Ella woke me today with, “Did you know that today we’re going to Lake Superior???”

How could I forget?

We sat on the porch, sheltered from the morning rain, and Ella made footprints.

…and boot prints…

…and marveled at moths and spider webs…

Jack and John and I went for a ride while Peter played with his sister back at the house.

…and I had my very first CRASH.  It was a big one.  Riding over a tree stump, I turned the throttle while reaching for the brake and ran head first into a tree.  I was ejected from my seat and landed on my beautiful helmet, then fell flat on my back. I felt a little like a slapstick comedy star.  You know the kind, where the patient goes to the doctor, complaining that his head hurts and then the “Doctor” delivers a wallop to the patient’s foot, quipping “But doesn’t your head feel better now?”  So, sore head and bruised back and arms aside, at least the sciatic pain I’ve had seems to be gone.

We drove to Marquette, MI for dinner. We shopped at my favorite grocery store in the world (The Marquette Food Co-op) and ate pizza and beer for dinner (Well, I had a salad sandwich but the beer, an Arcadia Brewery Rye Pale Ale, was great!) We made a quick stop at one of the book stores we love in town, and then headed for an evening at our favorite beach in the world (save the pink sands of Barbados, naturally.)

Ella insisted on providing guidance via the TomTom – our best backseat driver.

With the annual “bury Jack to his neck in the sand” neatly underway, Peter built sand architecture and thoroughly enjoyed the frigid lake.  John and I stayed on the beach towel observing the kids.

Sunset came and went quickly.

I walked in the sand while Ella “swam” along the lake edge