A mid-summer week's adventures

I don't know how it's possible, but we have reached August and will reach the mid-point of Summer in just a couple of days.  Sadly for me, it is the point in time when the 9pm sunsets are a thing of the past and it's still dark in the morning when I let the girls out for their first potty break of the day.  I've heard so many people this week saying it's Fall, but we're still 50 days away from that, and I'm in no hurry to get there!  I just can't believe how fast this Summer, and this year, has gone by.  While we are beginning to wind down the summer season over the next several weeks, we are going to continue to take advantage of the things we love best about this time of year.

This week has been a fun one for us, and, after a hot and humid start, the weather has been great the last few days.  On Monday, I drove out to Webberville with the girls after work for a short walk around Simmons Memorial Park.  It has a short loop trail that was perfect to get in a walk with the heat and humidity.  While we were out that way, I decided to drive a little farther to the Fowlerville Community Park to check out their walking trail too.  It was a new park for us and the girls were happy to check it out.  We were able to complete the one mile trail comfortably since it was mostly shaded, and we ended the evening walking a total of just over 1 1/2 miles.  It was the perfect way to spend our Monday evening.

On Tuesday, I was up early to drive to Farmington Hills for some grandma duty.  Nicol and Tyler had to take Picasso to his first appointment for physical therapy following his TPLO surgery a few weeks ago and needed someone to stay with Fiona while they were gone.  I brought Peaches and Mina along and dropped them off for a half day of doggy daycare at Canine College and arrived at Nicol's house before 8:30am.  I got to work once I was there, and I worked while Fiona ate breakfast, played, and told me stories.  Of course I took a few breaks to read some books, and we spent a little time outside playing too.  

After Nicol and Tyler got home, I stayed awhile longer so I could read some more books to Fiona and spend a little time giving Picasso some love.  But eventually, I had to leave to pick up some lunch and to get the girls from daycare so we could make the drive home.  Once I got home, I spent some one on one time with Mia and got her out for a walk around the neighborhood.  Then I had to head out the door to make the drive to South Bend to attend the 35th work anniversary of one of our advisors.  

I made the 2 hour and 40 minute drive to the party, stayed for about 90 minutes, and then made the 2 hour and 40 minute drive home.  It had been a long night, but I was glad that I had gone.  I was even happier that I had Wednesday off from work for some fun with the girls.

We left home mid-morning on Wednesday to head to Albion for the first of several planned stops for the day.  Our first stop was a geocaching event at the Whitehouse Nature Center on the campus of Albion College.  We had a short visit with a couple of other people there for the event before heading out to get  our day started with a one mile hike at the Nature Center.  Then, when we were finished, we headed just down the street to Victory Park so that we could get a couple of miles on the North Country Trail before leaving town.

After picking up some lunch, we then headed out to our next geocaching event of the day near Spring Arbor.  One of the local geocachers there has built several trails on his property and has placed several geocaches along those trails.  When we arrived, I wasn't sure if I'd do much hiking because it was humid and the girls were pretty tired from the three miles we'd already hiked.  But we arrived at the same time as two Lansing area geocachers that I know.  We enjoyed a little lemonade and a cookie, and I decided we could tag along with the other geocachers to find a few of the caches. So off we went for another little walk in the woods.  We added about three-quarters of a mile more to our mileage for the day by the time we were done.

Next we were off for another gathering of geocachers, this time at Cascades Park in Jackson.  We chatted with a few people there, but didn't stay long before we continued on our way to Chelsea.

In Chelsea, we were able to make some progress toward our Chelsea Trails Bark Ranger challenge by completing the Silver Maples Loop trail and taking a short walk on the Senior Center leg(which is only a quarter mile long).

We enjoyed the Silver Maple loop and the girls were pretty excited to see a few of the local deer.

We finished the loop trail and got back into the car to head off to our final geocaching event of the day, a Christmas in July event with a beach theme which was a very short drive from the trail. 

There were lots of people and even a few dogs here, and we stayed for a little while to chat with a few people, but I knew rain would be moving into the area soon, and Mia was beginning to feel some stress, so I purchased some Kona Ice from the food truck-one flavored for me and one plain for the girls to share, then headed over to the car for a picture and treat.   The rain began to fall as I loaded the girls into the car, and we were happy to head home after a really fun day of hiking, geocaching, and just spending some quality time together.  

Thursday was a very quiet day at my house.  The girls were pooped after all of their adventures Wednesday, and spent a lot of time sleeping.  I loved it.  While there was lots of napping, the temperatures were cooler than they had been and it was really the perfect weather for the girls to spend some time outside while I worked.  When Mia wasn't sound asleep in the bedroom, she could be found napping under the trees next to my garden.   She loves to be outside!

After work, I took Mina for a trip to the South Lansing Farmer's Market.  While the girls didn't need a big adventure that evening, I knew that I needed to get them out for at least a short walk and some fun.  Since Mina is so good, I decided she'd be the one to attend the Farmer's Market since it would be easier to shop with her.  She exceeded my expectations and got so many compliments.  She's such a good girl.

Next, I took Peaches for a trip to Preuss Pets.  I knew she'd love this trip, and I was not wrong.  After a walk around the block, we headed into the store.  She was so interested in the Koi pond, and of course, she got a special treat before we left. 

When I got home, I decided to take Mia for a short visit to the Farmer's Market and a walk around Soldan's.  She got a few special treats from our favorite treat lady and happily sniffed all of the smells.  While it was a quick trip, she seemed very happy with her solo outing.  

Friday was a busy day at work, but I was able to get Peaches and Mina out for a trip to the dog park over my lunch.  But the highlight of the day was the delivery of roofing materials for the new roof that I'm going to get tomorrow.

After work, I was going to take Mia for another solo adventure, but I decided I'd bring Mina along too, and we'd make a trip to Old Town for a walk around at JazzFest.  We had a really nice walk and enjoyed some good music.  It was a nice way to start our weekend.

I was happy to be able to get out to the shelter for our Saturday morning dog walk after not being able to walk on Wednesday.  We were able to get four dogs out for a walk on a really beautiful summer morning.

After getting home from dog walking, I loaded Peaches and Mina into the car for the drive to Waterloo Recreation area for the annual Camp MIGO geocaching event.  I was looking forward to a fun day of geocaching and hiking with them.  It was a really fun event, and we saw several Lansing area geocachers that we knew.  I loved that Mina got to meet Signal the Frog, the geocaching mascot.  She loved him!

We walked all over the park picking up geocaches and exploring.  It was such a nice day to be out in the woods!

When we finished, I made the girls stop for some pictures with the props at the event.  I even agreed to get in one of the pictures.

After all of the excitement of the day, I had a very quiet drive home, and when I arrived, I put the girls in the house and got Mia out for a nice walk around REO Town.  While she does enjoy some bigger adventures, I've learned what things are more appropriate for her and that sometimes, she's happiest to stay home in a very quiet house and then take a solo walk with me.  She really enjoyed this walk and even got a french fry from someone eating on one of the patios that we walk past.  At the end of the day, I had walked 7 miles, and  boy was I tired.  I decided I'd pick up a pizza for dinner on the drive home and then enjoy the quiet evening.  We all headed to bed early after a busy day!

I was up early this morning and enjoyed the peacefulness of a quiet Sunday morning.  The girls and I ran  a couple of quick errands early and then I got out to mow and do a little yard work.  Then I drove to Owosso to meet my mom for lunch.  After lunch we made a quick stop at Aldi and then stopped at Culver's for some ice cream.  I had a nice visit with mom and I know she was happy to get out of the house for the afternoon.  Then I drove home, feeling exhausted after a very busy weekend.