A Michigan July Part 1- Our UP vacation

Happy Sunday afternoon, friends.  It is a hot and humid late-July Michigan day today and we are currently enjoying some peace and quiet in the air-conditioned comfort of the house.  We have had a busy couple of weeks to catch up on here and it is the perfect time to sit down and write, so here I am.

As those of you are reading this are aware, we are still dealing with the Corona virus and all that living through a global pandemic entails.  It is a strange time in all of our lives, with masks required to go into stores, no spectators at sporting events as the Major League Baseball season finally began again, and people staying close to home.  With all that is going on in the world, I have limited my trips to the store or anywhere far from home, but earlier this month, I decided it was time that we take a trip North for a short vacation.  For my own mental health, a trip to the UP seemed to be just what I needed...and I think the girls needed it too.

So, joined by our friend Vanessa, we packed up the Jeep and headed north for a long weekend of Copper Harbor magic.

Piper settled into hotel life pretty quickly, even before having any real UP adventures.  I was happy to see she was able to relax in a strange place with new noises.  I was also happy to enjoy a beautiful Brockway Mountain sunset on our first night there.  

Our first full day in the Keweenaw was the 4th of July.  While most normal Independence day celebrations were cancelled, we were happy to see that the locals were still holding their annual tradition of a parade in Eagle Harbor.   While it was not advertised, we were part of the lucky few who were in the know and able to enjoy it.

After the parade, we spent time exploring and I was excited to finally get to visit the George Gipp grave site.  I've often planned to stop, only to have those plans change, but I was determined to get there this time.  

But the best part of the day was spending it at Great Sand Bay with friends.  We had beach time and shared a pizza and the girls loved every minute of it.  So did I.  I mean, you can't beat dinner with a view like this and some close friends!

We ended the day with a sparkler show on the 6th street dock in Copper Harbor.  A beautiful end to a great day in the Keweenaw.

Our second day in the Harbor was spent exploring the rocky shorelines that surround the area.  First was a trip to Horseshoe Harbor to see some stromatolites and do some rock hunting. 

Then after lunch, we headed out to Hunter's Point Park for a hike to the point.  It was a slow and steady walk with Maddie, but for the first time in two years, we finally made it out there again.  

We slowly meandered back toward the parking lot with a nice stop along the way for a little wading, rock climbing, and rock hunting...and for one of us, an accidental dip in Superior while fully clothed.  It was definitely refreshing!

While the weather was warmer and more humid than we had expected it to be, it was so nice to be somewhere that makes us as happy as Copper Harbor does.  Due to the pandemic, it was the quietest 4th of July weekend I've experienced up there and I enjoyed the peace and solitude that is what I love most about this place.  It was also nice to be able to visit all of our favorite spots and introduce Peaches to some places she hadn't been yet.  This was the longest Peaches has spent there and she definitely loved it.  

Trips to Jamsen's for a turnover, driving along Brockway Mountain Drive, sitting on the beach at Esrey Park, and time walking on Great Sand Bay with my girls and our good friend Bryce, all the things that make my heart and soul happy, and I truly believe those places do the same thing for Maddie.  That area is a part of us, it is the core of who we are, and I don't know how well I would have been able to continue on in our new daily normal without completely losing my mind if I hadn't made this trip.  

I think that the girls were pretty happy to be there too!  Maddie savored every minute of her time there while Peaches made the most of her time on chipmunk watch.

The girls and I always enjoy having Vanessa along on our adventures and sharing with her all of the places we love around the UP.   And of course we're also always happy to spend time with Bryce too.  I think Maddie was especially happy to spend some special one on one time giving some extra love to her Uncle Bryce.

Who knows when we'll be able to get back there, maybe later this Summer or early Fall, but there are a lot of unknowns.  So for now we're just happy that we made the time to go when we did.  There is nothing better than some fresh Lake Superior air with Keweenaw views and good friends.

Half-Way

Happy Sunday afternoon, friends.  We have reached Summer of 2020 and the mid-point of the year.  It seems crazy that we are 6 months into this year and it is hard to believe all that has happened so far.  If all had gone as planned, the girls and I would have been returning from a vacation to the Canadian Maritime Provinces today.  But as we all know, nothing had gone as planned this year.  

The last week has been fairly quiet and relaxed.  My work week was filled with a virtual conference Tuesday through Thursday.  Each day started with time for a morning activity and involving the girls in our daily theme before the conference started.  

Each day for our morning activity, I took the girls on a nice walk.  Peaches, Piper, and I averaged about three miles each  morning(and usually did an additional short walk in between the conference and happy hour), and we allowed Maddie to join us for small portion of the walk each day. Our walk on Tuesday included a stop at Rotary Park off of the Riverwalk downtown to capture our beach day photo for the day.

During lunch each day, I took the girls out for a little time outside.  They were so well behaved each morning and the mid-day break helped Piper remain relaxed through the afternoon sessions. 

After 6 hours of virtual meetings and a nightly virtual happy hour, I was happy that the girls and I had gotten in our walks for the day early so that we could just sit outside and enjoy the beautiful, mild weather that we had this week.  

I don't know if the girls enjoyed the sports fan themed day on Wednesday, but Maddie has years of experience with me forcing her to do silly things  so she did great.  She even gave me a big smile while I was getting ready for work

I was so impressed with how well Piper did each day.  Most days, she and Maddie were close by while I was in meetings.  Peaches preferred to be in the living room on the look-out for the Mailman or strangers who might happen to walk by throughout the day.  

On the final day of the conference, I took Piper for a nice walk before heading home to spend some time in the yard with the girls playing a little ball.  

After a good bout of fetch, I harnessed all the girls and took them all for a quick walk around the neighborhood.  Piper had a little extra energy that morning, so I was working hard to work off some of that energy.

By the end of the walk, Maddie was tired...although I think Piper and Peaches would have kept on going if I had let them.

By lunchtime, the girls were ready for a nap in the sun and I was happy to get out and enjoy some fresh air.  Three days of meetings is tough!

By 5pm on Thursday, I think we were all happy to be done with our conference, but I can't say enough about just how good the girls were through the whole thing.  While they have been fairly good for me while I've been working from home,  I was prepared with Kongs of frozen peanut butter, bully sticks, and a variety of other entertainment in order to keep them occupied if needed, but I never needed any of them during any of the three days of meetings.  

This week I think Piper has progressed more than any other week since I've had her.  She's finding ways to occupy herself more and more and she is much more likely to relax  in the middle of the day, even if I'm moving around...while she is still likes to follow me, she is no longer a constant shadow.  We've also made some small gains in crate training which has been nice to see.  While I don't think she'll ever love being crated, she has been able to relax a bit while there and that is great progress.  Friday we had some decent thunderstorms move through our area and I was really proud of how well Piper handled the storms.  While she isn't crazy about them, as long as she could sit next to me, she eventually relaxed and fell asleep.  

Saturday, we spent a quiet day at home with several rounds of fetch in the yard, and I finally broke into the bully sticks so that all of the girls could have a special treat while I did a few things around the house.  Maddie was happy to enjoy some time on the patio while Peaches and Piper ran around the yard and kept themselves busy.

Our Sunday has been peaceful, accept for the occasional discussion I have to have with Peaches and Piper about not getting into the garden.  Peaches is especially struggling because there are sparrows and bees that have been frequenting the area and she is sure that she needs to chase them.

Piper was content to play ball while I tried to read in between throws.  We're working on getting her to let go of the ball when she brings it back, but that's going to take some more work!

And Maddie was happy to relax on the patio again  It was a great morning to spend time outside before the excessive heat moves in to the area.

And eventually, even Piper decided to lie down and just let me read my book.  It was a great start to the day!  

We've had a really nice day at home and the girls have let me get in some time for myself, which is always appreciated.  I'm now rested up and ready for the week ahead of me.  Thankfully, this week will be a short work week for me and we have some fun plans for next weekend!  I hope you all have a great week.  

Tails from Quarantine: Episode 8

We have reached the first day of Summer and, while we aren't quarantined in the same way as we were months ago, we are still dealing with the Covid pandemic and are slowly beginning to reopen here in Michigan.  Many other States across the country have been fully opened for a while, and some of those areas are seeing a spike in the number of Covid cases.  I'm hoping that the fact that Michigan stayed closed longer, will prevent us from having a similar spike and end up locked down again, but only time will tell.  In the meantime, life will not return to normal for a while still and we will continue to make the most of it.

Earlier this week, Piper had her spay surgery and is now officially available for adoption. Her surgery went well and, while she spent the day at the vet, the rest of us enjoyed a very quiet and peaceful day at home.  I was up early Monday to drop her off at the Vet's office by 7:15 am and I was home before 8am.  I had a busy morning of work and spent my lunch giving Maddie and Peaches each a walk of their very own.  I even took a little walk all by myself before picking Piper up from the Vet after work.  Piper came home from the Vet a very groggy and tired girl and spent the rest of the night resting.  

On Tuesday, Piper remained calm and quiet, still feeling the effects of her surgery.  She spent most of the day resting with short trips outside, and we all had a pretty relaxing and quiet day.  

I figured by Wednesday she would be back to her crazy self, making it impossible for me to keep her still to continue her recovery, but I've been pleasantly surprised this week by the fact that she seems more relaxed overall.  She has been resting quietly in the mornings while I work and, after a kong stuffed with peanut butter or some other chew to occupy her mid-day, she will settle down nicely for the afternoon.  By the time my work day is done, she's definitely ready for a nice walk.  With the hotter weather and the fact that she just had surgery, we've been limiting our walks to two miles, and I've been thankful that that has seemed like enough exercise to keep her happy since she can't run or play as she continues to heal.

Now that she is over 5 days post surgery, I can tell she is really starting to feel better and she just wants to run, but we have a few more days before that can happen.  Today has been a hard day for her because she has had to watch Peaches run around the yard and she wants nothing more than to play with her.  It has been a challenging day for me trying to keep her from playing because I hate to discourage her after it has taken her so long to really want to play. 

This week as also been a great week for Peaches.  She has enjoyed the wonderful sunny days all week long.  She spends most of her days outside sniffing all corners of the yard, chasing bugs and birds, and lounging in the sun.  She comes in the house pretty begrudgingly any time a make her come in.  I love watching her laying in the yard just soaking up the sun every day.  I'm even a little jealous of her!

Maddie isn't made for the hot weather, so she has spent most of her days lying on the dog bed in the office or following me around the house whenever I may move.  She has been getting out for some short walks with me every evening and has been enjoying them quite a lot.  They have all been no more than 1/2 a mile, but I have enjoyed them too.  I always love seeing how happy she is when she's out exploring.

We have settled nicely into our routine and I am happy that things are going so well with Piper now.  I'm hopeful that soon she'll be able to find her very own home.  While she has been a challenge(and still has some challenging days), she has really turned into fun little girl and it's been nice to see her relax and enjoy life as a dog.