Heat wave

The beginning of the week brought us an end of Spring heat wave.  With temperatures in the high 80s and 90s, getting outside for much fun was definitely a challenge.  Combine that with storms and rain throughout the week, and we didn't have a very eventful week.

The girls spent most of their time outside in the morning before it got too hot or in the evening when it had cooled down with short spurts of time in the middle of the day.

On my lunch on Tuesday, the girls and I took a drive out to buy strawberries at the farm and I decided to swing by the dog park for a short visit before we headed home.  It was cloudy and we had the whole place to ourselves, but the girls got in a good run and Mina played several rounds of fetch in our short visit.  It was just what they needed.

I had the day off Wednesday for the Juneteenth holiday and wanted to do something fun with my day.  

After a quiet morning at home, I loaded the girls into the car and headed out to find some fun places to explore.  First we stopped at the North Meridian Road park for a short walk in the shade.  We picked the perfect trail with lots of shade and no bugs.  

After about a mile in the woods, we were all ready for some water and the air conditioned comfort of the car.   

We drove around picking up a few geocaches along the way and found this cute nature preserve in the Bath area, so of course we had to check it out.

It was quiet and shady, and although there were a few spots that were buggy, for the most part we had a really great walk.  There a few short trails here, and we got in another mile before making it back to the car.  

We'll definitely stop by here again if we are in the area.  Peaches and Mina really enjoyed their walk.

We found one other nature center in the area for one more short walk before we headed home for the day.  We had such a great day and the all that time outside in the heat kept them happy for the rest night.

Thursday the hot, humid weather continued, but thankfully all of our Wednesday fun kept the girls quiet most of the day.  Late in the afternoon, a storm system moved through the area bringing with it some really heavy rains.  The timing of the storm was perfect because it cooled the temperature down enough that I could take the dogs with me to the Farmer's Market with me.  They love going for their weekly visit and I'm glad that they could join me.  Those storms also ushered in the Summer Solstice.  I'm always sad to see Spring go, but I do love our Michigan Summers too.  I can't wait to see what fun we can find this Summer!

After an uneventful Friday, my Saturday started with a trip to the shelter for our Dog Walking Club walk.  I walked Sorah who is a very sweet girl.  I then spent the rest of my day doing yard work and some work around the house.  It was a really productive day.  I had a couple of graduation open houses to attend late in the day, and then the girls and I had a quiet evening at home.  

Sunday morning we were up early because we had to start our travels toward Minnesota where I'll be spending the next several days at a work conference.  I decided I'd make the drive on Sunday so that the girls and I could have a little adventure before I had to drop them off for boarding and I have to sit in meetings all week.  Normally when I make this drive for work, it is after we've spent some time in the UP, and I love the drive across Northern Wisconsin, but this time we left from home so we had to drive through the Chicago area traffic.  

We made a few quick stops along the drive, but the Wisconsin Welcome Center may just have been the favorite stop for the girls.  Peaches was rolling in the grass and Mina was exploring all the new smells.  They were just happy to be out of the car and checking out somewhere new.

Finally, after a long day of driving due to some slow downs around Gary and Chicago, we finally made it to our destination for the evening-Eau Claire Wisconsin.  While I've driven through this area on several occasions during my travels west, I've never stopped.  So we made sure to get out for a walk around town to stretch our legs after all of that time in the car.  The views along the river were especially pretty.  

It had been a long Sunday, and after a nice walk and dinner, we quickly settled in for a quiet night in our hotel.  

Mina had me up bright and early this morning for a quick potty walk and breakfast, so I'm making the most of the quiet time to finish the blog and a few other things before we head out to explore a bit more. and then finish our drive to Minnesota.  I sure am going to miss the girls the next few days, but I know that they'll have fun at Lucky Dog and I have some fun plans for our weekend before we leave Minnesota to travel home.  I hope you all have a great week!