August 3, 2008

• Vaction's Over

  I'm back!  Rested and relaxed and revitalized.

  
  

  So, pictures.

  
  

  My boys last Saturday, the day before we left.  This is how I saw them - no wake time at all!  I'm hoping to see them either later tonight or tomorrow.

  
  

  

  
  

  So I left Early Sunday morning.  After I dropped Dave off at the airport at 5:00 a.m. I went home and packed.  I left by 8:00 a.m. and drove to Midway.  I waited in the Cell Phone lot until Dawn called to let me know where to pick her up.  That sure beats driving around, arguing with the Nazi ladies who patrol the airport arrival lanes these days.  Dawn and I drove up to Wisconsin to meet Sue.  First stop on the trip:  A scrapbook store!

  
  

  

  
  

   Next stop:  mimiwi's!

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  Isn't this bucolic?

  
  

  

  
  

  You want good food and lots of it?  Great company and conversation?  We highly recommend Nancy and Ken's.

  
  

  Then we arrived at the cottage. 

  
  

  

  
  

  This looks like a Monet.  But with bugs.  This is the only lake picture you get because I am a bug magnet.  Sue and Dawn didn't seem to be bothered, but they lite on me like I'm their long lost Dutch uncle.

  
  

  I was really tired that night.  In fact I caught a short nap at Nancy's.  I thought I was unobserved behind my sunglasses, but they tell me that they knew I was asleep because I was way too quiet.  LOL.

  
  

  Monday we drove to Marinette, Wi and spent the day shopping and eating.

  
  

  

  
  

  Our favorite coffee shop, Dew Hills.  Sue has just about filled up her coffee card there.  One more punch and she gets a free cup!

  
  

  

  
  

  Then a wonderful broasted chicken dinner - 1/4 chicken with all the fixin's for $6.  Can't beat that with a stick - esp since it was some of the best broasted chicken I've ever eaten.  This was at a restaurant with a train themed name, which escapes me.  Hopefully Sue will comment and fill in the name.

  
  

  Monday night we scrapbooked.

  
  

  

  
  

  Here Sue and I are in our robes - I had just purchased mine, new, for $2.50 at the St Vinny resale shop.  It even included slippers.  I donated both to the cabin, for future cold guests to enjoy.

  
  

  Tuesday was our Crivitz day.  We found some great new shops.

  
  

   

  
  

  Most shopkeepers are happy to take our pictures when we ask.  You need to blow this one up so you can see our reading glasses.  Dawn and Sue's were new purchases from that shop but mine are prescription due to my monovision.  It was pretty sad and funny, every time we read a menu or a label, out whipped the reading glasses.  I think I miss my eyes even more than my mind!

  
  

  

  
  

  Dinner was at Soup-to-Nuts, one of our must-stops.  Jerry wasn't there this time, but we enjoyed a nice chat with Cindy, his put-upon wife and got the other side of the story!

  
  

  Wednesday was our Mennomonee, Michigan day, just over the river in the UP.  This town has got to be one of my favorites, anywhere.  If they had a college I'd be tempted to retire there.  That's a criteria that Dave has - wherever we retire has to have a college that he can still play in the lab at.  I know.  Sad, isn't it?  LOL.

  
  

  

  
  

  We didn't get to eat on the porch because we came at lunch instead of dinner.  It's a lot busier then!  The food is still yummy.

  
  

  This our our day to get home early.  We made a salad supper that, I have to say, was good enough to serve at any of the restaurants we ate at.

  
  

  

  
  

  Come join us for an embelleshed deli-chicken salad meal with sparkling fruit punch to drink.  (We're not drinkers, in case you haven't figured that out in the past 4 years that I've been here on xanga.)

  
  

  

  
  

  A toast to us.  I had the camera propped up and timed, so I look a bit strange here.  Sue and Dawn look allright.

  
  

  Thursday was our bonus day.  This was the first year we drove up on Sunday rather than Monday.  That was really great.  I got a lot more done on my scrapbooks and we took in a lot more shops and restuarants!

  
  

  So we visited Yupper Country (the upper pennisula of Michigan) and the town of Escanaba.  Very nice.

  
  

  We were on a mission to find the only scrapbook store listed in the phonebook.  I had to call for directions once we hit the town it was in.  Turns out, it had gone out of business, but she was willing to sell us supplies on sale since she was there. The shop was on her land, just next to her house.  She also has a sewing shop there - a really nice lady.

  
  

  

  
  

  Don't you love that name, Scrapbooking gone Wild? 

  
  

  

  
  

  Dinner was at the Landing, a delicious place on the lake.  We are all wearing new-this-week outfits.

  
  

  We left there on Friday.  Dawn's husband picked her up and they headed on over to Macanaw Island.  Sue and I headed back to her place, where I spent the night.  I hate driving through Chicago on Friday.  It adds hours to the trip.  As it was, there was an accident just on the south end of Milwaukee that blocked 2/3 lanes and delayed me almost an hour.  Sigh.  But I'm home and happy.

  
  

  Everything looked fine at home.  Ken did a good job.   Dave got home yesterday so they were both here to greet me and help bring in my luggage.

  • 8:20 pm
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