Door County Weekend (part deux)

Hello everyone. I promised more details about when Oliver and I went up to Door County over Memorial Day weekend, so here they are.

We headed up for our adventure on Saturday, May 29th — and it was truly an adventure because Door County is something we normally do as a family. This is a weekend we had planned all winter, and thoughts of the opening of this cottage sustained me during those cold winter nights. I could not wait. Even tho it wasn't the weekend I had planned and dreamed about, it was still a lot of fun. I delayed the start (we were going to leave on Thursday and spend a long weekend up there) because I feared it would be too hard, too painful. But it wasn't! We had a blast! I really can't wait to get back up there!

In case you haven't seen the cottage, here's a pic:

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welcome to the cottage

And here's a link to a before and after gallery of the cottage.

And if you're not familiar with Door County, Wisconsin, here are a few other pix:


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Baily's Harbor


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And really there is so much more. I will need to do a post just on Door County for you once I have a better arsenal of photos. It's a section of Wisconsin that is in the mid to upper portion of the state, on our peninsula. Midway to the top of that peninsula begins the county, named by the indians as Death's Door since as they paddled their way from Lake Michigan into the gulf (Green Bay) by canoe, the rough waters engulfed them and many settlers, naval vessels, indians and more died in the treacherous waters. Boating on the open waters is not for the greenhorn, the fledgling mariner. But the bays and the towns are where most of the peninsula's personality lies. If you drive up via the bay side, you'll pass Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim (named by Reader's Digest as one of the top 10 most beautiful small towns in America!), Sister Bay, Ellison Bay and then Gills Rock. Traveling down the lake side you'll find Bailey's Harbor, Jacksonport and more. Door County offers cherry and apple orchards, pies, antiques, boutiques, cafes, restaurants, pies and two incredibly beautiful state parks with well groomed trails. Did I mention the pies? There's Sweetie Pies know for their Chocolate Pie, Seaquest's Orchard's 3 Berry Pie, Grandma's Pies, and Bea's 4 Berry and Cherry pies. Every place up there makes their own version of cherry pie, and each place will tell you theirs is the best. I have my favorites, but again, that's another post. There are several beaches, golf courses, and other outdoor activities like kayaking, sailing, camping; there's even an old drive in theatre! I'm just touching on the tip of the iceberg. There're a plenty of things to discover up there. We've had the cottage for about 4 or 5 yeas now, and we still have not covered all the ground up there.

So we arrived late Saturday night, just in time to fill my kid with chocolate and sugar. YUM. We stopped at Door County Ice Cream Factory (not the ever popular Wilsons pictured above) and of course ran into a local that we know. It is really a home away from home now for us. This ice cream shop is really the best because they make their own ice cream and the ingredients and flavors are incredible. The best flavor is Death's Door Chocolate, and Oliver ate all of it, letting me occasionally have a lick. I don't think he really wanted that night to end because it was the first time he'd ever had ice cream. I'm so mean. ;)

Upon awakening, I de-spider-a-fied the cottage whilst Oliver sat and watched cartoons, something he doesn't get to do too often!

Oliver-at-cottage


(My apologies... I don't have Photoshop installed on my new laptop yet, so these pix are a little dark and not touched up yet.)

Then he had a peach for breakfast.


little man on the porch


We headed out after that to my favorite breakfast place: Good Eggs. The wait was incredibly long, and while I stood in line, Oliver made some new friends and got very well acquainted with the water fountain and pond. I turned my head for a quick instant, assisting a tourist with the directions to the women's room. When I turned back, my little guy had fallen into the pond, head first. No worries. His face was in the water, as was some of his body, but he was able to shout for help and I pulled him out of the 6 inch deep pond quickly. All the outdoor diners laughed. Oliver is definitely all boy.

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Luckily, like most good moms, I had a change of clothes in the car.

Later we went to Peninsula State Park and hiked for quite a few miles; eventually Oliver fell asleep and when he woke, we were at Nicolet Beach where we spent the rest of the day. I couldn't get Oliver out of the water even tho his lips were blue.

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getting ready to swim!

(and no, those are not my beers on the table by Oliver's shoes... although I'm sure I could benefit from a couple cold ones these days!)

After that, I attempted to build a fire at the cottage and cook us a decent dinner. But because Matt has been the one to grill out I suck at building fires, I had to heat up some leftover pasta for Oliver instead, lest he starve to death. He promptly ate all that pasta PLUS the chicken I grilled that was ready about an hour later. I guess that 5 mile nap in the park must have worn him out. :)

while waiting for dinner....

I made it thru the weekend with my little guy just fine, feeling peaceful and actually joyful. I thought about how Matt could give this part of our life up. It's really such a beautiful place, such a nice time that we have up there, and a very special part of the world. There are many beautiful places in the world, and I used to think Wisconsin was flat and boring. And in some ways, yes, it can be. However, my eyes have opened up to the Midwest, and there is a lot Wisconsin has to offer. We may not be New York, California, East Coast or host any of the 7 natural wonders of the world. But it's charming, beautiful and lusty. I love it.

On the day we left, I took a few short little videos of Oliver throwing rocks into the water, one of his favorite things to do. Oliver's idea of the good life is to have rocks, trucks, sand and water all in one place, preferable w/in arm's reach. I don't even think my milk-producing utters can hold a candle to that. 




Of course, my little guy couldn't get enough of himself or those rocks. Once we got home and I downloaded those videos off my phone, my son learned how to hit play over and over and over again on the new laptop. He can't get enough of himself, nor can I! :)


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Oliver watching Oliver