Happy Monday friends! I don't know about you, but for me this Summer seems to be just flying by and soon we'll be 2/3's of the way through the season. We are slowly seeing the daylight hours get shorter and the temperatures at night getting cooler. After a very hot and humid beginning to our week last week, we had a nearly perfect Summer weekend. I was happy to be able to turn off the air conditioner and open the windows and to comfortably spend more time outside with the girls. We have more hot days ahead of us this week, but I never complain about the heat because I know soon enough Winter and it's cold temperatures will be here. For now we're celebrating the dog days of Summer while they last!
Last week we spent a lot of time on Campus. It has been so peaceful without students. Summer is always the best time to visit campus in my opinion, but it's been even quieter than normal due to changes on campus due to Covid. However, that is all about to change as students will soon be moving back to resume a more normal Campus life once again. So we are taking full advantage of the peace while it lasts.
With it's wide sidewalks that are bike/handicapper accessible, it is the perfect place to take the stroller. It's also so big and there are so many beautiful places to walk, every day can be a new adventure for the girls and I don't get sick of seeing the same scenery every day.
Each night I've made sure that Maddie got some time out of the stroller to explore a bit. On the really hot days, she especially enjoyed the time she spent just laying in the cool grass. Peaches was also happy to spend some time in the grass!
We experienced some pretty exceptional sunsets on our visits. The beauty was enhanced by the smoky air from Canadian wildfires. I always love a good sunset.
On one of the more humid nights last week, I wasn't sure I was going to convince Maddie to move from the grass for our walk, but eventually she decided she'd let me load her in the stroller.
We headed out for our walk in a part of campus that I'm not very familiar with and found some pretty interesting sights. These columns list donors to the university and are actually quite pretty.
We also found a cute little garden with some interesting artwork and a nice fountain. We stopped for a bit to enjoy the area and chat with a nice couple who was there enjoying their dinner.
In addition to beautiful trees, flowers, and artwork, campus is full of gorgeous old buildings. I always love to stop and admire the beautiful old buildings and think about all of the people who have passed through their halls and the history contained within each one.
After another nice long walk, we were once again treated to another beautiful sunset on our way home. This picture doesn't do justice to just how beautiful it was.
In an effort to make the most of our Summer, and honestly to make the most of whatever time we have left with Maddie, I decided to take Wednesday afternoons off at work from now until Labor Day so we can take some small afternoon adventures. While I had no specific plans last week, I was hoping to find something fun to do.
Our afternoon started with a trip to the vet for Maddie's laser therapy. Peaches was very happy to be there with me waiting for Maddie to finish her visit. While we waited the weather turned as some storms moved through the area, and I wasn't sure we'd be able to get out to do anything. But once Maddie was back in the car, I made a plan and off we went.
I wasn't sure what the weather was going to do, but we headed the short drive North to Carson City to do a little geocaching. The great thing about geocaching is that even on a rainy day, you can find a way to have some fun without getting too wet. Lucky for us, the rain passed before we arrived in town and we were able to get out to find several caches and to take a few short walks while we were there.
We spent a couple of hours on our geocaching adventure before we turned toward home. I made a stop at Phillip's Orchard on our way home to buy some day old donuts, a cider slushie, and 10 pounds of fresh Michigan peaches. We had such a nice time and it was great to be able to just get away for a few hours mid-week.
On Thursday, we made our way to Dewitt to buy some Michigan Blueberries. While I had hoped to pick some blueberries myself this year, I found a farm that sold already picked berries for only 11 cents more per pound that U Pick at another local farm. For only $1.10 more for 10 pounds, I was happy to buy the already picked berries, especially with the extra hot and humid weather we were having. While we were in the area, we made a quick stop at a local park before heading home for the night.
With cooler temperatures on Friday, I decided that we'd make a trip downtown for our nightly walk. We hadn't been down there in quite awhile and Friday's are usually pretty quiet. This Friday was clearly the exception. With a Lugnuts Baseball game and lots of people out and about, downtown was buzzing. We had a nice walk around the stadium and chatted with a few people along the way.
Saturday we once again headed to campus for our walk. With the lovely temperatures, I was ready for a nice long walk and I had found yet another new area to explore. The Sanford Natural area is right along the River and seemed like a great place to take the girls for a walk in the woods.
Sadly, as we walked around campus, we noticed a lot more people and several people starting to move onto campus. In just a couple of weeks, I know campus will be busy once again. But for now, we're making the most of our visits there. On a positive note, my niece Sidnee will be moving into the dorms on campus to start her time at MSU this Fall. I'm excited that I'll get to see her a little more often and I'm hoping we can have some regular walks together once she is here.
After a very busy Saturday, the girls were pooped and we had a very quiet evening at home. It was a great way to end our week of fun.
With all we had done throughout the week, I decided that a nice quiet Sunday at home was just what we needed. I spent time in the garden, mowed the lawn, did some yard and house work, and spent time freezing blueberries and prepping some other garden items for the freezer. It was a great day at home which ended with a really delicious one pot creamy chicken pesto pasta for dinner.
I think Maddie approved of our quiet day at home too. It was a wonderful Summer day for a nap to rest up for another fun-filled week of Summer fun.
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