Vacation

I'm finally able to tell you all what I've been doing on my vacation. As the above needlework says so appropriately, I've been itching, stitching, and...otherwise complaining about the bad weather. (What? Did you think I was going to say something else?) Itching, because my Lyme Disease has reactivated, and I developed four new spots on my drive to the U.P. Stitching, because while my family hiked in the old growth forests of Michigan, I stayed behind and worked on a new stitching project. And no, it doesn't really spell itching...it spells stitching. But I couldn't resist the irony. Complaining, because the weather was terrible during out entire trip. In the U.P., it rained every day, mostly all day, and the high temperatures were about 55 each day. Yes, 55! It is so cold there that the peonies were still tight balls and had not yet bloomed...just to give you perspective, the peonies bloom at the beginning of May where I live, so the UP is two months behind the usual growing season. I think they're praying for some global warming there...they might actually get to eat some fresh produce and grow a tomato! I spent a lot of rainy days playing Go Fish, Scrabble, and War with my boys in an overly cozy 400 sq. ft cottage.


This was the view from the cottage...the crashing waves of Lake Superior. Even though the weather was not ideal, I still managed to bundle up in the few warm clothes I packed and take a walk on the beach every day. Maggie, the black lab, loved running into the cold water and walking on the shore chasing away the seagulls. Ed and the boys went hiking in the Porcupine Mountains every day, despite the bad weather. After waking up to another gray rainy morning, we decided to leave for home a day early. We're staying in Madison, Wisconsin tonight, and should make it home tomorrow.

Before we leave town in the morning, I have one must-see destination. Gina K Designs has a store just outside of Madison! I plan on popping in to say hello to Gina and browse through her new releases and cool products. I didn't even know that Gina had a store (I thought she was internet only!) until I browsed through the telephone book in our hotel room last Saturday and discovered a listing for the store. woo hoo! I'll make sure to bring my camera and post some photos here soon.

It looks like Madison also has some stitching shops. Hmmm...do you think I could convince Ed to bring me to one or two before we go home? I may be pressing my luck. I'm nearly finished with my latest cross-stitch project, and I'll post it when it's completed.