Flowers, food, Fairs, and fun

Boy oh boy has it been a crazy couple of weeks.  With big storms that moved through the area about 10 days ago knocking down lots of branches, and even entire trees, it's been a busy week of cleanup all over my neighborhood.  Add to that a power outage that lasted for several days throughout Greater Lansing, and that all coming on the heals of my return from a week in the UP, things have just been busy.  Oh, and I had work and regular responsibilities too!  

I had intended to write at least a quick blog post while on my UP vacation, however, the internet and website would not cooperate to upload pictures appropriately, so I gave up on that idea.  I thought I'd just do a catch-up post when I returned home from the UP last Sunday, but then I came home to the storm damage and no power, so the blog was delayed yet again.

With the power back and the girls and me stationary for the long Labor Day weekend, I am finally able to sit down and play a little catch up on lots of things, including the blog.  So here goes part 1!

Before leaving for our vacation we were enjoying our August days at home with walks and local adventures, including a fun lunchtime walk around the Farmer's Market at the Capitol.  It was a rainy day so there were no crowds, but we got lucky and showed up when it wasn't raining.  The girls loved this walk and were rewarded with some special treats at the end, and I enjoyed a tasty lunch from a Peruvian food truck.

Mina has had lots of crazy energy. Just look at those crazy eyes!  She is fully recovered from her spay surgery, but I think her hormones are still settling down, which has caused her to act differently than my sweet normal puppy.  I'm hoping those hormones settle down soon and she's back to herself!  Peaches and I are both ready for her to be a little less crazy.

We had a busy few days preparing to leave for our vacation.  The girls had a trip to the Michigan School of Canine Cosmetology for a nail trim and dremel.  Peaches loves going there until she realizes that she is there for a nail trim.  She hates getting her nails trimmed!  Mina doesn't seem to mind the nail trim though, and waited patiently while Peaches went first.

I also finished a bunch of work around the house and yard, including a nice little harvest from the garden before we left.  The tomatoes made the trip North with us and so did many of the green beans, but unfortunately the power outage caused me to lose the tomatillos that I had frozen.  Luckily garden season is still in full force.

Friday night arrived and I had plans to attend a geocaching event at Sleepy Hollow State Park.  Every year, there is a big geocaching event at the Park on a Saturday in August, and they always hold a gathering the evening before the event.  We couldn't make it to the Saturday event, but thought we'd stop for the Friday event to check it out and visit with some of the other cachers.  It was a nice time and we caught a beautiful sunset on the way home.

Saturday morning arrived and the car was packed and ready to go.  After a couple quick stops around town, we were off, heading North for a week of fun and relaxation.  Peaches was ready for some fun!

When we stopped in Gaylord to top off the gas tank, I decided it was the perfect spot to get the girls out for a potty break and a nice walk.  We all needed a little exercise and to stretch our legs.

We had a great walk around town, stopped by a few of the bears scattered around town, picked up some geocaches, and even took a walk through the Farmer's Market to get a few goodies.  The girls ate their lunch when got back to the car and then settled in for the rest of the drive to the UP.

Once we made it over the Bridge, we headed West for our first UP adventure of our vacation.  We would be staying in the Escanaba area for the night, and I was so excited to see that the Hall Farms Sunflower field was still in full bloom and open.  The Farm was just a 20 minute drive from our hotel and is somewhere I've wanted to visit for a few years.  

The owners of the farm are so nice.  They open the sunflower fields to the public free of charge and are so welcoming.  They have some fun activities and the fields are so well kept with wide paths for walking.  

The girls and I walked the entire perimeter of the field and through all of the paths in the fields.  The even sat nicely for some pictures.  We got in a nice walk and really enjoyed our stop.  I'd highly recommend a stop here if you are in the area when they are open.  Such a great place!

After leaving the sunflower fields, we picked up a few geocaches as we drove through the farmlands of the UP on our way to our hotel.  

After getting settled into our hotel, I headed out with the girls for a walk around Escanaba and a visit to the UP State Fair.  I'd never visited the UP State Fair before, but I was pleasantly surprised.  There is lots of great food choices and lots of rides.  I ate the Norm's fries as recommended by a friend, and they were delicious!

And of course, I had to check out the farm animals before I left.  It was a fun night at the Fair!  

After a long day of travel and some fun adventures, we settled into our hotel for the night; three tired girls ready for a fun week of vacation!

Sunday morning after a stop at the Swedish Pantry for potato pancakes and a quick walk around downtown Escanaba, we hit the road to head North to Copper Harbor.  We had plans to make it to town in time to visit Art in the Park and stop by Grandpa's Barn to meet children's author Aimee Bissonette, so we made the drive with no stops along the way.  

We made it in plenty of time to check in to our cabin for the week and then head to the Park.  We stopped to support the Grant Twp Fire Department by buying a hot dog for the girls and some grilled corn on the cob for me, which we enjoyed while walking around the park and checking out all of the vendors.  

We then walked along the story walk path to Grandpa's Barn where I purchased a couple of books for Fiona and met author Aimee Bissonette.  I was even lucky enough to win the raffle for one of her books!

After walking around a bit, we sat in the park to enjoy the music and beautiful voice of Gail English.  Peaches even relaxed for a bit.

It had been another full day of fun, but a day in the Harbor is never complete without a walk around town, a stop at The Genny, and then grabbing some dinner to enjoy in our room. 

We ended our evening with an after dinner walk around town at sunset.  Little did I know this would be the only sunset I'd see in town all week.  But it was a beautiful way to end our first day in our favorite little Northern town. 

While the girls and I were enjoying our time in the UP, Fiona was not happy that her mom made her wear sunglasses!  🤣

Watch for Part 2 and the conclusion of our vacation coming soon.