Weekend Vacation

This past weekend we took all three kids up to Lutsen. You can see some pictures here. Pat and I decided a few weeks ago that we should do some sort of family vacation before school starts. We knew a long weekend was our best option because of work schedules, and we knew this would be a car trip. Once flight is ruled out, I'm pretty much set on the North Shore.

I have a theory that because I grew up in Duluth, next to Lake Superior, I don't feel comfortable unless I have a body of water nearby. When I first moved to Minneapolis I would make fun of these people and their so-called lakes. I mean, c'mon - they are really more pond-like. Our house in South Minneapolis was very close to two of those ponds, and my apartments before that were also within walking distance of some really nice trails. Our current house is near water, but it's not immediately accessible - or at least I haven't found the path yet. Maybe that's why the Shore was calling my name. I needed to refuel and get my water time in.

I only got 2 and a half days on the Shore of my favorite Great Lake, but it was fabulous. The weather was perfect - sunny but still comfortable with a sweatshirt. (Chilly weather makes me so happy!) The kids tried very hard to put all the shoreline rocks back in the late. They tried from at least 4 different locations. Don't worry - they didn't succeed. Still plenty for everyone. We ate fantastic pizza at Sven and Ole's in Grand Marais, and we even worked in a few hikes.

We got home late Sunday after dealing with the traffic, but I felt great. I felt like I had spent some time with an old friend and we were all caught up. The kids are already talking about going back. Jake says next week. I'm thinking it will be next summer, but we definitely need to go back and spend time with a real lake.