Vacation?

We were supposed to have been camping this past week.  The girls had requested a particular site at which we'd camped before that they loved.  However, the weather forecast for that location called for temps of high nineties and over one hundred, which makes tent camping more brutal than we could deal with, so we cancelled.  We then tried to fill the week with other activities.

For the days that were too hot for outside activities, we planned trips to museums in Madison and Rockford.    L also wanted to see Ice Age 3, so we went to that.  Instead of campfire meals, we treated ourselves with dinner at Green Owl while in Madison, and at Pig Minds while in Rockford.

My favorite activity was canoeing, which we did Thursday.  M didn't want to be on the Rock river, so he selected a site in Fort Atkinson.  We went through 2 Rivers, and they dropped us and the canoe at the starting point, and at the end of the day we called when we arrived at the end point, where they met us to pick up the canoe.  It went very smoothly.

We had a great time on the water, where we had the pleasure of having the water to ourselves--we saw no other humans or water craft until we reached the last five minutes or so when we arrived at the exit point.  M counted 26 painted turtles out sunning, a muskrat, herons (both large and a smaller variety), cranes, hawks, geese, and a bald eagle (closer than we have previously been when we've spotted them).  It was a very enjoyable day.

I started out paddling in the front, with M in the rear, and L relaxing in the middle seat.  I was really enjoying the physical activity of paddling in the the beauty of nature.  About half way into the trip, L asked if she could paddle for a while.  I switched with her, assuming she would tire after a half hour or so.  She didn't, much to my surprise.  I kept asking her if she was tired yet, hoping to get back the paddle, but she stuck with it until the end.  I was kind of bummed, as I was really enjoying the workout, but glad she enjoyed herself and moved her body.  We'll definitely do that trip again and will definitely go through 2 Rivers again.  I'm pushing for kayaks next time, so I can get my physical activity for the whole duration, but L is being very resistant to kayaks--not sure why.

We even got a little adventure in our trip.  We reached about the half-way point, where it would be about the same time/distance to turn and go back as it would to continue on and finish the trip, when the sky darkened and we heard thunder.  There was no point in turning around and no shelter, so we kept going and hoped for the best.  It started to rain.  Then it started to pour and the temperature dropped dramatically.  We were drenched--soaking wet from head to toe--and cold.  After about a half hour, the storm moved on and it warmed up a bit, though not as warm as it had been.  For some reason, the whole situation struck us all as hilarious, so we laughed a lot and made it through just fine.  We were SO relieved that there was no lightening with this storm, as we really weren't sure what we would do in that situation.

I'm still hoping the weather and our schedules will coincide, so we can get a small camping trip or two in this year.  It feels like it's been a long time!  Of course it's the first year in over a decade that wasn't dreading putting on my swimsuit, so I have to have at least one day at the beach this year.

L has been working with Sculpey clay lately.  She's made some dragons, a rat, and a cake necklace w/earrings that she gave her sister for her birthday.