What a whirlwind of a week, with lots of traveling--to Wisconsin and then to Alabama. I had family time, followed by friend time. There was a lot of time on the water between kayaking, waterskiing, floating, and boating. I couldn't have asked for more. Summer is so short, and we have to squeeze it all in!!!
Weekly Rundown
Sunday: trail hike 3.5 miles/kayaking
Monday: kayaking/drive home
Tuesday: trail run 6.5 miles
Wednesday: Yoga with Adriene, travel to Alabama
Thursday: waterski
Friday: waterski
Saturday: waterski
We were still in Door County, Wisconsin on Sunday, and when I woke up, I went for a walk on the rustic road where we were staying. If you recall from last week's post, my running shoes never made it into the car, and I was using my DIL's walking shoes. Thank goodness for those! It was still very smoky, although not as bad as it had been, so a walk was just perfect.
I walked the mile to the park where the public beach was. I saw a deer not too long after leaving the house. It was a beautiful morning with no wind. After stopping to look at the lake, I headed a little farther down the street. I saw a boardwalk in the woods--a trail? It was unmarked, so I wasn't sure if it was an official trail or not. But you know me--I headed into the woods. Eventually, the boardwalk ended, and I stepped onto a dirt trail. There was an arrow nailed into the tree, so I felt more comfortable with my decision. I came upon a trail map and oriented myself. If I continued on, I would eventually come to a resort.
What a happy accident--this was a beautiful trail! There was one section where I was being chased by biting flies. I decided to turn around, and they eventually left me alone. I finished this walk with a smile on my face and feeling grateful for all this beauty.
After dinner, my sons and I went kayaking along the Lake Michigan shore. The water was a little choppy, but we made it all the way to the beach where I had walked earlier that day. We saw a lot of seabirds, too! Pretty sure they were mocking us. The trip back was a little challenge as we paddled into the wind. We all made it back safely. When I attempted to get out of my kayak, a wave knocked the kayak into my shin, and I slipped on the rocks, falling into the water! Nothing hurt at the time--I just got soaked. While we were gone, my hubs had gotten the fire pit going for s'mores.
The water was calmer on Monday. We were heading home later in the morning, so I decided to go for another paddle. The wind picked up, so I didn't go as far as the night before. When I got back to the house, I noticed a large goose egg over my shin. It must have been from the impact of the kayak the night before. I don't know why it wasn't like that earlier in the morning, but no matter, I kept ice on it all day to keep the swelling down.
As soon as I got back, my son decided to go out. He took off into the sun, and I wished I had gone with him, especially when he shared this bald eagle photo with me. Next to the eagle is a juvenile. We were so fortunate to see so many different birds on this trip! What a fun weekend!
Back at home, I was so happy to be reunited with my trail shoes! On Tuesday, I took them to the preserve for a run. I slept later than I wanted, so I had a later start. No deer sightings, unfortunately, but lots of wildflowers, mushrooms, and wild blackberries! I didn't pick any, as they weren't quite ripe, but hopefully they will still be around when I return next week.
I traveled to Alabama to visit my friend Holly late Wednesday afternoon, and after lots of catching up on the 1 1/2 hour drive from the airport to Holly's house, we had dinner and went for a sunset cruise on her ski boat. Too rough to ski, we hoped for better conditions on Thursday.
On Friday, we were out on the water by 9 am to take advantage of the sunshine and the calm conditions. All I can say is that after skiing behind my hubs' fishing boat, there is nothing better than skiing behind a ski boat. What a difference it makes! I was so pleased with my progress--Holly has been such a great influence and has provided so much helpful guidance.
As you can imagine, I have so many photos--I did my best to limit them here on the blog. You can see more on my IG.
It rained most of the day on Saturday, but once the rain cleared, we were back on the water for, you guessed it, more skiing!
One more outing on Sunday...
Off the road...
On Sunday, the 6 of us went out to lunch at a waterfront restaurant in Sister Bay, one of the small towns that line the shores of Door County. My one request was a family photo, and they obliged. Made my mama's heart so happy!! And of course, it's my wallpaper for all my devices!
While visiting with Holly, we were excited to have Teresa join us on Thursday! If you've been following me for a while, you'll remember Teresa--either from her past blogging days or from following her on IG. She's been a good friend for many years. We enjoyed a boat ride with her after she arrived and lots of catching up over wine.
On Friday, we explored the quaint little town of Wetumpka, where Holly lives. Saturday was more time on the water!
How was your week? Would you explore an unmarked trail? Do you enjoy kayaking? Any other waterskiiers here?
It sounds like both of your trips were spectacular - family time followed by friend time! Who could ask for more? And what a great family photo (it's a perfect Christmas card picture)!
ReplyDeleteHow cool for your son to see two bald eagles. I've only seen four in the wild in real life - would love to see them more often!
The stories I could tell about me learning to water ski! LOL
We were laughing about those painful falls on 2 waterskis (aka enemas), lol. But once I mastered the slalom ski, llife was good!
DeleteIs there anything better than spending time with family and then with friends?! What a wonderful week you had, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteI love that you are getting the most out of your summer with hikes and then waterskiing. I've tried kayaking, it's quite relaxing! And I like that you can see where you're going to, as opposed to rowing.
We just spent a week hiking in the Austrian Alps. Because the region is so high (9'000ft) and vast, it's recommendable to stick to the marked trails.
I'd love to explore those trails! But that altitude would make me move pretty slowly!
DeleteYour post did not show up in my feed for some reason! I am glad you had this time off to connect with family and friends. That family photo is great! And soon there will be a 7th little guy in the photo! Your DIL must be in or close to her 3rd trimester? How exciting!
ReplyDeleteMy parents have a double kayak so we do quite a bit of kayaking at their lake. Every summer, my husband swims across the lake during our August vacation up there. We do it on a week day when there isn't much boat traffic. I kayak alongside him and then he gets in the kayak for the return trip. He doesn't have a fitness watch but we estimate that it's about a 2 mile swim!! I am going to try to convince him to wear my apple watch this year so we have a distance estimate. It takes him about 70 minutes to swim across the lake. It is honestly not my favorite thing because there can be cross words exchanged when he thinks I'm too far ahead or not pointing at the destination (he kind of uses me to keep him from straying too far off course) but if there are any waves (and there almost always are!) it's hard to keep the kayak consistently pointed to our destination with a safe amount of distance between us... But I love him and this something that he loves to do, so I grit my teeth a bit and do it. Ha.
We had a great week! It was cooler Tues-Thur so we were able to open up the house which felt so nice. The heat was back by Friday night. I took the boys to the pool on Saturday afternoon and then on Sunday we went to a coworker/friend's house with a pool and the boys swam for probably 4 of the 4.5 hours we were there! They have become such fishes which I love!
I too loved that my boys became such water lovers! They both ski and wakeboard, which makes me so happy. I can't believe your hubs swims across the lake. I understand that you kayak alongside him, but does he still wear a buoy?
DeleteIt really sounds and looks like you've had some great times lately!! You deserve that so much after all the troubles you've been through during the last few months.
ReplyDeleteThat beach is so beautiful and looks so... Swedish!! The trails look fantastic too! I'd definitely explore some unmarked trails, you just need to keep track of where you've been so you find your way back. Those are often the most exciting trails. So sorry about your shin - I guess it's all better now since you were able to go for your trail run.
That's the area of Wisconsin which is very scandinavian. The boys and my hubs all went out for Swedish pancakes--complete with lingonberries! It's a beautiful area.
DeleteThe shin is still bruised, but it doesn't really bother me, thankfully!
Yes. Being on the water is the best and being with your girl friends makes it even better.
ReplyDeleteYou all look great!
've been trying to convince the hubby to trade in our big boat since we don't sleep on it anymore and get one where we can waterski. He is not convinced... similar to our big house... too much stuff to get rid of.
I still ski behind my hubs fishing boat, lol. I cannot talk him into getting a more versatile boat. Sigh.
DeleteThe family photos are my favorite too. They always give me a hard time and then are happy to have them as well. Looks like you had su h a fun time down in Alabama. Glad you were able to get away for some friend time and relax doing what you love
ReplyDeleteIt really helped to get away. Interestingly, both of them are having parent/family issues as well. Is it our age? We sure had a lot to talk about!
DeleteLooks like such a great week with family time and friend time! Great seeing Holly and Teresa in the pics! No, I would not go exploring on an unmarked trail, LOL…I’d never find my way back out.
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