We had the most delightful spring break trip up north this year! After driving to Florida/Disney World last year, it was quiet, cold, and generally low-key. Kevin had to work and Nellie went to Chicago with a friend, so they went up a day early and stayed through the weekend. The other kids and I lingered a few more days.
Coincidentally, we started spring break a day early with a snow day! So once we finished packing and closed up the house, we were on our way in plenty of time for dinner together. We'd established "homemade March," when we didn't eat out or go to coffee shops for the month. But we decided that was on hold for spring break, so that first dinner out was extra-special. We went to Weathervane, mostly because of the huge stone over the fireplace, which for Wernets, is very cool. I also introduced Kevin and the kids to mushroom houses, and we were all smitten.
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| Packing up the car and it was snowing hard |
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| Checking out mushroom houses |
Mary made us a to-do list for the trip. The list included: Hiking, reading, looking for Petoskey stones, shopping, getting pretzels, going to the coffee shop, sitting by the fire, snuggling, playing games, and snuggling while reading. We easily accomplished everything on her list! As in past years, the weather was right on the edge - some hikes were snowy, some were warm, but I insisted the kids go with me no matter the weather. Then we pretty much ended each afternoon at one of our two favorite Petoskey coffee shops. Once Kevin and Nellie left, we would bring our cards and play endless rounds of Golf and probably make just a little too much noise for the afternoon coffee shop patrons. Evenings were spent watching Bluey and playing more games, then reading late into the night after the kids finally went to bed. But the mornings were early - sunrises over Crooked Lake are the best!
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| On Sunday morning, Kevin and the girls wanted to wake up early with me. The sunrise didn't disappoint! |
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| Family hike at Helstrom Nature Preserve |
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| We were doing our best to finish The Last Battle before Kevin and Nellie left. |
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| Hike up Old Baldy at Petoskey State Park |
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| Petoskey stone hunting |
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| More sunrises - with swans |
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| This was a cool hike! |
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| The icy bay in Harbor Springs |
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| I introduced the kids to Tom's Mom's Cookies, but I made them climb all those stairs first. |
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| Worth it! |
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| We had fun visiting the local libraries! |
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| We visited The Dutch Oven Bakery and it was so good! |
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| Our last hike at Camp Petosega was the longest and warmest and muddiest and the hardest to find our way. But it was still fun! |
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| At the Harbor Springs Library (Be Real!) |
