So, across The Bridge we went, unpacked, and we were snuggled into bed. The girls shared a bed this year which was its own separate adventure, but they loved it.
The first day we went up to Sault Ste. Marie to visit the Super Walmart for groceries. I always feel like a modern day Laura Ingalls going to the mercantile for supplies. It's a stretch, but when you're used to living in Metro Detroit, the Eastern U.P. resembles the Dakota Territory a bit more than you'd think. We stopped at a fun new restaurant for lunch called The Wicked Sister and then let the kids play outside. The International bridge to Canada is in the background of the kids' photos. You'll have to trust me on this one since you can't actually see the bridge in the background. I was a little distracted by Megan falling off the cement wall and scraping her knees. And with that, our vacation was off and running...ha ha :) We topped off Day 1 with a dinner of Campfire Nachos, Walking Tacos, and S'mores. (The kids insisted I get the ship in the background of their s'mores picture!)
Once we were stocked up with supplies, we were free to enjoy the great weather. We spent the next two days at some of the scenic areas along M-134. Since there are lots of little inlets and beach areas, we alternate visiting the different "Scenics" along the road. The first one we went to was a big hit with Chloe as it had some tidepools with tadpoles. After whipping up some breakfast (pineapple pancakes and whipped cream), we were off.
After hours on the beach we came home and filled our bellies. One night we had BBQ (fake) chicken, grilled corn, and Panzanella salad - the other night we had spaghetti and meatballs. For dessert we had ice cream and sparkler cookies.
After three full days of fun we were ready for July 4th! Our favorite is the parade in town so we left early to get our seats on the route and the kids had fun collecting all the candy tossed our way by the people on the parade floats. Mickey, Minnie, Elsa, and Anna showed up which was uber exciting. That night we grilled out and ate dinner by the campfire at the shore. We took our annual July 4 photos of the kids. The girls also took kayaking adventures with their uncle. We even let the kids stay up late for fireworks. To say we were exhausted at the end of the day would be an understatement, but lots of memories were made for sure.
Drummond Island is just across the water from the cottage so the next day we decided to take a day trip to explore the island. We took the car ferry over and made a quick stop for souvenirs. By then it was lunchtime so we tried a new spot - Esther's - which turned out to be fabulous Mexican food. Good thing we stocked up on carbs and fat because we took a trek through the woods afterward that tested our hiking endurance :) So much so that we had to cool off with some ice cream before heading back. That's a serious hike!
Our final few days were spent being pretty lazy. We read. We played games. We ate at our favorite little dives. We bought some final souvenirs. The last night the kids had some chocolate pudding pops and made their final splashes on the cottage shore.
This is when the kids start cycling through the stages of grief.
Denial ("Mom, tomorrow can we go back to The Scenic?" "Um, no, tomorrow we are packing up and going home, remember?")
Bargaining ("Can we just stay 1 or 2 more days?")
Anger ("Why can't we stay?!" with lots of stomping and scowly faces.)
Depression (this is where lots of crying happens)
Finally acceptance and planning for next time. (Can we come back up this summer?)
They squabble with each other but this is the place where they are just so happy. When we got home later on Friday I had the girls unpack their suitcases. I had done all their laundry so it was just a matter of them putting their clean clothes back in their dressers. From down the hallway I could hear Megan crying as she took one article of clothing at a time and returned it to the drawer. Meanwhile, Chloe rattled off all the reasons why up north is better than home. The beds are better. It's more fun outside. The cousins are there. We can play in the water. We get dessert every night. Oh boy. She had quite a list. You'd think they lived in a shack from the way she described home. I'm so glad they are building such wonderful memories in the same place their dad and grandpa spent their summers.
