the big lake again

We can't seem to help this annual migration north that we find ourselves on each year.  We ponder other places, other adventures and still we keep heading north. That big lake just pulls us there.  This year we headed back to Gooseberry Falls State Park, an hour or so north of Duluth for several nights of camping, and north shore rock picking. Later in the week we drove over to Bayfield, WI (the "south shore", where the water was warm enough to swim!). 

{photo taken by Elsa in the spot on the trail where Andy and I were married almost ten years ago!}

Whew, that trip was all that we wanted it to be.  Long hours cooling by the lake (50 degree water on a 90 degree day is a perfect air conditioner), turning over rocks in search of those perfect little agates.

Bike rides, and hikes to distant (o.k. not too distant for little legs- and no that is not our new baby in the backpack, it is, of course, Daisy Will Mason) outlooks.

Late nights by the campfire (we tried regular bedtime on night one...goodness you'd think we were newbies.  Note to selves for next camping trip:  kids do not go to bed at regular time when sleeping outdoors with the waves crashing, fire blazing and the sound of other kids running around!)

Splashing in the cold waves, running endlessly with old Lily (of course she came) on the beach.  Hours of downtime to build fairy forts and dress their dolls for the next camping adventure.  Handfuls of service berries til our bellies were bursting.

We even got to meet up with old friends and share a couple of meals. So perfect.

And to top it off, on our almost last day at the lake, while walking in the boatyards, we got an invitation from a really kind family to tour the inside of their docked sailboat.  Sleeping quarters, galley, even a tiny bathroom.  Now that will get you playing "sailboat" for days to come!

Now you know there was fighting in the car, and the usual whining about being tired when we hiked a bit too far and even one dramatic utterance of "I want to go home" (on day two), but in the end it was darn near perfect and we were all sad to leave.

But home, oh home.  You are so deep and green and vibrant yourself.  The garden is nearly bursting with harvest, the crickets fill the night air just as sweetly as the waves on the shore, and we sink into our soft beds wrapped in the dreams of water reaching the horizon.  May we return to the respite of that big lake again soon.