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Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

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July was all about vacation (and getting back to ordinary days after)–a monthly roundup

August 4, 2022

Maybe I’ve said this before, but a friend once described July as the “Saturday of summer” and this year more than ever, I can relate to that description. We took our vacation at the end of June/first week of July and now that the month is ending, it feels like the “weekend” is over. August brings school and all sorts of related transitions, so reminiscing about our July is a good way to keep a positive attitude.

First up will be a what we did/what we ate roundup of vacation followed by the usual categories for the rest of the month. Skim accordingly. 🙂

What We Did on Vacation

Our first stop on our road trip was the outskirts of Pittsburgh, where we stayed with our friends Josh and Rachel, whom we had not seen in person in THREE YEARS (thank you, Covid). We went out to dinner just the four adults and left the kids to re-acquaint themselves over pizza and tacos at the house. After dinner, we walked our town catching up on each other’s lives. It was so uplifting and refreshing. Connecting with friends is always a good idea.

Dinner with friends is a fun way to start a vacation!

The next morning, we had trouble leaving “on time,” which is a classic problem when we visit these friends, but we pulled ourselves away from our friends and headed toward Toledo to meet my parents so they could take the kids to Illinois. We avoided the Ohio turnpike because I have decades-old trauma from a car accident and my body does not appreciate the reminder. We met my parents for lunch at Tony Packo’s, a place we have come to love. (See last year’s vacation post.)

We transferred the kids and their stuff to my parents’ vehicle and said our goodbyes so Phil and I could head out on our anniversary adventure. (It was 15 years in May!)

The faces we make when the kids leave us

I needed a bit of a buffer before we kept going in the car so we drove to Side Cut Metropark for a short walk and a chance to mentally transition to the adults-only portion of our vacation. We walked a little bit on a path near the river and saw a couple of herons. It was a nice breather.

The other faces we make when the kids leave us

Our next stop was Detroit. We were staying with a friend north of the city but wanted to catch a few sights in the city itself. Just after crossing into Michigan, we stopped at a welcome center and picked up some magazines for the area we’d be staying at in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. And since I’m on a quest to make 22 visits to independent bookstores this year, we drove straight to the John K. King used bookstore.

That is a warehouse full of books, my friends

We got there 30 minutes before closing which was not enough time. The store was four warehouse floors of used books and a person could literally get lost in there. It was raining hard when we left the bookstore but Phil wanted to visit Belle Isle, the site of an Indy car race, so we paid the $10 park fee to drive around the island and wave at Canada. It was a beautiful park and we would have loved to have more time to explore. Don’t worry, Detroit, we still need to catch a baseball game there so we’ll be back.

What a beautiful park

It was well past dinner time when we made it to my friend Amanda’s house. Amanda and I were roommates for a year in college. I’d yet to meet her husband (they’ve been married as long as my son has been alive!) so I was glad we could make this connection. The four of us ate takeout from a  local Thai restaurant and caught up and hung out.

Former roomies; still friends

We were the first ones up to get on the road the next morning and fueled with a filling breakfast (see below), we headed out a little before 9 a.m. We had a lot of Michigan ground to cover to make it to our campsite.

First stop on our way north was Bay City State Park to greet Lake Huron. I put my feet in the lake and we walked a path around a lagoon.

Michigan, I’m in love

We saw a heron Phil had never seen before, some wood ducks and a variety of other birds new to Phil’s list. Fun fact: Birding is more enjoyable when the kids aren’t complaining about standing around.

Phil can tell you the exact name of this heron. I could have watched it for hours.

Then we traveled up the Huron coast a bit to Wilson’s Cheese Shop. I was in cheese heaven.

That’s the only time I’m gonna be okay with seeing a mouse near my food

We picked out some food for our lunch/snack drive (see below). We ate our mobile charcuterie as we drove toward Mackinac Bridge. Along the way, we passed the 45h parallel, the halfway point between the equator and the North Pole. We also saw a sign that said “Elk Crossing, next 12 miles.” I almost peed my pants at the thought of seeing elk on the side of the road but sadly, we saw no elk.

I get a little giddy about things like crossing a big bridge

Crossing the Mackinac Bridge, the fifth-longest suspension bridge in the world, was a thrill. I wasn’t driving, though, so it was a different kind of thrill. One lane had metal grooves which sort of freaked Phil out.

Keep to the right

I was captivated by the blue-green water–so clear and expansive. Big water was the goal of our adventure. We stopped at Straits State Park to get a view of the bridge from land and took a short walk to the beach.

We crossed that thing!

So many rocks! That was the Huron side. We drove to the Lake Michigan side and checked out the Father Marquette memorial and a couple of scenic overlooks.

Our next stop was the northernmost point of Lake Michigan. It’s a spot on the map but there’s no place to pull off at the actual location. We sort of whipped off to the side and snapped a quick picture then went back to a rest area with beach access.

The actual northernmost point of Lake Michigan (or thereabouts)

We wandered down to the beach and I was in heaven. Hardly anyone else on the beach. It was cool. Expansive, sweeping views of water. Big rocks. I felt like skipping and frolicking on the beach. My soul was fully alive. I put my feet in a second Great Lake of the day.

My soul was ALIVE!

More driving. We saw signs for Amish buggy crossings–there are Amish everywhere, not just in Lancaster! Finally, we got a glimpse–and more–of Lake Superior, and not to be biased but I think it’s got that name for a reason. We stopped a scenic pullout and I put my feet in a third Great Lake of the day. It was by far the coldest of the three.

Stop trying to make me fall in love with you, Michigan

Our AirBnB was down a long drive right next to a campground. It was a tipi in the backyard of a cabin/lodge and we had access to the basement for bathroom, showers and food storage. We were tired when we arrived but settled in and took showers and ate some more of our snacks.

Not a bad view for 9 o’clock at night

We sat outside on the porch swing by the bird refuge then took a short walk around the water that bordered the property. Dusk arrives at 10 p.m., which was a new experience for us. We fell asleep to the sound of fireworks but were too tired to get out of bed and see them.

Unlike the Tardis, it was NOT bigger on the inside

When we got up to pee in the middle of the night, I took a gander at the stars and it was an awesome sight.

The next day we slept in a little and got ourselves situated for the day head. We planned to explore the nearby town and get some provisions for our stay. We drove into Marquette, Michigan for breakfast at a place called Doncker’s. (President Obama ate there once!). Our servers were college kids who noticed Phil’s Cubs’ hat and made conversation. They were from Chicago originally.

After breakfast, we took a walk toward the lake and wandered around town. Our only “must” on the agenda was a stop at Snowbound Books, another independent bookstore.

If your town has an indie bookstore, I’m there

We spent a lot of time browsing and walked out with two books each. Then we did some souvenir shopping–gifts for the kids, a puzzle for us, some coffee for me for the AirBNB. We decided to go back to Docker’s for ice cream in the afternoon.

Then we drove out to Presque Isle Park, stopping at Sunset Point. We bouldered along the shore.

I can’t get enough of the lake

Phil put his hand in the water and confirmed its chilly temperature. We walked over to the Black Rocks, a popular spot for jumping off the rocks into a cove. We decided to watch from the bottom as numerous people of all ages and sizes jumped off the 30-foot cliffs into the water.

Would I do it? I don’t think so, but you never know.

We drove back around to the breakwater and lighthouse and walked out as far as the path went. We could have walked all the way to the lighthouse but it was rocky and open so we turned back.

It wasn’t going to be fun to walk across these rocks despite what others were doing

On our way back through town, we drove down a street in Marquette the has some interesting architecture. For dinner, I wanted a whitefish sandwich, so we found a food truck that was serving them. (See below.) From there, we walked down to Jean Kay’s Pasties and Subs to get our meal for the next day. (More on that later.)

Call them pass-ties or else …

We took some pictures around Northern Michigan University on the way there and back. Then it was off to the grocery store for breakfast and lunch essentials.

Back at the campsite, we worked on packing our backpacks for our hike the next day. We ate some cherry bread as we sat by the water and sort of just chilled till we fell asleep.

Monday, July 4th, was our big day. It had rained overnight which made for some interesting sleeping but we woke early anyway to finish prepping for the hike. It was an hour’s drive to the Pictured Rocks National Seashore trailhead. We ate our breakfast in the car. Once we turned off the main highway, the road to the trail head was “primitive.” It was full of potholes and washouts and I had massive flashbacks to the time our van got stuck in Lancaster County trying to navigate a road we shouldn’t have been on. (Read all about that here.) At one point, we reached a spot where the water was puddling and I was sure our little sedan couldn’t get through. A car was approaching from behind us and it turned out to be a Ford Mustang. We watched it go through unscathed, so we followed.

By the time we reached the parking lot, Phil and I were both having a fair amount of anxiety. We had initially planned to hike the entire loop, 10-11 miles, but I wasn’t sure anymore if I wanted to do that. I had fears about us getting back up the hill. We gathered our supplies and set out on the trail.

I can see the stress and anxiety in our eyes. We don’t look like we’re about to have fun.

For the first hour of the hike, we were battling anxiety–looking for bears and swatting bugs. We talked through it and slowed our pace and began to enjoy ourselves. (Reminder, this was our first major hike since Phil’s hiking incident in September, so our anxiety was justified.)

The first landmark was Chapel Falls, a beautiful waterfall.

Now, we look a little more at ease

We kept going to Chapel Rock, a large sandstone rock formation near Chapel Beach.

Our first view of Chapel Rock
What Chapel Rock looks like from the other side

We were awed by it, but I was eager to get down to the beach where my beloved lake met the shore. We made our way down to the beach and had it all to ourselves. We sat on some driftwood and ate our private picnic lunch on the shore of Lake Superior.

The only other souls in sight were on boats

It was as idyllic as it sounds (except for the bugs). After we ate, we explored the beach a bit. The rocks washing in from the lake were perfectly round and in brilliant colors. We watched a cruise boat disappear into a cove. (“This is some 18th-century Poldark shit,” I remarked.)

Back on the trail, we had to decide if we were going to do the entire loop along the seashore or take the shorter loop around the lake. We had barely seen the seashore, so we headed toward the cliffs and as we went we decided it made the most sense to just press on and do the whole trail.

Absolutely no regrets about that.

No filter. The water is actually that color. And clear!

Words and photographs don’t even come close to the majestic beauty of the sandstone cliffs and the blue-green water. At times, we were literally weak-kneed and breathless at the sight of them.

It was breath-taking at every break in the trees.

Grand Portal Point was stunning and surprising.

That’s the portal in the background
Here, we are on top of Grand Portal Point

What we saw was worth every step, even when the black flies were swarming my legs. (We used an entire can of bug spray just on me.) Even when I had to pee in the woods. (One time, there was a vault toilet with a privacy fence, so that wasn’t too bad.)

Honestly, it was better than a porta-john or squatting in the woods

We crossed several bridges over the Mosquito River that had me focusing on the way forward and not the way down.

I always made Phil cross the bridges first

We followed the river to the falls of the same name. Another impressive waterfall.

For a waterfall with “mosquito” in its name, it sure was pretty

Our knees began to give out during the last mile-plus. It was brutal to finish but we did it, and when we got to the parking lot, it was full of cars (in the morning, when we started, there were only a few vehicles) including numerous sedans our car’s size and a Mercedes. So, we felt better about our chances of getting back up the primitive road. We finished hiking around 5 p.m.m, about 7 1/2 hours of hiking (including the beach lunch picnic). 

Look how tired we look! I had to send this to my mom as proof of life post-hike

Back to the campsite for showers then into Marquette for dinner. As we ate, a group of teens/pre-teens came in and sat at the booth near us. They were loud and rowdy and unsupervised, which wasn’t a problem until they made a snide comment to the server about how long it was taking to get their pizza. I had been stewing for a few minutes over their behavior so I stood up on my wobbly legs and approached their booth using my teacher voice: “First of all, it’s a holiday. Second, they are understaffed. Third, everyone else in the restaurant has been waiting the same amount of time as you and no one else is behaving as rudely as you. I don’t know where your parents are, but this is embarrassing behavior. Stop it.” I sat back down, the server thanked me and I told them that I worked at a middle school. Raising my voice I added, “And I’m on vacation!” The rest of our dinner passed without incident.

The next morning, we hobbled out of bed and returned to Doncker’s for breakfast. Why mess with a good thing? After breakfast, we took a short walk to stretch our legs, then it was back to the campsite to prep for our bus tour of Grand Island. On our way there, we stopped at a gift shop in Munising, Michigan to get some Pictured Rocks memorabilia. Another puzzle. A hat. A shirt.

We checked in for our bus tour and boarded the ferry around noon for a short ride across the lake to Grand Island National Recreation Area.

Any vacation/trip that involves a boat, even if it’s a short ride, is a winner in my book

The island is owned by the U.S. Forest Service but there are still some private homes on the island. Our bus driver/guide Harry worked for a caretaker on the island so he had a lot of stories and personality to share. He was also a retired Scoutmaster who brought Scouts to the island for overnight trips. We were in good hands for the day.

Did I mention the only way to the island is by boat?

The island has a lot of history starting with the Ojibwa/Chippewa people who lived on the island originally for most of the year. In winter, because the UP averages 240 inches of snow a year, they moved to the Lake Michigan side of the peninsula. The island was eventually purchased by a company that logged the land as well as harvested maple syrup and berries. This company opened a resort on the island and hosted big game hunting parties. Rumor has it Teddy Roosevelt stayed on the island. Tourism dropped off after the Mackinac Bridge was built, and the forest service purchased the island in 1990. They’re working on restoration and buying up all the property.

We stopped at one of the cabins the forest service owns and looked around, taking a short walk to a small waterfall.

Our guide thinks the forest service should open this as a B&B. He’s not wrong.

The next cabin was maybe the oldest structure on the Lake Superior coastline.

It’s old, for sure. Harry told us a fact about the cabin but I might have heard wrong.

It still had original graffiti.

You can just make out the “1859” on the boards.

And a magnificent view of the lake.

I could wake up to a view like that. I’m such a romantic.

We stopped at a cemetery on the island where the family of the first white guy on the island is buried. Some of his descendants who live on the island were there doing clean up.

I do like old cemeteries but the mosquitos were something awful.

The tour took us to a lake, a bay and an overlook but it was a foggy, rainy, misty afternoon so some of our views were obscured. Phil and I ate our packed lunch on the bus as we traveled. The Lodge was a highlight of the tour because that’s where Harry worked and the building lent itself well to imagination.

I can see the visitors hanging out on this porch
This is what the gate and fence would have looked like when the northern part of the island was reserved for big game hunting.

Our tour was running long so we had a choice to take a trail or go to the beach where we saw more of the beautiful rocks the lake gives up to the shore.

Back to the boat dock and across the lake to the campsite to organize and clean out the car for our departure the next day.

After dinner, we took a drive down to the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse area.

I have a thing for lighthouses, too

We weren’t sure how close we could get since the maritime museum was closed. We walked a path toward the light. I worried that we were trespassing but we managed to not get arrested.

We ended the night with gelato and some research for our next day of travel. On the way back to the campsite, we decided to check out Lakenenland, a sculpture park this guy started making after he got sober 25 years ago.

Creativity takes so many forms

It was strange/creepy/cool. The artwork is made from salvaged materials.

I’d jam with that band

It was a fine way to end our time in the U.P.

The next morning we got up early to get on the road by 7 so we could make it to Milwaukee in time to catch an afternoon baseball game. Took a quick break in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, the site of a catastrophic fire that happened the same day as the Great Chicago Fire.

The museum and cemetery weren’t open yet but looked around outside and read the signage. Our kids had learned about this fire in school. A few miles down the road we stopped at a geographical marker for the theoretical point of the 45th parallel.

This was just kind of nerdy-cool.

Then we passed through Green Bay and didn’t burn up due to exposure. (The Chicago-Green Bay football rivalry is hardcore.)

We stopped south of Sheboygan to get everything in order for the game. We had to download an app to get our tickets and buy a parking pass. I realized I couldn’t take my purse in. I got a little bit anxious about all of this but it all the pieces of the puzzle went together smoothly. We got into the park before the game started with enough time to use the rest room, buy Phil a shirt (he will never wear it; the Milwaukee-Chicago baseball rivalry is hardcore) and get food.

Our seats were in the terrace (upper deck) and behind home plate and offered a beautiful view of the game.

What a great way to watch a game.

It was a pitcher’s duel for a lot of the game, just solid, enjoyable baseball. We were in good company with lots of Cubs’ fans throughout. We haven’t been to an MLB game in years and it’s been more than a decade since we set foot in Wrigley Field. The Brewers scored first on a homer, then the Cubs scored on a triple and a base hit to tie it up. In the top of the ninth, the Cubs got a few runners on base and scored the go-ahead against the Brewers’ closer Josh Hader. It couldn’t have happened to a better guy!

Getting out of the parking lot and back on the road was not bad at all. On the way to our hometown, we passed the exit for the town where my grandma lived with her second husband. We used to visit their house on the lake often. We stopped in Delavan to eat a quick treat at Culver’s. Rolled into my parents’ house around 8 p.m. and reunited with the kids swapping stories and gifts. While we were in the U.P. the kids were painting the town at the Petunia Festival and with my cousin and his family who were visiting from Colorado. Carnival, parade, fireworks, ice cream, pancake breakfast, water fights, splash pad. They barely had time to miss us.

Our first day back with the kids, we visited my grandma at her assisted living facility then took a walk at Nachusa Grasslands to see if we could find the bison and their babies. We did find them!

Bison hanging out by the water; who can blame them?

We saw a one-hour adaptation of Twelfth Night at a Shakespeare in the Park event that was moved indoors due to inclement weather.

The next day we packed and cleaned out the car. My cousin and his family returned from their getaway to Chicago, and my grandma, and uncle and aunt came over for dinner. Lots of hanging out and storytelling and just being together.

Phil enjoys being the kid magnet

Our son got a slingshot rocket as his prize from Pizza Ranch and lost it on the roof of my parents’ house. My cousin went up a ladder to get it down. Then the scooters and ATVs came out and I rode the Honda Ruckus all over the yard and loved it. I can see one of these in my future.

Quintessential Midwest: a fire, some ATVs

Ended the night with a fire and s’mores and enjoying the perfect Midwest evening.

Saturday morning was for more packing and goodbyes, then it was off to the cemetery to meet Phil’s mom, sister and her family to bury my father-in-law’s ashes. We had a short service then hung out with family briefly before starting the drive back to Pennsylvania. We left a little after 10 for our journey to Dayton, Ohio, where we planned to stop for the night. After dinner, we checked in to the hotel and the kids spent some time in the pool.

A pool is worth it to get some of the energy out

Headed out after breakfast the next morning and stopped at Blacklick Woods Park in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, for a short walk and water/bathroom break. We learned that Reynoldsburg is the birthplace of the tomato for commercial use. Fascinating deep dive on the Internet and this is why we road trip.

We made it to Wheeling, West Virginia for lunch because we wanted to get an up-close look at the suspension bridge there.

Obviously, we love bridges, too

After lunch, we walked across the bridge and back.

Our selfies are always an adventure

It’s under repair so cars can’t go on it but pedestrians are welcome. We also walked down to the riverfront park to get a view of the bridge from below at Heritage Port.

What a view of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge

Back in the car, we crossed into Pennsylvania and made one more short stop at Cedar Creek Park and Gorge for a walk and pit stop. This looked like a popular place for tubing and other water activities on a weekend afternoon.

We got home just before 8 p.m. exhausted and exhilarated from our travels.

What We Ate on Vacation

If you’ve made it this far, let me reward you with some food pics.

Our Pittsburgh-area friends live in Ambridge where we ate at the Bridgetown Taproom, feasting on fried pickles and pretzels with beer cheese for starts and a variety of burgers for dinner. I had a black and bleu turkey burger. Phil had the Bridgetown burger and turkey chili. 

Turkey burger with tots

At Tony Packo’s we ate fast-casual hungarian food like chicken paprikash, pierogies, poutine (okay, maybe that’s not hungarian) and a chicken sandwich.

My friend Amanda is a queen of hospitality and an amazing baker. We awoke to her delicious hospitality in the form of chocolate chip muffins, coffee, fruit, and a hash brown casserole. 

Amanda gave me the recipe. These muffins were DELISH!

At Wilson’s Cheese Shop, we picked out a morel and leek Monterey Jack cheese, a super sharp piconning (the name of the town, which is Michigan’s cheese capital), venison and hunter snack sticks, cherry nut fudge and some cherry bread for later. 

At Doncker’s, for breakfast, I ate a Gitchi Gumee (this is the Ojibwa name for Lake Superior) omelet (portobello mushrooms, goat cheese, basil, tomato) with mixed greens on the side, hash browns and bacon.

I needed some veg with my breakfast

Phil had steak hash with cinnamon-raisin bread and strawberry jam. When we went back for ice cream, Phil asked if he could have a Green River float.

I think Green River is a Midwestern thing. I’ve never seen it anywhere else.

He had seen this nostalgic soda in the case upstairs and they agreed to make him one. I had a mint avalanche waffle cone.

Ice cream is never a wrong choice

Local ice cream is another feature of our adventures.

Fish Express, a food truck, served up a shoreline sandwich and hush puppies for me. Phil got fish and chips with an extra side of hush puppies. I cannot explain to you how tasty a whitefish sandwich is. The fish has fresh-from-the-lake flavor. 

I can still taste the fish on this sandwich.

Hiking food: for breakfast we ate danishes, kiefer and apples trying to give ourselves a good balance to start the day; for lunch we ate pasties (pass-ties)–a steak and rutabaga hand pie that was a staple with miners. It was the perfect repast. We ate some smoked string cheese, too.

I can see why these were popular with miners. Stuffed with potatoes, rutabagas and steak … filling!

Our post-hike dinner was at Third Coast Pizzeria in Marquette. It was open on a holiday and we just needed refueling food. We started with poutine and then had a San Marzano chicken pizza on a Detroit-style crust.

Poutine is also a good choice most of the time.
As a staunch defender of Chicago-style pizza, this Detroit-style wasn’t too bad

Our second breakfast at Doncker’s: I had the Abbey Road breakfast burrito which was stuffed full of vegetables and avocado with a side of sausage patties.

Breakfast is my love language

Phil had the Doncker smash, a corned beef hash mixture with eggs, and a pancake on the side.

For dinner on our last day in the UP, we went to Border Grill, a fast casual southwest style place where we could get whitefish on our burritos, bowls, nachos or tacos. Phil had a burrito. I had a bowl. It was sufficiently tasty. 

Do I need to move to a fishing village? Maybe.

Gelato at Provisions. I had tiramisu. Phil had a combo of stracciatella and salted caramel.

Mmm…gelato

Breakfast on the road to Milwaukee was truck stop coffee and some sour cream donuts and fruit we had packed.

Baseball food: We had two kinds of brats because Wisconsin: the ultimate which had sauerkraut, swiss cheese and mustard and the tipsy polish which was topped with peppers, caramelized onions and tator tots. We had a side of tots, as well. No pictures because we were too hungry.

More road food: Concrete mixers at Culver’s.

Dairy Delite ice cream: Our son had something called a Boston malt that was like a sundae on top of a milkshake. What?

Dinner at Arthur’s Garden Deli, the one place we MUST eat at when we’re in town.

Pizza Ranch, a pizza buffet with an arcade. Their mac and cheese pizza is better than Cici’s, in my opinion.

No summer trip to Illinois is complete without making s’mores in the fire pit.

We shared some donuts from Stan’s Donuts that my cousin and his wife had purchased in Chicago.

We ate at Moe’s Southwestern Grill in Normal, IL for lunch on our way back to Pennsylvania then ate at Cane’s in Dayton.

The hotel breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express in Dayton was better-than-average for a hotel breakfast: pancakes, cinnamon rolls, omelets, biscuits and gravy, bacon. We ate it all.

In Wheeling, we ate at the Bridge Tavern. They had a limited menu for brunch but everything was delicious: greek wraps, chicken caesar wrap, chicken and waffles. It hit the spot for our road-weary souls.

—

The rest of the month pales in comparison to vacation, but I try to love the ordinary days as well as the extraordinary ones. (The days can’t all be extraordinary, can they?)

What We Did

One night while our daughter was at band, the three of us played cribbage.

Phil and I first bonded over cribbage early in our relationship so it’s a nostalgic game for me.

On a Saturday morning when I had a client phone call, Phil took the kids on a $5 shopping excursion at Building Character. They came home with small treasures.

Another afternoon, we instituted some no-screen time. We got out a puzzle. Art was also an option. I ended up finishing the puzzle what felt like weeks later because of the blue sky parts.

I complained SO MUCH while putting this puzzle together

Long’s Park summer music. It’s been hit-and-miss for us this summer between other plans and the weather. One of the highlights was when the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra performed Broadway tunes.

We need to watch more musicals because we didn’t recognize half the songs.

I got my COVID booster before school starts. It was just as much “fun” as the last two, but I’m glad for the extra protection.

We went to the pool with friends from church. There was a water slide. I did it twice. Go me!

Why should the kids have all the fun?

Hiking! In the heat!

Crossed the creek a couple of times

We got a little bit lost but overall had a fun time with a couple people from church. This was the second of our summer church hikes.

My apologies to these cows for disturbing their peace.

Two of our small group members from church hosted a game night. Ticket to Ride is always a fun time.

Some strategy but fun

Phil took our daughter to a concert in Philly. A while back he introduced her to the music of The Linda Lindas and they happened to be playing in Philly. So, off they went!

They’re so cool.

Meanwhile, my son and I played video games. I don’t hate it.

One day, to mix up the mindless screen time, I asked the kids to do a deep dive/research project. They came back with the weirdest laws still on the books in every state.

They took their presentation VERY seriously

Another Saturday outing: the Lititz Fine Art show in Lititz Springs Park. We left with some note cards and a renewed appreciation for creative endeavors. I have the business cards of six artists whose work I want to follow up with.

What We Ate

Because of our food splurging on vacation, the rest of the month’s food pursuits haven’t been as interesting, but we have eaten a lot of ice cream. (Isn’t that what summer is for?)

One night we went to Good Life Ice Cream and Treats, which is our go-to for unusual flavors. That night we had lavender, sweet corn, root beer float and lemonade ice creams.

Phil and I went out for lunch when the kids had a middle school hangout at church so we tried Poke Bowl Station.

I was so hungry I took a fork instead of chopsticks

Post-hike in the 90-degree heat, we stopped at Pine View Dairy on the way home. Here, we had butter brickle, espresso oreo caramel, strawberry cheesecake and a milkshake mashup of chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate peanut butter and chocolate mint.

For game night, we took some quarts from Good Life: strawberry and cheesecake mixed; salted caramel and chocolate mixed; and a sampling of sweet corn and meadow tea ice creams. (Meadow Tea is a local drink, an acquired taste. I think you either love it or hate it.)

And still more ice cream. Phil found out about a company making ice cream with Little Debbie flavors, so he picked up a few pints: Oatmeal Creme Pie, Cosmic Brownie and Nutty Buddy. Can confirm: tastes like Little Debbies.

A couple of culinary delights for dinner: Baba ganoush and Philly cheesesteaks.

Baba ganoush. Our son doesn’t love eggplant but he ate this.
Our take on Philly cheesesteak, no wiz.

What We Watched

Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Um, what?

Ms. Marvel. Finished it. Loved it.

Arrested Development. Phil and I have started this series. (I know, we’re late to the party.) Laugh out loud funny.

Grace and Frankie. Still trying to finish the final season.

Is It Cake? Bakers make cake look like other things to try to fool judges. We’re watching this as a family and it’s oddly entertaining.

Virgin River, season 4. The last two episodes redeemed the whole season for me, and now I can’t wait for season 5.

Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers, the movie. Nostalgic and fun.

Supermarket Sweep. The kids and I watch this occasionally.

The Bad Guys. Based on one of our favorite book series. Movie was enjoyable.

Grantchester. Fulfilling my anglophilia. 

All Creatures Great and Small. See above. I want to run off to the Yorkshire Dales and become a sheep farmer.

Field of Dreams.

Phil wanted to show this to the kids before the Cubs play the Reds in the MLB Field of Dreams game. One child was not excited about it before we watched and then was totally hooked. Makes me want to show them a “classic” every week. Or maybe once a month.

What We Read

July is crunch time for my freelance reading job for the summer, so other reading takes a backseat. Although with a road trip vacation, I did get some good reading time in. (Yes, I can read in the car. I’m like the Sam I Am of reading … I can read books anywhere!)

Books I finished:

Mr. Malcolm’s List by Suzanne Allain. I heard about this because it’s a movie. The book was okay, but I’ll probably still check out the movie.

Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile. Such a good memoir, and it made me want to listen to all her music.

Beach Read by Emily Henry. Book club picked this one for our summer read and though we haven’t discussed it yet, I might be the only one who liked it!

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling. Picked this one up at a Scholastic Book Fair at school. The main character is a 13-year-old girl named Aven who was born without arms, which I thought was interesting by itself. But the premise hooked me: she and her parents move to Arizona to run a theme park that’s seen better days, and as Aven explores her new home, she uncovers a mystery that she and her new friend, Connor set out to solve.

Books in progress:

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien. This one is taking me a long time. 

The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison. I don’t remember where I heard about this one, but I’m doing some research about empathy. The opening essay is about Jamison’s time as a medical actor, which I didn’t even know was a thing. 

With the kids:

Spy School Revolution by Stuart Gibbs. We are rapidly approaching the end of the Spy School series, which is a shame.

Filed Under: 2022 road trip, michigan, monthly roundup, Travel, Uncategorized Tagged With: grand island michigan, lake superior, michigan, pictured rocks national lakeshore, summer break, summer travel, upper peninsula michigan

The Distancing Diaries: Days 26-30

April 13, 2020

Thirty days. Hard to believe it’s been a full month of a new way of life. I’m grateful for you who are reading along about the often mundane ways we are spending our days.

Day 26: The closer this number gets to 30, the sadder I get, but we’ve been at this long enough that it’s the new normal.

Sleep was interesting last night. About 1 a.m. a thunderstorm rolled through which meant our daughter woke up right away and came to our room. She is now a full-sized human wanting to share our bed when she’s scared, and our bed is not that big. We squeezed in and slept fitfully for the next several hours. I had a knot in my neck from hugging the edge of the bed so tightly. At some point in the night, Phil went to the couch so she and I had more room. Our son slept through the whole thing. I don’t remember my alarm going off, so if it did, I’m sure I turned it off. It was almost 7 before I got out of bed. Phil and our son were up in the living room. The girl is still sleeping.

It was well after 7 before everyone was up and getting breakfast. We aimed for 8 for our educational meeting, but it was a little after. We had our plan for the day and the kids went outside to play. I changed into workout clothes and went for a run. Today’s was the longest amount of time yet–30 minutes, but I took it at easy pace so I only covered a little more than 2 miles. Still, I ran continuously for 30 minutes and I wasn’t winded or exhausted when I finished. There will be other days to give it all I’ve got.

Phil was working on sorting through books on our bookshelves when I left, and that project took him most of the morning. Then, we decided to rearrange most of the shelves in the house, which took us a good portion of the afternoon.

It doesn’t look like much on the outside, but this is four months of work for me.

Books was the theme of the day. Before we started working on the bookshelves my box of books for contest judging arrived. This is overwhelming and exciting. It’s work for the next four months, which is good for all sorts of reasons. So, I spent a little time going through the box and double checking the packing list to get myself organized for reading and judging all these books. (It’s one of my favorite things, which probably makes me sound like a horrible person.)

The bookshelves are in a better order, and we cleared one entire shelf for library books so they don’t become scattered all over the house or end up in a pile on the floor. Once we can go to the library again, I will love this system.

Now, I’m waiting on my doctor’s office to call for a telehealth appointment. This is a check-up for my blood pressure medication, and even though I’m not leaving my house, I’m still a little nervous. White coat syndrome even without seeing the white coat!

It was no big deal. I’m going to try going off my blood pressure medication again and see what the readings are for a couple of weeks. If I still need it, the dose can be lowered one more time.

I did some reading and helped figure out dinner. We decided to grill and make potato salad. Collaborative cooking is one of the things I love best about our relationship. Our daughter usually joins in. Tonight, Phil let her get the grill ready and put the meat on (with supervision). I finished reading book 2 of The Wingfeather Saga before dinner. We ate and watched America’s Test Kitchen. I took a shower and got a file organized for my book judging job. It’s a bit of a quiet evening for us. I’m feeling the effects of the restless sleep from last night. I predict an early bedtime all around tonight.

Day 27: It was one episode of The Office and then bedtime for me. I slept more soundly than I have in days but I dreamt a lot. Mostly about school. Co-workers, students, assignments. I can’t believe how much I miss being overworked and underpaid.

Alarm went off at 6:15. I listened to Pray As You Go, especially since it’s Maundy Thursday. I need a bit of anchoring. This weekend is Easter but it will probably be the least Easter-y feeling Easter ever. That doesn’t mean it’s not still special or important. Just different.

Then I stayed in bed scrolling Twitter and Instagram until after 7 o’clock. The boy was up already. The girl was not. But it wasn’t long before everyone was awake and eating breakfast. This is the last “school” day for the kids until Tuesday. I think that will be a nice break. 

The boy and I worked on dishes while Phil and our daughter worked out. The kids then worked on academics for a little while. That weekend feeling is strong even though we have no weekend-y plans. I got in some good reading time for the contest judging. In the middle of our son’s class meeting, our governor made the decision to close all Pennsylvania schools for the rest of the school year. I left the table to go see it for myself and cried in the bedroom. No goodbyes for my students. No collaboration with my co-workers. No closure for the school year. Everything I left at school is just there. I don’t have anything valuable or super important but it’s a weird feeling to not have it all wrapped up.

I tried to think about lunch but grief of all kinds is powerful. I mostly just ate whatever I could see, which is never good but sometimes necessary. We got through lunch. The kids had a little bit of extra screen time after Phil left for work. I told them that TV doesn’t count because it’s not individual face-in-a-screen. A storm moved through dropping sheets of rain and rushing wind. It adds to the stress a little to hear the wind blowing outside. Can’t something just be calm if the rest of the world is chaos? Apparently not.

I read some more and made a list of things to bake this weekend (more stress baking, yay!) and the kids did a little bit more academics and band and chore time to round out their day. Early in the week I had set out times for myself to write and I have yet to keep any of those appointments. So, I worked on a client project for close to an hour. I’m not doing my best work right now, but just doing some work is helpful.

Now it’s 3 o’clock and the kids are watching screens and I’m listening to the wind howl outside. I’m not going to start dinner prep yet, and I might just keep eating. We have a lot of knock-off Oreos in the house. Find comfort where you can, friends.

I went back to reading until Phil got home. We talked for a bit and I got some dinner things out and started. It was a pasta kind of night and we ate while watching the latest episode of LegoMasters. The rest of the family asked what I was interested in watching and I just couldn’t take another food show right now. After dinner, we encouraged the kids to get showers. Phil and I made the produce list for the week and looked up a recipe for the curry we want to make for Easter dinner. Once one child got in the shower, we called to talk to a friend who needed some encouragement and reminding to stay home during this pandemic. We offered to get what he needed from the store if necessary, and we promised to celebrate his birthday when this is all over, no matter the date.

The disappointments run deep for everyone for different reasons. It’s hard to believe that a month ago we couldn’t envision what our lives would be like. I won’t tell you that I’m hopeful, confident or unafraid. Sometimes I feel those things but mostly I feel uncertain, like hoping might be too much effort. Fear is a powerful force and it takes a powerful force to fight it. Sometimes I’m not sure I have it in me.

Collectively, though, I believe we have it in us. But we need each other like never before. We need to borrow hope from one another and we need to value each other enough to stay away for now. I think about the immense burden our leaders are bearing. Our governor has to make these difficult decisions while watching the numbers climb daily and there doesn’t seem to be anything that can stop it. We’re used to sending armies to defeat our enemies, but this battle requires that we go nowhere. Staying put feels like giving up. At least it does to me. I’m not a person of inaction, but there are ways to fight fear and hopelessness without leaving your home. It’s hard but not impossible.

I’m preaching to myself tonight. I barely believe the words I’m writing, but I believe that words have power and can change the world. I’ll keep using them as long as I’m able.

I’m sad tonight. Maybe that’s not all bad. I don’t want to get to the point in this whole thing where I’m closed off to all feelings. I want to feel, even when it hurts, because it means I’m still here. If you’re reading this, then you’re still here, too. Don’t give up, friend. We need you in this fight.

Day 28: Four weeks. Sleep was good last night. It’s a Friday that feels like a Saturday, a normal one anyway because there’s no “school” and Phil is at work. I keep forgetting it’s Friday. I listened to Pray As You Go because it’s Good Friday. Easter weekend. And it’s going to look so different than usual. No family gathered. No church celebration.

The kids are watching shows on TV and it makes me think of all the Saturday mornings I woke up and turned on the TV to whatever was on. We’re working on breakfast. I have a long list of baking things I want to do this weekend, some for Easter, some just because. And I’m planning to set aside some writing time today. Work feels good and is good.

We met briefly at 8 o’clock to lay out what we had to do today. I find it helpful if I tell the kids my intentions for the day as well so they don’t assume I have nothing to do. The kids folded towels and watched TV while I got started on work. Then they moved on to another cleaning project. I worked for about 90 minutes in total. I had a couple of meals/snacks to prep for the weekend, so I went to the kitchen and listened to an Office Ladies podcast while I washed dishes. Then I made an overnight oats recipe.

When the podcast episode was finished, I went looking for Andrew Peterson’s read aloud of The Wingfeather Saga book 1 and started listening to that while I made a brownie recipe from my nutrition/fitness program. The kids came into the kitchen and realized it was almost time for lunch. They had surprised themselves by how much they’d worked. They started getting lunch ready, with some help, and our daughter went out to get the mail. There was another small package from the grandparents that they tore into. It included some of those capsules that you put into warm water and they turn into something else. They were fascinated.

I finished the brownies while I ate lunch and listened to the first night of the reading. I washed another round of dishes because I want the kitchen to be cleanish for later baking and cooking projects. I started the second night of readings while I folded a load of laundry and ate a little more lunch. I want to work out in a little while, but it’s really windy outside and I’m not sure I’m going to enjoy it. Maybe I don’t always have to enjoy it. It’s a Friday that feels like a Saturday because there’s no school meetings or homework today and no one at the business behind our house. As if life was not disorienting enough!

I finished the second night of Wingfeather read-aloud. Time to get ready to work out.

It’s so windy outside. I didn’t want to go outside, but today’s workout is intervals and I haven’t yet found a cardio option I want to do inside for 2 minutes that compares to walking and running. So, I braved the elements. I was feeling really tired when I started but the fresh air and the biting wind woke me up pretty quickly. For those few minutes outside, I felt alive again. This is the fight I have on days when there’s not much to get me moving and out of bed. Sometimes just doing the next thing is the right thing.

I made a smoothie when I finished. I think I’ll spend some time reading this afternoon.

I did that while the kids watched YouTube and cleaned out a bin I asked them to sort through. I asked the kids to stop watching YouTube and they decided to play video games together. I put the clean dishes away while listening to more of Andrew Peterson read from On The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. I started some dinner prep, realizing almost too late that I needed more time to bake the sweet potatoes.

Phil came home with our vegetables, the goat meat for our Easter feast and a bunch of goodies from another stand at market: a baguette, some sweet breakfast treats and fresh pasta. I finished working on dinner. The kids took some extra time to finish the game they were playing. Phil took a shower. We ate dinner while watching a Bon Appetit video about all the ways to cook salmon. Because we were eating salmon for dinner.

The kids practiced band after dinner so they could watch more screens later. They’re still sorting through the bin, so it’s valid. I took a shower. It’s been kind of a lazy day. The kids are still wearing the pajamas they slept in last night. A day like this is okay. This is what I’m telling myself.

They went to bed around 8. I watched a bit of Netflix and worked on my cross-stitch. I had trouble falling asleep. During the day, my anxiety seems manageable, then sometimes when I lie down to sleep, it rushes to the surface.

Day 29: Holy Saturday. It’s a day often overlooked in the whole Easter weekend but especially appropriate this year. A day of waiting. Of darkness. Of uncertainty. I listened to Pray As You Go and read what the Book of Common Prayer told me to read for the Daily Office. I was struck by Psalm 88 with lines like these: 

“You have put my friends far from me.”

“Will your loving-kindness be declared in the grave? your faithfulness in the land of destruction? Will you wonders be known in the dark? or your righteousness in the country where all is forgotten?”

“My friend and my neighbor you have put away from me, and darkness is my only companion.”

Sometimes I’m surprised anew by the words I read in an ancient text that have relevance to my modern life.

The kids are playing video games. 

Friends from church left a plant on our porch sometime after we locked the house last night and woke up this morning. Phil must have found it when he left for work this morning.

It’s my brother’s birthday. We’re going to make some cupcakes to celebrate. And by “we” I mean “me” because it’s Saturday and the kids are on their own. While they finished a level of Lego Star Wars, I washed dishes and listened to Andrew Peterson read more chapters of book 1 of The Wingfeather Saga. Then I made the cupcakes. They look like muffins now that they’re out of the oven. Either I didn’t stir them enough or our oven is wonky. Either is a real possibility.

The kids are playing school now with their stuffed animals and dolls. It’s my favorite thing to watch happen because they make up real problems and assignments. I should be reading or doing something more productive than scrolling social media. I wrote a long sappy text to my brother and researched homemade masks. I still haven’t made one, but I think I’m going to try today. I drank more coffee and had a snack.

I went to the kitchen to do some reading, and not long after I had sat down, a van pulled into our driveway with people waving at us. I didn’t recognize them at first, but then our daughter’s best friend got out of the car and came toward the door. I called for my daughter and she and her friend waved at each other through the door. I asked her friend to leave what she brought on the porch and after she went back down the steps, our daughter stepped outside and said “hi” and “happy Easter” to her friend and her family. It’s so hard to watch them not be able to hug each other. Still, it was a nice surprise.

Peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate fudge frosting

The kids came into the kitchen looking for lunch, so we gathered what we needed for that. I ate a salad and listened to an Office Ladies podcast. After I finished eating, I washed some dishes so I could make the frosting for the cupcakes. Frosted, the cupcakes look better and, don’t tell anyone, but I ate one because there was one that sort of fell apart coming out of the pan. Not too bad. I read a little more and then got ready to do my workout. I missed a call from one of my grandmas because my phone was on the charger. Sounds like we’ll get to see her via video tomorrow.

Partway through my workout, our landlord showed up to mow the lawn. This had been a source of stress/worry for me. We don’t now a lawnmower. It’s part of our lease that he takes care of lawn care. The grass has been getting pretty wild, and we haven’t seen our landlord all winter (not unusual). I was beginning to wonder if we would need to borrow a lawnmower and have a “class” on mowing the lawn.

I finished my workout and made a snack. It’ll be back to the dishes for me. The kids started laundry, which was going to be next on my list, but they’re in more desperate need of it than I am. We’re having homemade pizza tonight.

It was still good.

We burnt the pizza slightly, which was almost a problem for our son, but everyone ate it and was happy. We had the cupcakes for dessert. During dinner we watched Sight and Sound’s production of Jesus that was available to stream for free on the TBN app. It was so beautiful. I cried multiple times. I even got to snuggle with my son a bit. He’s not always into snuggles, but I could tell by his mood that he needed some attention and wasn’t able to ask for it.

Phil and I watched a couple of episodes of The Office as we filled the Easter baskets. The kids saw the candy earlier in the week when Phil got back from the grocery store and maybe we have them convinced the bunny still brought the candy. I don’t know. Both our kids still believe in all the things: Santa, tooth fairy, Easter bunny. I won’t lie: if it was all ruined during a pandemic, I wouldn’t be sorry.

I went to bed and read for a while.

Day 30: Let’s sit with that number for a moment. Thirty. Days. In some ways, it’s all normal and in a lot of other ways, it’s not normal at all.

I woke up and decided to go for a run. Easter sunrise service is one of my favorite things, but we haven’t participated in one for years. Under normal circumstances, we would have gone to one this morning, but it was canceled, of course. An early morning run is almost like a sunrise service for me.

It took me a little while to get ready, but I headed out around 7:30, intending to run for 30 minutes, and that’s what I did. It was cool and sunny and peaceful and I ran almost as far as I did last Sunday, at a slower pace, but honestly I’m just interested in getting it done, not getting it done fast.

When I got home, Phil was eating sunny side up eggs over sweet potatoes and offered to make me some. I made coffee, stretched, drank water and had some of the raspberry bread he brought home earlier in the week. We saved it for Easter morning, and it was delicious. My eggs were perfectly cooked, and I feel so loved. Breakfast is my love language.

I took a shower and Phil dug out his Easter outfit for online church–the suit he wore for our wedding. It’s pink from top to bottom, and it fits him loosely so it was almost comical to see him wearing it. He found an unopened package of McDonald’s cookies in the breast pocket. Because on our way from the church to the reception venue, our brother-in-law drove us through the McDonald’s drive-through. Thirteen-year-old expired cookies is a fun find.

As we readied ourselves–with communion elements–for online church, I told Phil I’d marry him again, especially knowing we would get to this point of our marriage. A place that’s mostly calm and good. There have been other seasons of our marriage where I’m not sure I would have said that I would do it all over again.

Online church was encouraging. We got to sing together and experience the sermon all at the same time. We took communion collectively though separate. And we had a good sermon discussion time afterward.

We have a full afternoon of food prep ahead of us, plus some online calls with family. 

It’s night now. Bedtime was rough. The day is catching up with me. I’m irritable and cranky, and I’m afraid it’s my medication, or lack thereof. This may not be the best time to go off my blood pressure medication, but I can’t seem to say that to my doctor when she suggests it. We’ll try again tomorrow.

Our Easter dinner was African-inspired: goat curry, chapatis (flatbread), Formosan fried cabbage and samosas.

The kids set the table. It’s the first time we’ve eaten at the table in a month.

We had cheesecake for dessert. And took a walk between dinner and dessert. The kids rode their scooters and the sounds of joy as they coasted down the hill are some of my favorite things in the world right now.

So much food. Then we watched both episodes of John Krasinski’s Some Good News because I hadn’t shared those with the family yet.

We had a good time right up until bedtime and then it all went south. I hate how everything seems to turn on a dime. Like, there’s no warning that one of us is about to blow up. We’re holding too much inside, and I don’t know how to let it out in a healthy and productive way. Maybe that’s too much to ask.

A good night of sleep makes everything better, or at least more manageable.

Filed Under: social distancing, Uncategorized Tagged With: Easter, life during a pandemic, social distancing

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