David really wanted to take his grandparents on the tour of the John Purves tug at the Door County Maritime Museum. So on our last day we packed our bags (while David and Grandpa played a final game of chess) and drove down to Sturgeon Bay to visit the museum.
The museum is really quite good! This time there was a special exhibit on pirates. David and Mary loved playing on the pint-sized pirate ship. Then, while David took his dad and grandparents on the tug tour, Mary and I hung out eating fruit snacks and watching the draw bridge.
After the museum, we drove to find some lunch. And ran into this...
Potawatomi State Park
Potawatomi State Park was the last stop on our trip. Poor David and Mary! They had been such good sports all week. But by this point, all they wanted to do was climb in the car and watch Phineas and Ferb for four hours straight. They were devastated to learn we were going to one more state park--for both kayaking and a bike ride. But we dragged them along, and, despite exhaustion and bad attitudes, there was no all out mutiny on their part.
Here we are down at Sawyer Harbor, getting ready to put in. This time I went with Greg and the kids in a canoe, and my parents took out the kayaks.
I didn't take my camera with us. But I'll tell you that we came back looking like drowned rats. We got caught in a huge downpour. Imagine the whining and crying. Wait, don't--it will give you a headache. But it was one of those things that was so bad it was hilarious, and eventually we were all laughing. It certainly made the canoe trip more memorable!
After returning the canoe, we let the kids play around in the old, junky nature center. They loved it. They inspected the specimens and put on a puppet show for us. Once we had mustered the energy, we set out on our family bike ride. It was on nearly deserted roads through the state park's beautiful forests. This was my favorite ride of our trip. (Probably because we'd thoroughly worn out David, and our little pace setter didn't kick my rear...as much.) I love my sweet family!
Near the end of the ride, we spotted a cargo ship way out yonder.
Soon enough, it came closer for a better view. Pretty exciting!
There is a shipyard and huge dry dock in Sturgeon Bay. We figure it was on its way for repairs.
And that was that. We climbed in car, put on the electronics, and drove home, exhausted but happy.
Oh, David and Mary, thank you for your patience. We had so much fun with you!
Truly, David and Mary were a delight to travel with. Despite my best intentions, I wasn't very good at relaxing on this trip. I tend to want to go-go-go and do-do-do when we travel. David and Mary definitely kept up. There is no denying that this new baby is going to slow us down. So it was wonderful to enjoy this time together before our lives change again. (Oh, it is so nice having a seven-year-old and a five-year-old...and no body else. It's, yes, easy. But I guess life can't/shouldn't stay easy for too long...)
It was also great to have my parents with us. It was so fun! David and Mary loved spending time with them. I appreciate how patient my parents were in entertaining them and how flexible my parents were in allowing us to meet our kids' needs. I loved watching my kids interact with their grandparents without any of the distractions of real life to draw them away. This was a trip of memory-making. Memories that will stay with us forever. Thank you, Mom and Dad!
