On Friday, we drove to Sheboygan Falls and had lunch with Grandpa Clint and Grandma Reda at Firehouse Pizza. The kids would be having a two night sleepover there, and they were really looking forward to it.
While we were at lunch, Amanda took Liam to the restroom and a woman stopped her, asking if her name was Mandy. It turned out to be Aunt Mary Ann, having lunch with a friend. It was a nice surprise to see her, and good to catch up for a little bit.
After lunch, we stopped by at Grandma and Grandpa's house and had strawberry shortcake.
Dave and I headed home for some quiet time on the lake. We took crackers, sausage and a bottle of wine down to the pier and enjoyed the serenity.
Once again, we tried fishing off the pier...
...but had no luck. We eventually gave up and went in to watch 'Castaway' instead.
We received a text telling us about all the fun the kids were having with Grandma and Grandpa. They had already been to Bookworm Gardens and the beach on Lake Michigan, and had a lot planned for the rest of the weekend.
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On Saturday morning, Dave and I got up early and drove into Madison for the Farmer's Market on the Square.
It was a bustling day down there. Dave was happy to have satisfied his craving for the hot & spicy cheesebread. I enjoyed hearing all of the musicians playing, and watching the variety of interesting people. We walked up and down State Street, stopped into a few stores, and bought some old record albums.
We met up with Uncle Josh for lunch at an Irish pub in Sun Prairie, and made plans to see him at the lake house the next day.
That evening, we had a Mexican dinner with Grandma Jo and then went to the Flags of Freedom Drum & Bugle Corps Competition in Sun Prairie. It was a fantastic show, and we were all wishing the kids had been there to witness it!
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On Sunday morning, Dave and I went for a long bike ride near the Horicon Marsh. We were the only ones on the trail, and we were once again treating to breathtaking views of the marsh and grasslands.
Along the way, we stopped and gazed out at the water. We saw lots of large fish, probably carp, surfacing in the water. Dave decided to make it a point to bring the kids fishing there.
When we circled back on our way to the car, we looked over to see a white-tailed deer leaping through the grass, almost as if it was racing us. I really enjoyed the nine mile ride, and was happy to have finally gotten some much needed exercise.
Later in the day, Grandma Jo and Uncle Josh arrived at the lake...and shortly after, Grandma Reda and Grandpa Clint returned the kids to us. We had a relaxing afternoon - good food, playing games, guitar music and outside time. In the evening, Dave lit off a few fireworks.
Grandma and Grandpa spent the night, and the next day (the Fourth of July) we worked on a puzzle and played more games before they made their way back to Sheboygan. It was a cool and cloudy day, and we didn't do much.
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On Tuesday, Dave took Eva and Liam on a bike ride back to the Marsh, and tried fishing with different bait.
Unfortunately, they still didn't get any bites!
Amanda, Grandma Jo and I went thrift shopping and out for lunch at the Glass Nickel in Sun Prairie. That was a fun day, and we enjoyed looking for treasures. We spent the afternoon packing up for our long road trip back.
On Tuesday evening, our last night in Wisconsin, the kids were begging to see Brady, Ella and Ashlyn one more time before we left. They had been up north and were returning home around dinnertime.
We ended up going out for dinner with all of them at Hooker's Resort on Lake Wisconsin.
The cousins at the 'canoe table'
It was a very fun night, and the cousins were delighted to be all together again.
After dinner, we all sat by the lake and watched a boat that had run aground. It had gotten too close to the shore and hit a sand bar. Once it got free, we headed back to Uncle Jared's house for more trampoline fun, quality time with the kittens, piano music, a campfire and some fireworks.
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On Wednesday morning, we say goodbye to our little house by the lake....and headed east toward home. We were all sad to be leaving but looking forward to our next adventure. Dave had booked two nights in Niagara Falls for us, and we were looking forward to finishing our vacation with some sightseeing.
...To be continued...
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