Vacation!

It's time for our annual vacation to the UP!

I have to start by telling you, the place where we are staying is truly a "Great Escape".  I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as this is how it was advertised, but there's no tv, no phone, no internet...it's a step back in time.  I do have cell reception and I was in internet withdrawal, so here I am "in town" stealing the local market's wireless connection and updating my blog.  :)

We left yesterday and stopped in Indian River to see one of our old college friends, Jill.  I met Jill in one of my communication classes.  She actually showed up late the first day of class and I was HORRIFIED and kept wondering who was this chick who showed up LATE on the first day of class.  We both laughed about this story yesterday, but neither of us can remember what class it was or how we became such fast friends.

Jill eventually changed her major and is now teaching English at Charlevoix High School.  Whenever we come up north, we always try to meet her and hang out, even if it is just for a quick minute.  Last time we saw her, I was actually pregnant with Lincoln, so it was fun for her to get to meet him.  Hoping she'll get to meet Busy (my name for the unborn baby) long before she's almost 2 years old.

Lincoln loved Jill and warmed up to her right away.

After our stop in Indian River, we made our way to Grand Marais.  It was a long day of driving and we got a little antsy; especially Lincoln.  He was just a little slap happy as we made our way up here.

It's a beautiful area with sun, beach and sand.  I must admit: we were both a little surprised at how remote the cottage is.  I'm not sure why, because we totally knew what we were getting into!  There are neighbors, but it still feels like you're all alone.  Without the internet or tv, I was able to finish a book last night.  I'm hoping to finish a couple more by the end of the week.

When we got here, we unpacked and got Lincoln some dinner.  We decided to head out to the lake before we got him ready for bed.  Another confession: we were surprised how far the lake was from the cottage!  It was obvious it wasn't right outside the place, but good gravy, it's a walk away!  Don't get me wrong, it's a straight shot out the front door, and maybe it's the sand or because I'm out of shape, or because, oh yeah, I'm 28 weeks pregnant, but it was worth it!  I will admit that.  I love being close to the water.

This is the view from our cottage.  Beyond those dunes is Lake Superior.  It's deceiving: it's still a little bit of a walk from there.

Kirk and I both thought Lincoln would be excited...for the sand.  We know he loves water, but oh my gosh, he went running for Lake Superior.  Who does that?  It's like swimming in ice water!  We were totally just planning on going out to see the water and didn't put him a swimsuit let alone a swim diaper!!

I'm hoping today or at some point in the week, he'll discover the beauty of the sand and not have both of us chasing after him as he runs toward Lake Superior (Swede style for all you Schultz's and anyone else who knows that story)!

The weather is supposed to be hot and humid today and tomorrow and then cool down in the middle of the week.  I think we're going to do some hiking, geocaching, waterfall hunting, exploring...who knows what the week has in store for us!

I love this picture!  We're not sure what our view is of yet.  The log slide?  Grand Sable Dunes?  Either way, we hope to find out soon.

I'll try to get out here again and "steal" the internet from the local market, which, as the case may have it, also has gas, food, spirits, souvenirs, visitor information, etc...