We are currently in the midst of a Summer heatwave here in Michigan. Temperatures over the last few days have been in the upper 80s and low 90s with humidity over 70% and dew points in the 70s. Last night I was watching the weather as potentially severe storms moved through the area around midnight, and the actual temperature was 83 degrees with a "feels like" temperature of 91 degrees. 83 degrees with oppressive humidity at midnight is crazy! And it doesn't look like we're going to get much relief over the next couple of days. While I love Summer, this weather makes it really hard to enjoy any time outdoors. Thankfully the temperatures over this coming weekend look like they're going to be much more comfortable.
Along with the hot, humid weather we've been having, the last week has been a busy one for me, so our outings have been limited. Last Tuesday I worked my first election. It's something I've always thought I'd like to do and I'm really glad I did it. I'm also looking forward to working future elections. The best part is that I was able to work at my own voting precinct which is less than a 1/4 mile walk from my house. I was able to work my normal job in the morning and then make the 5 minute walk to the precinct to start working at 1pm. Working close to home was great because I was close enough to walk home for my dinner about half way through my shift and spend most of my break at home with the girls. I was glad that I was able to check on Maddie and that I didn't have to worry about her while I was gone. It was a good first experience.
We continue to try to find new areas to explore around town that are stroller friendly. Campus is a great place for stroller friendly adventures, especially this time of year when all of the students are gone. It's quiet and the sidewalks are wide and handicapper/bike friendly which makes them great for pushing Maddie around in the stroller.
There are lots of pretty places on campus to walk, and we've spent a lot of time on campus over the years, so I was pretty surprised to find a spot on campus that I didn't know existed. This little hidden area took us through a lovely garden full of beautiful summer flowers. It was quiet, peaceful, and lovely.
We had such a nice walk in this area, I look forward to going back again and spending more time here. I bet it will be gorgeous in both the Fall and Spring.
Continuing with my plans to make the most of our Summer, I had planned a fun little adventure for me and the girls to explore a new area on Saturday. I had recently learned about a few parks along the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair and thought it would make for a nice, stroller-friendly adventure.
Our first stop of the day was at Palmer Park in St. Clair. There is a nice park with a boardwalk right along the river and the freighter traffic along the river is pretty impressive. Maddie was feeling pretty sassy that morning and insisted on walking on several occasions, so we weren't getting anywhere fast, but I was so happy to see her feeling great and enjoying her time. I know that being close to the water was a really big part of her excitement.
This awesome little park was quiet, but there were several people along the boardwalk sitting on benches or in the grass watching the freighter traffic. So many of them stopped us as we walked along so that they could say hello to the girls and chat. Peaches and Maddie both enjoyed all of the attention that they were getting.
We left St. Clair and continued our journey South. We drove M29 along the river and made a couple of quick stops along the way. While we didn't spend much time in Algonac, we did enjoy our stop at the State Park and would like to go back to spend more time there some day too.
We made it to New Baltimore in the early afternoon and found the dog-friendly Ruedisale Park just outside of town. This park is on the Lake St. Clair and there was a nice breeze coming off of the lake. We found a nice shady spot and set ourselves up near a picnic table in the shade.
I found this rubbermaid container full of toys on the picnic table and thought it was such a sweet way of remembering a pup that had enjoyed this park during it's lifetime. Peaches was pretty interested in this container of fun and we took advantage of a ball and a couple of stuffed animals while we were there.
We left New Baltimore and started our travels toward home, but we still had one more stop to make. We were going to be driving right by my friend Janie's house and I was excited to get a chance to see her and for her to get a chance to meet the girls.
We had a great visit with Janie and I'm so mad that I didn't get more pictures, but Maddie was happy to make herself right at home there. Peaches was happy to make a new friend with Janie's dog Oliver and they zoomed around the yard in a good game of chase before Peaches settled in to sniff and explore every inch of Janie's back yard. I really wish I had gotten some video of Peaches and Oliver playing or the sweet moment that Oliver and Maddie had, but sometimes when you are just living in the moment, pictures don't happen. I'm just glad that Janie was able to experience my crazy girls first hand and we got a chance to catch up . And now I know if we're in the area again, Peaches has another friend for a fun playdate!
I had had a busy weekend with a Friday night wedding and our Saturday adventures, so after spending some time in the garden on Sunday morning, we spent a quiet day at home. It was a much needed day of rest after a busy week.
While the month of August has started out a little slow in the way of adventures, I have lots of fun planned over the course of the rest of the month so we can make the very most of every single Summer day we have remaining. I am reminded daily in my life with Maddie that we don't know how many days we have left, so we're going to make sure that no matter how many days that is for us, we're going to enjoy them.
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