afternoon, mostly about nothing. It was fantastic.
Tranquility. Even though it was the end of July, St. Ignace wasn't packed with fudgies.
Made up car games. Dave "collected" clever names to pet grooming businesses.
Fudge. Mint chocolate chip. Maple walnut. Peanut butter chocolate.
Surf, the ultimate white noise.
Stars, the ultimate night light.
The crabbies:
The weather didn't cooperate, to the point we cut vacation short by a day. Nights were cool and damp, and we woke up soaked with dew, even with the windows shut. Thursday there was no line on the horizon, so at noon when it hadn't burnt off, we decided to head south.
The beds were full, too small for us to slumber together comfortably. Even then, the beds were NOT soft, and my room smelled faintly of mildew.
Bad sun tea. There was enough minerals in the water that my tea was cloudy and tasted bad.
Trinkets and trash. Probably the result of growing up or my current purge mentality. Oversized pencils, plastic Indian dolls, thimbles, moccasins, keychains, t-shirts and more don't hold the same appeal anymore. I was more than happy to pick up for Will a 10 cent bear shaped cookie cutter and a free bear poster from the DNR - that is what I gifted to my child for vacation.
Cut off. Being in the U.P. means no TV, no internet, only radio. That's nice for when you definitely want to be on the down low, but when it starts raining and you want to settle in and watch some TV or a movie or at least find out what is going on in the world, well you are SOL.
Too much tranquility. It was sad to drive through St. Ignace and see one business after another closed. No crowds to add to the excitement. And really, for a week in July, there was no activities scheduled to retain our interest in staying in St. Ignace for the full week.
Friday was a good day to unwind from the trip, and we took a motorcycle ride to Grand Haven with some of Dave's riding buddies, noshed at Tip A Few, and made it to Lake Michigan on the boat to enjoy the sunset.
The whole week was bookended by not one, but TWO garage sales. Never again.
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