Family Vacation at the North Shore of Lake Superior

Spectacular Historical Retreat Home on Lake Superior
Yup! That's what the ad on VRBO said "Spectacular Historical Retreat"...... little did I know "Historical" was code for old, run down, and in dire need of remodeling!
This Summer Nikki & Jason, Emily and John, Andrew, my Dad, and I all carved out of few days at the North Shore of Lake Superior for some family vacation time. I love the North Shore. I fell in love with it the first time I went there. Andrew and I lived in Minnesota for 5 years before we ever got there. All my vacation time had always been used for weddings and catching up with friends and family from all that time being consumed by school.

People have always told me how incredible the North Shore was and when I finally had a chance to travel there, I was thrilled! I fell in love with the North Shore and it's unique scenery and activities. I had taken Emily, John, Nikki and Andrew when Emily came here for medical school, but Jason and my dad were there and I wanted to share that vacation with the entire family. So I started my search for an affordable place that would house all of us. I rented a five bedroom house that was on a small peninsula giving the house almost a 360 degree view of the lake. The kids agreed to go and I badgered dad into meeting us there.

But, I rented the house sight unseen off the VRBO web page. (vacation rental by owners). It sounded ideal for our group. The property was the site of a former resort from the 30's or 40's and the house was originally built in the early 70's. The basement had been totally renovated. Each of the four bedrooms in the basement had their own fireplace, bathroom and sitting area. The upstairs had not been remodeled yet. But, going on the photos and descriptions provided, and a long conversation with the property broker, I prepaid for five days and four nights - no cheap undertaking on my budget. To make the trip more affordable, I decided to save money by cooking most of the meals in the house. The property manager said the 'well appointed kitchen' was outfitted with everything we could possibly need.

Well, when Nikki, Jason, Andrew & I arrived at the house my heart sank into my stomach. Although the new area in the basement was beautiful and very clean, the old pink carpet upstairs was incredibly dirty and was so stretched out that there were wrinkles all over the floor. Several of the thermal pane windows were so cloudy in between the panes that it totally obscured the view to the outside. Luckily there were still enough good windows that we could still see the incredible views to the lake. The real heart breaker, though, was the kitchen. It was less than clean. I opened the cabinets and could immediately see they were hung on un-primed walls that were dirty and stained. It made the kitchen feel even dirtier. I grabbed a stock pot out of the cupboard and it was still greasy, is if it had been washed in dirty dishwater that had cleaned too many greasy skillets. Thank heavens we had already planned on eating out that night so I didn't have to cook in there.

We went to dinner at Betty's Pies, one of the best known places in Two Harbours. The food is great and the home made pies are second to none! It was hard to pull my spirits up, but Nikki and Jason were good sports and helped me cheer up a little. The desert at Betty's didn't hurt my state of mind, either! I was so thankful Nikki and Jason were upbeat and didn't show any disappointment in the accommodations. . . But I was still worried about Emily, John and Dad. I wanted so much for this to be a special vacation for everyone and I hoped they weren't too uncomfortable there. . . Actually, if I would have been thinking clearly, I would have realized that Dad has stayed in some pretty scary places over the years during his international travels. Nothing would have shaken Dad. He's the quintessential 'good sport.'

I didn't sleep well that night, and the next morning I was up by 5:30 and went in the Hyper Drive cleaning the kitchen. I took EVERYTHING out of the kitchen cupboards and drawers, loading it in the dishwasher. I lined the cupboards and drawers with clean paper towels, and before I put things back. Then I started washing the windows. I washed every window, inside and out. At least the windows that were not ruined were even easier to see out of. It made me feel a lot better and lifted my spirits! I knew I'd be able to cook our meals in the kitchen the rest of the week after all. All I needed to do is pretend we were camping!

Soon after I finished cleaning, Nikki, Jason and Andrew awakened. We went to the local grocery store to purchase the rest of the groceries for the weekend and awaited the arrival of Emily, John and Grandpa Lafe. Amazingly, the initial shock of the condition of the house wore off and the joy in the spectacular views out the windows started to take over. True to their nature, the kids worked hard to assure me that despite my disappointments, they were enjoying the time together and they enjoyed the beautiful views of the lake and the proximity of the shoreline so much that it didn't matter what the house was like.

We had a fun time hiking and looking around. John was on cloud nine with his camera and all the photo ops. Dad enjoyed sitting on the balcony listening to the waves hit the rocks below and watching the kids enjoy the scenery. Lake Superior provided a varied display of weather while we where there. We saw sun, rain, and thunderstorms, but we enjoyed them all. Dad even seemed to relax for a while. I enjoyed sitting on the balcony and was lulled by the sounds of the waves rhythmically crashing against the rocks. I had really hoped the kids would play some of the games we'd played over the holidays because it had been so much fun, but they were too busy with other things!

John took a lot of photos of the family while we were there, and John's photos of Dad were incredible. Everyone decided John caught the "real Lafe." John's photography business has been so busy that we haven't seen the rest of the photos yet - he won't publish them on his webpage until he's had a chance to make sure they are 'perfect' but I'll be sure to blog about them when he is done with them!

Everyone had such a good time relaxing and being together that we decided we'd like to come again - despite the shaky condition of the kitchen. (the property manager tells me the owner plans on remodeling the upstairs soon... but even if he doesn't. I think I'd even brave it again, just for the views! The close proximity to the shore and the spectacular views evoked a calm, peaceful feeling that softened every worry I had that the kids wouldn't enjoy their vacation....
So, here are a few photos I took of our vacation. I have the greatest family in the world!



Nikki and Jason at Betty's Pies! You can tell they aren't phased by the dirty rental house!

This shot of Nikki and Jason on the shoreline was taken from the balcony of the house.

The house from the shoreline. The spiral staircase dropped to a rocky landing where we had a fire and marshmallow roast. Dad had is first S'mores. I can't believe he's never had one before! How did THAT happen???

Nikki on the shoreline........
Only Grandpa Lafe can get away with feeding Zoe 'people food' from the table. I'm not sure how long it took Emily and John to break her of this once they got home!

Zoe discovered how to get up into the Loft all by herself. Getting down was a different story!

Emily and John went every where with their camera. I think John would have had fun had we stayed in a tarp hung over some sticks (as long as he kept his camera dry). All you have to do is give John a subject and camera and he's happy!


... Taken in Grand Marais- This proves Jason has his ducks (errrr, "Geese") in a row....


Emily and John on the shore in front of the house.

Andrew has two favorite positions -- horizontal & unconscious, or reading. The fireplace worked out to be a great foot rest! .........

Emily and John decided to see who could stay in the 40 degree water in Grand Marais the longest. Nikki is there with John's movie camera to "Document" the event! ......

As you can see below, John's resolve to WIN is wavering.............

At this point, Emily would say it's important to mention that SHE won the challenge! ....

Below is a photo of Nikki and Jason Grand Marais.

In Grand Marais the water is so smooth and the rocks on shore are so perfect that the urge to "Skip Rocks" cannot be ignored. I think I have a shot almost identical to this of the kids skipping rocks from our last trip to Grand Marais!.

These are the Photos John took of Dad. I think he captured several facets of his personality! ......

The weather at the North Shore was varied while we were there. Even the storms were enjoyable. The house on HoneyRock gave us a vantage point to enjoy sun, rain, sunsets, sun rises and storms....

Below are photos of the house and it's unique-ness! The fireplace was definitely a focal point!......... This is Emily and John in the kitchen... scary in the cupboards, Huh??!!! Close up of the lights on the fireplace


The Deck of the house... or part of it. It had a full 360 degree deck... all the way around!

The Living room...

The upstairs bedroom, still old, but interesting...

Stained glass window that made up the wall between the upstairs bedroom and the foyer.

One of the downstairs bedrooms.

Living room in the evening. We never closed the blinds on the windows, even at night.

One of the Downstairs bedrooms.

A downstairs bedroom.

Who Knew Mornings Could Be So Beautiful!

I'm not a morning person. I never have been. How I ended up in a profession that requires a 5am wake-up time is one of the big ironies of my life. Normally I drag myself out of bed, use the shower as my gentle emergence into the day, and pour myself a big diet Coke to gulp down as I'm getting dressed and driving into work. Little is noticed during my morning ritual. I dress, pack my gym bag for my post-work trip to the hospital gym, throw an english muffin into the toaster, blow-dry my hair with little attempt to style it, and attempt to put a little make-up on my face. After tossing some dry food into Baxter and Ezra's dish, I head to the garage and hope to remember to open the garage door before driving out.

Monday morning I did a most unusual thing. I noticed! I looked outside and I noticed! It was a beautiful morning... In the winter there's no reason to look outside. It's dark when I'm heading to work and what's not illuminated by my headlamps on the car isn't seen... But its summer now.... which means the sun is starting to rise when I'm getting ready for work. . . And today I actually noticed!

There was a beautiful fog that had settled in the fields behind my house. It almost looked mystical. I took the time to grab my little 'point n shoot' camera, and tried my best to capture the morning. Ok, so National Geographic won't be soliciting my photos any time soon, but if you try really hard, look past the amateur photography, hopefully you'll see the magnificent colors in the sky and gentle fog settling low in the fields... and maybe, just maybe, like me, you'll have a lump in your throat at the beautiful world the Lord has given us! And...just maybe I'll try to notice the mornings more often???

((Or, maybe not! I'm STILL not a morning person! Maybe I should stick to sunsets!))

:-)

The Changing Face of Mother's Day in Linda's Life

I used to love Mother's Day. There was no way I could tell my mom often enough how much I appreciated her and how much I loved her. Once I became a mom myself, I was even more excited to share that day with my mom. I found greater appreciation for her and I understood her a little better. We shared a new bond. Our relationship transcended from Mother-Daughter to “fellow moms” and ‘best friends”. I understood her even more and she became a great resource for me.
As a new mom, I loved celebrating Mother’s Day even more than before.

I basked in the indescribable feelings of joy that developed with the first look at their tiny fingers and toes. I think every parent believes no one has ever loved another soul the way they love their child and I was no different. I marveled at the magnificent little souls God sent to my home.

Over time, the face of Mother's Day began to change. David was born in 1980 on the Sunday before Mother’s Day. Weighing only one pound nine ounces, he lived only 11 hours. In 1980 our Sunday School congregation had a strange way to pay tribute to mother's on Mother’s Day. The well meaning men in charge of the program decided in addition to giving a flower to all the women in church that day, they would make special presentations of an extra flower to a few ‘special’ women. There were flowers for the oldest Mom (not a single woman wanted to claim THAT flower!), the mom with the most children, the mother with the most grandchildren, as well as the "newest" mother.

When they asked "Has anyone had a baby in the last week, like an idiot I raised my hand. The man conducting the meeting didn't seem to notice my hand, and no one else raised their hand. They then asked "Has anyone had a baby in the last two weeks. Again, I raised my hand, this time a little bolder and higher. Why?? As crazy as it sounds, I couldn't help it. As much as it hurt to be reminded of his death, I definitely could not deny his birth and his short presence in my life.

At barely a pound and a half, David hadn't made much of an imprint on the world, but he had made a huge impact on my life. Living only a few hours, he didn't leave much behind: a couple poor quality photos, a set of foot prints, a birth certificate and a death certificate. So, I continued to hold my hand firmly in the air marking my place as the newest Mom in the congregation. The man presiding over the Mother's Day program at church finally noticed my raised hand. Suddenly uncomfortable, he called my name and I headed for the front of the chaple to claim my flower. Kasey had been sitting on my lap so I carried him to the pulpit with me. Both his arms were tight around my neck, and he pressed his cheek against mine, as if he knew I needed a tight hug to make up for the little hole David left in my heart. I claimed my flower then returned to my seat in the pew. Things were extra quiet in the chapel, but I didn't mind. I had my flower. My child's birth had been recognized.

Once the numbness of the day wore off, I realized I had made a lot of people uncomfortable that day. The gracious thing might have been to pretend that I hadn't had a baby. But I didn't. And they never singled out women on Mother’s Day again. I hope the refusal of an “oldest” mom to state her age and claim her flower was also partly responsible for the change in the Mother’s Day program.

Kasey died a couple months later, and Mother’s day didn’t improve for a long time. In fact, it seemed like Mother's Day was just a reminder that I could have been a better mom. It was even a bigger reminder of how much I missed Kasey and David. Mother’s Day programs were filled with talks and tributes to moms with examples of incredible women that made the average woman appear lacking and some of us like derelicts. Yes, for a while after Kasey and David died, I think Mother's Day became unbearable.

Mother’s Day seems to pass by without too much drama these days. I still dread the Mother’s day talks at church, but not quite as much. I still dread the flowers that remind me of my “newest mom” flower from years ago, but not as much...

I guess time heals all things... and besides, now I have a renewed reason to celebrate. I am beginning to form that ‘grown-up’ friend-ship, that bond, with my own daughters. I’m beginning to understand why my mom enjoyed watching me navigate through adulthood and into motherhood. I watch my daughters embrace their new roles as adults. I enjoy watching them strive for and achieve their goals. I see them mature into really incredible women. And I look forward to each Mother’s Day that God allows me to watch them grow and progress. Now Mother’s day gives me just one more reminder to thank my Heavenly Father for the chance to be a mom and to celebrate watching my girls prepare to be Mother’s themselves.

And Kasey and David?? I know I’ll see them again someday... when the time is right. In the meantime, they’ll be just fine where they are. They are probably keeping my mom company on Mother’s Day! I still miss them, and I still wish they were here... But each Mother's Day I ask God to tell them I love them, and while he's at it, I ask him to give my mom a big Mother's Day hug too...

This year Emily and John invited me to their house for Mother's Day. They cooked an amazing meal of all my favorites: Asian grilled salmon, tossed salad, and Magelby's rolls. It was so relaxing and a perfect day. Yup, I am learning to really enjoy these Mother's Days again...

Emily and John (sorry 'bout the old photo!)

Here's a walk down "Memory Lane" ... some of my early years as a mother....

1978--A photo of my mom and dad, Nikki and Kasey shortly after Kasey was born.

To the right is a photo of Kasey and I. Wow, do I look young, and doesn't he look cute! ...Below is a photo of Nikki and I.