State Fair 2014

State Fair time!

Kids' first time on the open-air gondola. They were impressed.

Cheese curds

Portrait of a Bunny

by Adam

Portrait of a Piggy

by Adam

Not pictured activities include:

Giant Slide

All the animal barns

Skate and BMX bike park

Watching a cat get neutered (literally)

Lots of baby animals

Crop Art

Ordering cotton candy on a stick and watching the man make it

Cherry Coke

All you can drink chocolate milk

Adam's beats

Door County: Day 8

Last day! 

Early swimming, then packing up and checking out.

e

Geographical marker #2

Osh Kosh Air Show! Biggest air show in the world. 

We missed the Thunderbird's actual show, but got to see them arrive and do a bit of practice flying. It was sufficiently loud and fast to impress the kids and make Jim giddy.

We also enjoyed the stunt flyers and the wing walker.

(picture by Laura)

And then, the drive home.

Door County: Day 7

No pictures this day. Guess the shiny had worn off?
Swimming
The kids and Jim went for ice cream and gifts for those taking care of our pets. I napped.
Shuffleboard
Tennis
Jim and Adam played the 9 hole golf course at the resort while Laura and I hung out.

Door County: Day 6

Swimming!

The driving range.

Cana Island Lighthouse

We discovered Miss Laura has a tiny fear of heights.

The beaches around the lighthouse are uniquely beautiful.

Lunch was at the Blue Ox. It was randomly picked as we drove down the street and I was nervous as we walked in that it might not be too family friendly. But it was great. Fun and comfortable.

There is a ring attached to a string. If you swing it just right, it swings onto a hook in the wall; hours of fun! Laura made it in just 3 tries!

Who doesn't love saddle bar stools?

Jim had an emergency at work, so was out of commission the rest of the afternoon and evening. We went swimming and played tennis. Though tennis wasn't as much fun without Jim. We also had a dance party. In the evening, the kids just started dancing on their own, clearly out of need to move. Then they started singing songs their own songs for dancing. Then Laura sang for Adam, but could only think of "Three Blind Mice". So we went to YouTube. The playlist included all the pop songs we could think of, plus some Elvis (on Laura's recommendation). They weren't impressed with Jump or I Will Survive and the dance party was over.

Door County: Day 5

We decided no swimming this morning. Everyone's feet were a little tender and needed a break.

But we still had a breakfast fire. We decided to do our driving today. We headed north towards the tip of the "thumb".

We craned our necks as we passed Al Johnson's to look for the goats on the roof, but we didn't see any until we passed it again on the way home.

At the top of Door County, we hiked in Door Bluff park. 

We were supposed to hike up to the bluffs and look over the sea, but my husband has trouble staying on the trails. We ended up down by the water.

We found this down there. Clearly we weren't the only explorers.

Adam made a bridge.

This would make one heck of a bonfire.

Then we headed back up to where we were supposed to hike.

Very cool shaped trees.

Adam is still experimenting with the camera timer.

It was really wonderful hiking with the kids. They were so content. No whining at all. Happy exploring.

After the hike, we headed east to the ferry landing. While we waited around for the ferry, we checked out the gift shops and found our yearly addition to the Christmas tree. We also went to Charlie's Smokehouse on a recommendation from the man in charge of the fish boil. I'm sure the smoked fish was great, but needed to be refrigerated, so we opted to skip it. 

We took the ferry to Washington Island. The kids loved the boat.

This is what you see when you land on Washington Island. Cute!

On the island, since we didn't bring our car and the kids aren't old enough to rent mopeds, we walked to a nearby pizza place and checked out a gift shop full of Swedish stuff. We enjoyed researching the names of our friend Odin and his dog Freki in the books about Norse gods.

Then we people-watched on the dock until the ferry came back. 

Silly kids on the playground.

Eagle seen from the ferry.

Ferry picture.

Jim has started a goatee. I love it. This is what he looked like when I fell for him 15 years ago.

Today was also decreed "be nice to Mom day" by Adam.

He brushed my hair over and over and Laura gave me hand and foot massages. It was genuinely, sincerely wonderfully relaxing.

Daddy also got a hand massage.

Door County: Day 4

Let's see...

Some staring at the fan to start the day...

Swimming...

Fancy lunch at Door County Bakery...

Groceries at Piggly Wiggly...

Shopko for tennis balls, golf balls, and a new swim suit for Jim...

Tasting apple and pear cider at Island Orchard Cider...

Back home to play Charades and Battleship...

Some watched the Scooby-Doo movie and some took naps...

Dinner at home...

And tennis before bedtime.

Tennis was surprisingly fun. Jim and I each stood behind a kid and would hit balls they missed. It kept everyone moving and happy. Adam tried to hit all the balls like a baseball. Laura really got the hang of it and had lots of great hits.

Door County: Day 3

Day 3 found us slightly more adventurous. We had a fire in the fireplace during breakfast (of course) and went swimming (of course) to start the day. We sent the kids to the playground armed with a phone and the map.

We had planned to walk around Fish Creek (a smaller town about 5 minutes away), but the crowds there frightened us away. So we went past Fish Creek to a Ephraim beach, which Kim's friend Beth had recommended. We didn't come prepared to swim, plus the water was crazy cold, so we waded and played in the sand. 

After lunch at the condo, we checked out the resort's putting green and shuffle board game.

Quite frankly, I don't remember what filled the rest of the afternoon. Probably some napping and TV. Told you we relaxed a lot this trip.

That evening, we went to Pelletier's for a fish boil. This is a view of the cliffs from Pelletier's. 

Laura tried out her camera skills:

They boil the fish, potatoes, and onions in some salty water, then have it "boil over" to get all the fats and scum off the top (and impress the guests and soil the atmosphere), then they bring it back to the kitchen, then serve it to you at your table. It was surprisingly delicious! 

Then we went to see Planes: Fire & Rescue at the Skyway Drive-In.

We had a great time. Adam gave up about halfway thru and slept across the bottom of the blanket with Jim's foot for a pillow.