Live from Tormville!

Spirit Week

We've had a busy week over here with Spirit Week. 

The boys had a different daily spirit week schedule than I did, and while I managed to dress up each day (jersey day, hat day, color day, superhero day and Highlander Day) - the boys schedule was a bit more challenging (comfy/cozy day (too hot for sweats and hoodies, and neither thought going to school in pj's was very appropriate), Hawaiian Day (yeah - we have nothing for that one either), Twin Day (Mark was game. Brian was not) but finally on Crazy Sock Day they participated. Mark, who has worn crazy socks every day since last year's fifth grade Broadway performance: So......should I wear solid white socks today?, and Highlander Day - no problem. 

I stayed after each day to get some photos for yearbook. I've been trying to be photo heavy at the beginning of the school year so as not to be short photos when I'm wearing a sling on my shooting arm for six weeks in January. 

This week was also moving week for my mom, so after school had me over there a few days, and us in Milford to buy chairs another day. My living room update is FINALLY happening after years and years of thinking about it. 

Mark and I walked up to the parade Friday night. I was a band kid (flute and trombone), but I'm a bad band parent. We sat on the wrong side of the street, and Brian was the end spot in his row. Caught a glimpse, and that was it. I'm going to try and make up for it at his halftime performance this coming week. (fingers crossed the weather participates)

Mark's second cousin. And Mark's socks. 

 

I posted this one on Facebook, saying that while I didn't get a picture of Brian - I did get this photo of a girl doing a flip. So there's that. 

I never really know what to do with parade/crowd pictures - but I like taking them. 

After walking back home to get my van after the parade, and scooting up to the middle school to pick up Brian and then get him back home - I decided to go to the game. It's occurred to me that with both boys in band, I'll be going to halftime shows for the next six years or so, and I'm good with that.  (Brian will be in high school next year).  I would have had a lot of fun with my zoom lens here - so many cool pictures to be taken. For this night, I was content with this one picture from my phone. 

This morning - Greg worked, and I took Mark to soccer. It was team photo morning - so we hung out there for quite awhile.  After this we went and helped my mom move the last of her boxes out of her car and into her new apartment. 

Now I'm working on finding some motivation to get some sort of task done. So, blogging. 

 

Today's Funnies

I love a day that has at least one laughable moment. 

Today held two. 

The first one came in fifth grade when the teacher was reading another chapter from Wonder. I've read the book, and am enjoying witnessing the class as they empathize, laugh, and make comparisons. This particular chapter had them laughing contagiously several times. For those familiar with the novel, it was the chapter that had Jack laughing so hard that milk came out his nose. This particular bit had the class laughing hysterically. 

And. NOT even kidding - it had water shooting out the nose of one of my young friends who, as luck would have it, just happened to be drinking as that part of the story was read. It goes without saying that we all laughed even harder. 

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The second gut buster came this evening. I had popped open the hatch so that my mom could grab some boxes, and I went to open the side door on the van as well. But I hit the hatch button again, which (of course) caused it to start coming back down. 

It's been a good thirty years since I've seen my mom scramble that fast. Into the van she climbed, safely avoiding getting bumped by that hatch, as I stood outside of the van with my legs crossed tightly, my body doubled over and my eyes watering. 

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So many great stories this week, and it's only Tuesday.  ;) 

 

 

Hot Air Balloons and Other Inflatables

This weekend was gorgeous, and we filled it with outdoor activities. 
As the days get shorter, ballooning starts earlier. I met the crew at 5:15 Friday evening. The weather hasn't been real cooperative this year, so it was fun to get three days in a row. I wasn't available to crew Thursday night (instrument rental night at the middle school) so I was glad to be able to do Friday and Saturday.  We launched from Hutchings. 

Gorgeous night. 

After ballooning, I headed home to get things ready for the next day. Our alarms were set for an early Saturday wake up. 

We left home at 7:30 in order to make to to Stony Creek Metro Park in time for our heat.  

I had done this event a couple years ago (in Lansing) with the big kids, and ever since - the littles have been begging for a chance. I registered for this event last March when I bumped into a buy one get one free special. Mark was so excited that he woke me up five times between 10pm and 3am to tell me he couldn't sleep. 

We now have a new house rule: don't tell Mark WHEN something is happening. 

We may not even tell him THAT something is happening because now he's afraid he just won't ever sleep - always wondering if the happening is tomorrow. 

Wendy told us she was going to run with us, but she ditched us - so no pictures of her on the inflatables. She's getting nervous that I'm going to beat her in our next 5K (the end of the month), so she's practicing. 

This event wasn't timed, so we ended up taking our time. Mark was pretty beat from the heat. He was wishing he'd worn a water backpack. 

It's super hard to appear graceful on inflatables. 

I gave Mark my boxed water, so he chugged two at the finish line, but he was still pretty overheated. Starved, we headed to Panera for lunch before driving home. 

Then I took a nap. Because Mark had waken me up five times between 10pm and 3am. Then I took Mark to the lake for a real quick dip before.....

....more ballooning. 

Two good landings in a row. 

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Today we enjoyed some lunch company after church, got the stools out of my trunk and to my mom's new apartment, sat and did my mandatory annual SafeSchools Safety Training (love getting that off my to-do list) while Greg took the boys to the beach and there was relaxing. 

Now gearing up for a full week - Spirit week, Homecoming parade, mom will finish moving, soccer and hoping to get some shopping and organizing done. 

Until later - 

 

 

Cider Mill Season

Last Sunday, the boys went with Greg to the Parshallville Cider Mill (I had gone to my mom's so that I could walk home from that apartment one more time before she moves).  It was crazy hot last Sunday. 

This week, we went with family to Spicers. It was misty and damp. I still feel that damp chill hours later. BUT - the misty chill did keep the crowds down to a doable size, so - preferable. 

I wish I could have gotten a picture of Ayla (great-niece) with Rocket when they were over after church, but I was too busy trying to teach Rocket not to jump. Rocket LOVES the littles, he just isn't around them enough to properly train him. 

Luka, Ayla's little brother. 

Camden. (nephew) 

Grayson (Camden's brother) while on the train. Grayson loves trains. 

We don't often do the Spicer Cider Mill because it's a little less than calm, but I do choose it when we have more littles along. The last time we were here they did not have a small carnival out back. I paid a few extra bucks and let the boys get some practice in for next week's Insane Inflatable 5K. I told them each that I'd give the a dollar if they could bounce all the way across without falling. They tried multiple times (since there wasn't anyone else in line) and couldn't get it done. I, meanwhile, was having flashbacks to when a three year old Brian broke his femur jumping off the couch. Some of their landings looked downright painful. 

I love when I catch a Brian smile.

My favorite shot of the day. 

Sidenote: Yes - he still wears crazy socks daily. He keeps them all in his own box, hidden from his sister, and when he's worn every pair he throws them in the wash, folds them all back up, hides them again and starts over. 

Greg had the day off, and managed to fix Wendy's car window in under ten minutes - but not without a bit of muttering first. He was in bed by 8:30 tonight, preparing for another full week.  His sister Sherry was in town - thus the gathering. Always a good time. 

And look at me - blogging two days in a row. 

We'll see how long this lasts. 
be good

School - two weeks in

Two weeks of school complete already! 
HUZZAH! 

We've been going at a pretty accelerated pace over here this year. Several times I tried to sit down and blog before things got too far behind (again), but once I go back to work - it's harder and harder to find these moments to sit down and catch up here. BUT - catching up helps me to feel more grounded, so I'm making time before another Monday comes around. 

So.

I was a little worried about Mark sleeping the night before school began as he's prone to not sleeping well anyway, so I put in place a plan to wear him out. The day before school started we headed down to the Renaissance Festival, and it was something like 120 degrees out. Okay, not really. But close. And it worked. He slept. We're going to have to do something similar again next year for sure. That he slept was HUGE. 

All three headed out the door at the same time. Wendy 12th, Mark 6th and Brian 8th. 
Wendy is doing co-op this year so only has four hours at school. 
Allan, meanwhile, has begun the police academy portion of his schooling and a photo of him popped up on my feed of a head freshly shorn. 

I didn't take my first day photo, but I began my sixth year of working at the school (7 if we count my year of subbing) and my first year not being in the same building as Mark. It's an adjustment. I find that I'm not hanging out until the final bell as much anymore when I don't have him there with me. I'm more eager to get home. I'll have to set up some sort of routine however as it's going to be hard to get yearbook photos if I don't stick around every once in awhile. 

I've been asked what I'm doing this year. I'm at the same school as last year and still doing my transfer bus duties in the morning (a 15 minute outside position, but I like it) and my three hours of parapro has me in fifth grade this year (a big change from being in kindergarten last year) and it's going well. I did have to start using an earpiece for my walkie this year as fifth graders work a lot more quietly than kindergarten kids do.

As for the fifth graders - I've known so many of the kids since kindergarten and they were the bunch that I had for recess three years in a row, so it's fun to see where they are at now. I'm also still doing the two hours in the office during lunch that I gave up my lunch and recess job for last year. I love the work during those two hours, but I do miss getting to know the kids while fielding the cafeteria and playground and it is a wee bit painful that it's not an official school position (It's an Edustaff position - so like subbing) It was a pay cut and I don't get paid snow days or sick days for that shift. That portion of my day isn't building towards my school retirement which niggles at my future planning and debt-free living tendencies. But I like the work and atmosphere so I'm giving it another school year before I sit myself down and have a good heart to heart. I didn't have time for any such heart to hearts this summer.  grin 

We had some extremely hot days the first two weeks of school and were at the beach more than once before the homework was done. 

Our first week of school was a four day week. We had Friday off to create a four day weekend for Labor Day weekend. 

On that Thursday night, I flew. It had been my turn for a few attempted flights already, but the winds have been weird this year. Even on this night they were shifting to the point that we had three balloons launching from the same field, all facing their balloons in separate directions. When we did get up in the sky we had a few odd turns, and then we hung over the same place for most of our flight, which just happened to be right over my brother and his family. And the entire soccer complex. The total flight wasn't far at all distance wise, but all flights are fun. 

One of these days I'll have to consolidate all the school photos I've gotten from this vantage point. 

Our favorite pilot. 

On Friday of Labor Day weekend the boys and I picked up grandma and headed to the State Fair in Novi. The last time I'd been to the State Fair, it was still down on 8 Mile. It's not quite the same in Novi as it was down on 8 Mile. My mom wanted to see the craft exhibits, and we feel that was much better presented with more participation at the old location.

Side note: Brian is still practicing his archery and Greg took the classes needed to coach this year. The season starts soon. 

We poked around at a lot of the indoor stuff. It was hot, and we had agreed before going that we wouldn't be doing any of the rides and stuff this year. The boys were content with all you could drink chocolate milk, the indoor exhibits, the free rock climbing wall, the Lego exhibit and the animals. We may go again next year. It was surprisingly quiet on Friday, which we'll keep in mind for next year and may even do rides. 

My mom is moving into a new apartment soon and I'm trying to prepare a bit for my post-shoulder surgery comfort - so our plan was to check out the fair and then scoot another mile or so over to the La-Z-Boy store in Novi. My plan was to pick out my three favorite chairs and then have Greg come pick from those three and take advantage of the Labor Day Sale. My mom was also shopping for a chair as her new place is a lot smaller than her current place, so she's having to change up her furniture a bit. 

Between the four of us, we sat in probably 98% of their inventory and neither of us found a single chair we liked. I was NOT expecting that. (The boys liked ALL the chairs)

We headed to another store in nearby Milford and we both found chairs we liked and somehow a couch (floor sample) came home with me. I was NOT expecting that. But, the couch that we sent to the curb was probably around for 25 years or more. It had been at our home in our early years, went to my dad's when Wendy was born (thus taking over the guest room) and then came back to us when he passed away. We were long overdue for a new one. 

It's been in our living room for a week now and we love it. That bookshelf arrived on the same day. I'm not completely thrilled with the shelf, but I got tired of shopping for my ideal. It feels good to have something there again. I'm taking my time in pulling things out to put on it. Even though I'm not completely smitten with it, it is a better fit than the previous china cabinet was. 

Now I'm working on getting rid of the computer desk on the other side of the living room and replacing it with a chair - which I have to go and order some time this coming week or so.

On Labor Day we puttered about the house before going to friends for barbecue. 

Now that school is back in session - we are back to weekly fiddle lessons (rather than every 2 or 3 weeks). He's been working hard on picking up the tempo and tuning his ear. I took this photo to turn in for his assignment of an example of interacting with someone or something. 

He was more than a little disappointed that he can't play fiddle in the band and we don't have an orchestra. The first two weeks of band are spent learning about the different band instruments and trying them out.  On Thursday he had his choices narrowed down to three: Percussion, flute because he likes the sound and trumpet. On Friday he came home and shared that I get my wish to have a trumpet player in the house as he was unable to make noise with the flute. I'm pretty excited. As for him, he's going to have to learn to juggle the practicing of both instruments. 

Brian is still playing saxophone and loving it. 

On Thursday we had middle school open house. 

Greg has been working some wicked overtime lately, so I've been running all the evening activities until it slows down for him (with the hope that it will at some point). On this day Greg left for work just after 5am and got home just before 9pm. He's been working Saturdays again as well. 

But back to open house. I do open house because I don't do middle school conferences. (not a fan of the set up). Open house is where I enjoy meeting the teachers and putting names to faces. Our middle school changed the format of open house this year and I really liked it (meeting the whole team at once), but it was tricky to get to make the complete rounds when trying to do it for two kids in separate grades in the time allotted. We did it though. (slap a star on our foreheads)

I haven't been asking Mark too many questions about middle school yet as, honestly, I've been a little afraid of what he might answer. He had been so terribly nervous and when I have asked he hasn't been too forthcoming with anything good. (the inappropriate language on the bus is worse than the language at the Renaissance Festival. This one kid who is in almost all of my classes makes this big huge deal about his itchy butt crack every.single.hour.) For a kid that tends toward the positive and the bright side, and who admittedly struggles with new situations, this adjustment had my stomach in knots more than a few days. He also goes to a different middle school than a majority of his elementary, so another hurdle. Open house was a good way to gather a bit more insight into how things were going.

As we're walking in, I heard several boys say - "Hey Mark!"  

Me: Who is that? 
Mark: I dunno 

This is pretty typical of the boys in this house. 

In making the rounds to meet Mark's teachers, there was one that had a really long line - coincidentally - the one who had a scavenger hunt with 'introduce me to your parents' being the final item that got a prize. I told Mark we'd have to try again after we did Brian's team meeting, and we did. At this time there was only one other family in the room. 

Mark walked up to his teacher and with a flourish and hand wave that would make Vanna White proud, he introduced me as the "My Mother - the Fabulous Sharyn Tormanen" in true Mark form. 

I think he's doing JUST fine in middle school. He was definitely comfortable. 

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On Friday - Greg skated out of work a couple hours early and we headed to Frankenmuth for our annual evening spent with friends at the Autofest. It was good. It always is. We felt lucky to find Main Street Pitas for dinner. There were crowds and long waits and lines everywhere, but we managed to catch this place when there wasn't a line and we all enjoyed what we ordered.  (I had the BLT Pita) 

Saturday morning Mark had his first fall soccer game of the season. As Greg was working this morning, I handled soccer but I was very firm about the fact that I was NOT going to leave the house again today as I had so much that needed catching up on. It's after midnight now and I still don't feel like I've done all that I needed to do, but I did get lots done. 

On Sunday we are back to Sunday School before church, and have company coming over for lunch followed by a plan to visit the cider mill. 

On Monday, we begin our first five day week of the school year. 
We've got this. 

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Other stuffs that I didn't manage to squeeze into the above rambles

• Success: I've not had a single (school breakfast) hash brown yet this school year 
• Upcoming: Two 5K's in September
• Project:  Greg has been managing to spend a few moments each day finishing up his forge. He got it to 350 degrees this week. Knife making will be happening soon. 
• Progress: I've updated the at-home chore charts. I'm not super consistent with chore charts, but I need to be when I'm back at work.  I think I tweaked it enough that it'll be much more effective this coming week. 
• Research: While it feels like I still have a lot of time before my shoulder surgery, I've been doing a ton of research and preparation. I'm determined to be as well prepared as possible to make it as comfortable as it can possibly be post-op. I'm now working on wardrobe. 
• Excitement: My mom's new place is just blocks from our house. She was close before, but now she'll be even closer. She's just waiting on a few things to be completed before she moves in. 
• Reading: I only read two books this summer. I had hoped for three. The boys, however, have been plowing through books more than ever. Now they'll be able to stop by grandma's place on their way to the library. 
• Funny, or not: A kid, upon looking at my school id badge: This picture was taken when you were a lot younger, hey? 
• Curious: Wendy just called (1am) and said her back window went down on her car (on its own) and won't go back up. Google tells me this isn't uncommon, and Greg now has an unexpected project to take care of before the next rain. 

Be good! 

 

Five Nights in Gatlinburg [photo heavy]

Last Friday the 17th, we headed to Gatlinburg for five nights. We find ourselves redoing some of the vacations that we've done before when the bigs were little. The end of August (and spring break) seem to work out best for Greg to vacation with us, but due to his new job responsibilities - he still had to take time at the rest areas to touch base, and he's been working a lot of overtime since we've been back in order to catch up. But he came, and we did get him to relax a bit. 

Saturday

I had spent a good portion of July checking out the favored hot spots and reviews. I wanted our vacation to be a good blend of kicking back and relaxing, a small dose of tourist trap and hikes. Due to the forecast sharing a high percentage of rain and humidity each day, I made sure to bookmark a few more indoor activities than we usually do. 

The first one was the Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Show. This one had rave reviews and the price for the 2pm Saturday show was cheaper than all the others. It made sense to me that we do the all we could eat at 2pm anyway so we'd still have time to work it off. 

Mark still qualified for the kid's plate price, but he ate more than any of us. 

On the flip side - I had prepacked all our meals for the week, and after this it took a few days to sell the kids on the chicken and mashed potatoes that we'd brought. My planning skills have slipped a bit at 50. Or not. 

Besides stopping at Taco Bell on our way back home, this was the only time we ate out all week. 

After the show, we headed up to Clingman's Dome, making a few stops along the way to work off our meal. 

Visibility was low, and the dampness brought a bit of a chill. Wendy stole my hoodie, I put on my rain jacket and Brian grabbed a blanket out of the wayback. 

Every so often, we'd see a bit of blue sky - but it didn't last real long. 

The visibility was even less on the way down. 

Side note: My fitbit registered 75 flights of stairs on this day. 

My family isn't always nice to me. I didn't look while taking this requested photo. I also wasn't a very good passenger on the mountain. 

Mark, in his dry tone: It's a good thing you didn't marry a Nascar driver.

True that. 

Sunday

We had the pool to ourselves for an hour this morning. 

We had three pools to choose from, but this one - saltwater with a view - was our favorite. It was just a few doors down from our townhome which had pretty much the same view. 

Side note: We heard of bear sightings daily at the resort, but we never saw one - and I was stalking the windows like Ethel. 

Sunday afternoon, we headed up to Cades Cove. I've been there at least twice before - maybe three times, and never have I been there when it was bumper to bumper like on this day. I find the hardest part about family vacation is working around everyone's ideal vacation - which in my big kid's mind is sleeping the morning away. Were it just me - I'd have been up here bright and early to beat the rush, but I work really hard on 'rolling with it' on vacation. It was bumper to bumper a majority of the 11 mile loop, starting out with this bear jam right at the beginning. 

It was pretty much impossible to get a good shot of the bear, but he was enjoying wild cherries way up in the tree directly above the road. When anyone tried to get closer for a photo, the park ranger reminded them to back up.  He was a big boy, and according to the park ranger - he could potentially stay up there all day. Or not. 

He was one of only two bears we saw all week. The other we saw on our way up to Clingman's Dome on the side of the road the day before. 

Brian earned the title of Wendy's official photographer. Lucky Brian. 

We saw way more butterflies than we saw bears. 

One of our stops on the way down the mountain. Not my family jumping. 

Monday

Monday was the day I was most anticipating, but my anticipated plan didn't begin until later in the day. We filled our morning with putt-putt. This course pulls you up the hill in this tram, and then offers two course choices at the top. They also offered that you could do the other course after for an additional five bucks each, but our family isn't wired to cooperate and be all smiling through one course, let alone two. We chose the course on the left. 

It offered up some challenges. Mark got the only hole in one. Wendy won overall. 

After lunch and a swim, we headed out for a hike to Grotto Falls. It was sunny and clear at the trail head. 

All the research revealed that this was a very rooty climb with the recommendation to wear closed toe shoes. There were a couple young school girls (about 12 and 6) on the trail in front of us, both wearing flip flops. The older of the two totally biffed it not far from the trailhead and broke her shoe at the same time.To her credit, she never once whined or complained and kept on going. 

The POURING rain began when we were just about a tenth of the way to the falls. We kept on hiking. 

Grotto Falls. 

We got up here faster than I anticipated, so I convinced the family that even though it was raining pretty steady - this was my thing. I had researched and timed our hike to coincide with bumping into the llama train that delivers supplies up to Mt. LeConte. 

After waiting it out for about an hour, there approached someone from the upper trail that had the air of knowing stuff. I asked him if he knew if the llamas were close behind him. 

Oh, he says, they did their delivery yesterday to avoid the rain. 

WHAT?!  Blew that one. The forecast I read was consistent every day, but somehow they knew it would be slightly worse Monday than Sunday. 

Eye rolls and heavy sighs from the kids, and we headed back down. It was slick in spots by this time. 

This was still my favorite part of our vacation, but oddly - it was the kid's least favorite part. I'm determined to make a hiker out of at least one of them. 

We had also bumped into a family on the trail whose kid had taken quite a digger at the falls. I'm not sure of all the details, but they had managed to get his arm in a sling and his face was pretty cut up and bloodied. Always pack a just in case kit. 

My boy scout in a relaxed state. 

I think they liked it more than they let on. I'm sure Allan would have enjoyed it if he'd been able to join us. 

On Tuesday we woke up to rain, and it rained most of the day. Our original plan for Tuesday was to go tubing, but the rain changed that. Instead, we hit the artist's loop. We each circled what we wanted to see on the map, and we meandered our way around. I'd say that Greg could have probably done this loop on his own as it had the most for him and his woodcarving and knife making interests - but the rest of us managed to circle enough treat shops to help keep the balance. 

We did get to the dulcimer shop (recommended) and it was much cozier than we anticipated. Mark played Amazing Grace (with coaching) on the dulcimer. We didn't stick around long as it was crowded. 

We hit an old fashioned soda shop for shakes. Mark: I haven't seen a soda shop like this since the last time I read an Archie comic. 

We met a van driving gentleman who worked with rocks and minerals and pulled all sorts of stories and treasures out of his van. He was excited to show us the paddle board that he'd attached a motor too. Definitely a memorable character. 

Tuesday night, still raining, Wendy and I headed to Tanger Outlets and managed some school shopping. 

Because school's coming, like it or not. 

We came home Wednesday. 

It was weird to miss Melon Festival and Woodward this year due to the changed school year resulting in our changed vacation, but I figure it's okay to miss those every once in awhile. Next year, though, I'll be trying to get in both a vacation and keep our August traditions intact. 

Summer flew too quickly. 

Two more days....

 

Colonial Kensington

I had intended to have this blog post be a summary of the week, Saturday to Saturday, in order to include our quick trip to Boyne. But. It turns out I have quite a few pictures from this year's Colonial Kensington to share.  Surprise surprise. 

According to my blog, we only make it to this event every three to five years, but we enjoy it every time. As it worked out this year, my husband's company picnic was on the other side of the park from 11-2, so we just planned it so we could swing over here directly afterwards and have time to wander about visiting with the soldiers, listen to music and check out the hand-crafted goods for sale before the 4pm battle. 

My kids are all at the age now where they don't fall victim to my camera nearly as much as they did when they were younger. They've become more elusive, so it's fun for me to bring my camera along to something like this just for my own creative release. Everyone's got to have something. 

Benjamin Franklin shared his outlook on life and the colonies, was arrested, and then Mark followed him back to his tent to ask more questions. It was at about this time that the sky got dark, the thunder rolled and the rain started. Just in time for the battle. My camera and I scooted to get a spot underneath the shelter. 

Captured. 

It was really raining. 

I had asked someone where the Native Americans were this year. They were on the map, but definitely weren't there. Someone suggested they were fair weather Natives. I missed them. 

We easily filled over two hours here, and while it was smaller than it's been in years past - we still recommend it.  My other Colonial Kensington posts are available here: 

2009

2012

And because it looks like the above link doesn't offer up the schedule events - here is a photo of the one we brought home for anyone that might check it out tomorrow. 

 

 

 

Brian's home

From yesterday's rainy afternoon: 

Brian:  I'm bored, what can we do? 

Me: Seriously - did you ask this at Auntie Renee's too? 

Brian: No, but there was always something to do. 

Mark, excited: Wanna play Monopoly? 

Brian:  NooOOOooo. 

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Several hours later

Brian:  I'm bored, what can we do? 

Mark: There is still time to play Monopoly! 

Brian:  Noooooo!!!

Me: What DID you do at Johnie and Renee's? 

Brian: Well. We DID play Monopoly a couple times......

 

Quick [Yoop] Trip

On Saturday morning, I headed north with my mom, Wendy and Mark to go round up Brian. 

I like to stop and stretch my legs when I drive. On this day, I chose Castle Rock. It had been a few years since we'd been. We arrived here shortly after 10am thanks to our early start. 

[Note: All pics are from my camera or my point and shoot - for this quick trip, I chose to leave my big camera at home]

It's still just a buck each to climb. 

My mom (not a fan of heights) even made it out onto the rock. Go mom! 

Our next leg stretch fell between Munising and Marquette. We were a little wishing we had kept our suits handy. I'm slipping. 

We stopped one more time in Baraga to eat dinner at the drive-in, and made it to our Airbnb in downtown Calumet by 5pm. This was my first experience with an Airbnb, and it was a notable and memorable experience which will be great fun to write about in my journal. 

The place was exactly as described, the beds were comfortable, the kids enjoyed that it was hooked up with Netflix, and the host was great when we finally met him. 

The place brought me back to my youth, growing up in a home from the same era, and area, that was also in a constant state of renovation. 

After settling in for a bit, we headed out to Little Traverse to see Brian. He'd left home on the fourth of July for Minnesota, and this was our pick up location. I got him to confess that he missed me 'just a little bit', but couldn't get him to bring it in for a hug in front of the guys. The differences between him and Mark are many. 

We gave Brian one more night and left Mark as well. They were running back and forth from the sauna to the lake as we drove away. 

Sunday was Calumet's Sunday School picnic, so no church. My mom and I met my Aunt Barb at The Miner's Cafe for breakfast. Afterwards, my mom and I headed to McLains for a walk. The shoreline changes so much between my visits. 

The boys went to the picnic with their cousins before we rounded them up at four. 

It was then time to visit Judy. 

When I asked Mark last week what he was most excited about in regards to going up north, his answer was "Lake Superior and Judy. ...... And Brian"  Judy and my mom had spent a night with us in Boyne a few years ago and a special friendship was born. 

Sunday evening - Wendy's senior photos. She was spending her U.P. time with friends, so we arranged to meet in the parking lot at Quincy so she could get changed into her photo clothes. 

Wendy's one request for her senior photos was to have a field of flowers, so this was her ideal. She got that, and so much more. Click here to see a few of my cousin Brita's captures of Wendy. We're thrilled! 

After pictures, Wendy took off with friends again and I headed back to Number Five.

The next morning had my mom having breakfast across the street at the newly reopened Cafe Rosetta with her friends, and me at Toni's with the boys, and catching up with my friends Marne and Melanie. 

We then all reconnected and headed down to Chutes and Ladders to meet up with Johnie and gather the things we'd forgotten at the camp the day earlier. We had hoped to also check out Urban Rustics, but our trip timing was bad - they are closed on Sundays and Mondays. 

We ended up at the Quincy Mine. The boys were set on doing a mine tour again. We debated heading out to Delaware Mine as the boys don't remember having done that one when they were little, but there was some concern that the steps down into the mine can be a little slippery - and while they advertise being able to provide a cheaper entry being that it's a self-guided tour - we kind of like guides and all the information they can share. Mark utilized the question portion of the Quincy Mine guided tour to the max. 

A few weeks ago he had shared with me that he wants to be either a miner or a baker when he grows up. I admit to being slightly relieved when the tour changed his mind about being a miner. 

 

We picked up some pasties from Amy J's and headed back to Number Five to eat. Our place had a full kitchen, complete with plates, silverware, pots and pans, etc. It felt good to put up our feet for a second, even if we had to climb three flights to do it. 

From there - we headed out to my cousin Susan's camp on the Canal. It was fun to get a tour of their newly finished build, but Mark was in a bit of a mood so we didn't stay long. Mark and I had to have a little discussion about his moods. He's come a long way, but he still needs to work on how to handle himself when he gets thrown some chaos and unexpected turns of events. Keeping it real. It can be a bit of a challenge to reprimand him because he is such a people-pleaser, that he beats himself up when he realizes that his actions did the exact opposite of pleasing people. It's a fine line. 

But anyway. I decided to use that unexpectedly available time to take a ride up to the Redridge Steel Dam, just a few miles up the road from Susan's camp. I'd driven by the dam once or twice, but never walked in before. Some interesting history shares that this dam was one of only three dams built in the US using steel and that one of those three failed within a year of construction. I had read a few posts that there was some worry about this dam with the Father's Day Flood, but it held. Here is a video I found of the dam during that time. 

It's good to have Brian back home. Not given to sharing emotion, it was fun to hear him say (several times) last night, "It feels so good to be home again"  He'd been gone for 28 days. 

We chose Breakies for our evening swim. 

Wendy got dropped off here, and that's her walking out there on the pier. 

When we got to the beach, there was a three bus youth group taking up a lot of real estate. We came back to this side of the pier when they left and enjoyed some of the creations they left behind. 

Back to Number Five for root beer floats and a plan to not set alarms, but just get going when we get going in the morning. 

I think we got going sometime between 7:30 and 8. 

This time we kept our suits handy. It was 80 degrees already just after 10 when we stopped between Marquette and Munising for a swim. I was wishing I had kept my shampoo handy. I'm slipping. 

Our next stop was Mackinaw City for lunch, where Mark was startled by this LiveStatue.  But NOT, he'll tell you, as startled as those other two kids who screamed! 

We made it home by 7:30, after dropping off my mom and stopping at the library will quick for Mark to pick up the book he had put on hold. 

It feels good to be home. 

Ten-thirty this morning, and I've yet to shower and get dressed or even start the laundry and the boys are already fighting. 

Time for me to pick up the pace.

be good. 

 

 

Art's, Soles and Dunes

Friday morning had us up and out for breakfast in Glen Arbor. I like Glen Arbor. 

I tend to be an early riser, and had already eaten my morning oatmeal - but decided to try the hashbrown casserole. I have a bit of a potato weakness. The hashbrown casserole was great. This place (along with a few others along the way) only take cash and checks. Being prepared is key. 

After breakfast, we headed out to the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. We slowed down at a few of the stops, but got out here. Ladies with a mission. 

Of the eight of us - three went down and walked to the beach about a mile down the shore, another three went down and climbed back up, two of those went back down again to do the walk to the beach and Deana and I stayed with the van and offered to play shuttle service. 

Ginny after her climb up. The other climbers were MaryKay and Denise.  Well done!  

A cute little lake that enters into Lake Michigan where we met the ladies. 

We sat for a couple hours, ate, swam, swam again, washed up, people watched, swam again and were thankful that, once again, the forecasted rain seemed to have missed us. 

This evening we ate out again and wandered Glen Arbor. And got ice cream.  

Sunset. 
It was starting to cool a little bit and the wind was picking up. By dark, we could hear the waves crashing on the shore from our campsite which was a ways from the beach. 

And - no camping trip is complete without some sort of vehicle problem. 
I was a little bit in a 'too many cooks in the kitchen' mood, and took a step back, not that I would have been much help anyway. Modern technology had Mary putting Calvin on facetime and shoving him under the hood to help identify the problem. 

Two nights of not so great sleep caught up with me, and I slept like a log this night. There was just a little rain on and off, but nothing too severe. 

The forecast was still calling for some heavy rain, and the winds were up. We felt pretty sure this canopy wouldn't last another night, and we knew we didn't want to pack up wet. We took advantage of the dry morning and packed up while the going was good. Leaving a day early would have me home in time for my niece's baptism on Sunday. And a warm, dry bed. 

And no more poison ivy. The canopy had already taken one windy leap into the ivy, and we weren't wanting to hang around long enough for the whole thing to tip in. We cut off the lower half of that canopy leg and threw it away to avoid possible future exposure.  

And, while we were right next to the other girls - we couldn't take advantage of this trail either. So close, and yet we had to walk out to the road to get there. 

MaryKay, Deana and I headed out after a quick tour of Glen Haven and just before the rain hit. We ate dinner in Cadillac, had a lot of hard hard rain the majority of the way home, called 911 on one hydroplaned spin-out and finished our adventure with some good laughs. All good. 

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Other stuffs: 

• We're into the second half of summer, and I'm trying not to get that panicky feeling. It's going too quickly. 
• We have a few more adventures on the books, which is probably going to make it feel like it's zipping even faster. 
• We're getting excited to get Brian back. As of this minute, the plan is to round him up this weekend. 
• (Mark won't admit it, but he's been a bit bored with Brian gone) 
• Greg has been super busy lately, playing with some different job expectations at work. 
• Sunday was the first day all summer that I didn't hit 10,000 steps, and I'm okay with that. I often say that Sunday is the hardest day - sitting in church, visiting, visiting some more, Sunday afternoon nap. It got me this week. 
• That's all I've got. 

Be good!