Vacation!

House work was very slow this last week because we went on vacation! We packed our bags (and half the kitchen) and went up to Bayfield Wisconsin. Bayfield is a bit of a touristy spot, right on Lake Superior and is one of the only ways to get through to Madeline Island. A friend of ours has a boat there that we were able to stay on.

We did a little bit of research about Bayfield and Madeline Island - where to eat, farms, orchards, museums, places to go, etc, etc. And then we pretty much ignored all that and relaxed and did what we felt like.

Sunday and Monday we mostly hung out on the boat.



We made our meals in the tiny kitchen - and not stinting on our normal meals either. We made pizza with sauteed garlic tips, stir fry, beautiful salads, pancakes, omelettes, etc.


steamy tea and Jeremy making breakfast

We brought a stack of books with us and read for hours. We snuggled up in blankets on the deck and read aloud till it was too dark to see. Every night at about 8:00 a mother duck came paddling by, chaperoning 4 or 5 ducklings who swam up to each boat in turn and nibbled bits of algae. As the sun sank, bats came out swooping low over the water. One night I saw a hawk swoop down out of the sky and nearly catch a baby duck. But its mother was nearby and they both dove for safety just in time.



On Monday we managed to go out kayaking for awhile along the shore. We also spent some time walking around town, exploring an antique shop and a great used book store. We discovered the candy shop sold ice cream cones and we duly visited after every lunch and dinner for some excellent ice cream.

On Tuesday we caught the ferry over to Madeline Island.



The ferries are much smaller than the ones in Seattle - the biggest can only hold about 20 cars! We took our bikes over and once on the island biked the 7-mile road to the other side and the state park.



They don't allow bikes on the trails, so we locked ours up and took a hike. We brought a picnic lunch with us and stopped to eat that. It was a beautiful area and we even found some wild strawberries growing in the rocks.









We hiked back, got our bikes, and went back to the main town on Madeline Island. We found we didn't like it very much, so we took the ferry back to Bayfield and got some ice cream. =)

On Wednesday morning we packed up and took a scenice drive back to Duluth. Then, instead of heading back south, we went up north and stopped at Betty's Pies for a pasty and a piece of pie. Then we continued on to Gooseberry Falls and had a nice hike around the river and falls.







Now we're home and still trying to get back out of vacation mode. It was hard to do anything for the first day or two because we were both plagued by the constant sensation that the whole world was rocking - like we were still on the boat. But that seems to have passed and we're back on track, painting and putting up siding and trim.