Notes from Saturday: Beautiful morning! No rain! Pop-tart breakfast and bananas! Bees! Get ready to go – stop at Nicolet Beach for facilities and supplies, S and V play on grass field, S running and getting V with grass and laughing and playing lots, C and R and S get in car while V gets bottles of water, over hear rain coming tomorrow maybe, fill water bottles, get in car, drive to Sister Bay, find parking at Al Johnson’s, say Hi to goats on roof, put name on list (1 hour wait), go across the street to playground and Labor Day Fair (bounce houses, giant slides, games, markets, shops, etc), boys play at playground by the beach – so fun, loved playing in the pirate ship! Go for a walk to look for C’s camping store (he wants Dr. Bronner’s to give kids bath in the lake), walk up street, cute confectionery shops, clothing boutiques, restaurants, no camping store, walk back to Al Johnson’s, check wait, another 15 mins max, go to Al Johnson’s gift shop and check out Swedish gifts, boys read kids books, R loves astronaut flip book, Swedish Christmas decor, toy stuffed animal goats, kids Viking helmets, truck books, wood puzzles, lingonberry soap, V feeling so faint and tired and hungry and pregnant…want to pass out, start to make way over to look for a bench, then they call our name! Hooray! Seated at table, so crowded in restaurant, color pictures of goats on the roof with crayons, R laughs at goat’s shadow and legs hanging off roof (restaurant sign), order Swedish pancakes with fresh strawberries and whipped cream each for the boys (with OJ for R and chocolate milk for S) and breakfast Pyttipanna with side of pickled beets each for C and V and Swedish pancake with fresh strawberries and whip cream to share with OJ each. BEST MEAL EVER! It was amazing and really hit the spot – so hungry! After lunch, potty breaks, buy raspberry Nordic sweets for treat, get in car and drive to Whitefish Dunes State Park, V falls asleep. Usual trail to beach is closed so take a different road – hike on dirt trail through woods to the beach, windy, cloudy, cold but so many people playing in the water! R and S playing in the waves and on the beach, C tells S not to throw sand, V tried to nap on beach but preggo belly too big and uncomfortable, misty fog and clouds look cool – can’t even see the trees anymore! Boys all playing in the water and beach running splashing having so much fun! Boys go for a walk down the beach, sun breaks through the mist and clouds, looks so spectacular! Play more on beach, eat gorp, play and then start to pack up around 4pm to head back to campsite. Boys wrapped up in towels walking back to car, so cute. Back at campsite V naps in tent while boys play with Duplo Legos in the tent, boys help C make dutch oven nacho dinner while V naps, dinner ready, yummy nachos with sour cream, avocado, and beans! Make second batch, eat s’mores with roasting coals and make a fire, yum! Get ready for bed – C puts boys to bed, V tends fire, V and C roast s’mores, contemplate weather – supposed to rain and we don’t want to break camp in the rain, C begins to clean up dinner, V falls asleep in camping chair next to fire, C tells V to go to bed and he will finish cleaning, V goes to bed and is asleep immediately, doesn’t wake when C comes to bed. C comes to bed late! At 5:30 AM hear loud cracking and breaking sounds outside – V and C wake up, V thinks it was fireworks, C thinks a tree fell over – but there was no wind?
