Covid 19 Pandemic Week 14

Saturday June 13th:
Today was a pretty low key day.  The kids did their usual creative play in the morning which included some construction and some sewing.  Charlie was excited to "build Dad an outhouse for his stinky poops".
Later in the morning we took a drive out to Chaseburg in hopes of finding some lumber for the new sandbox and some hanging pots from the Amish.  No such luck; the greenhouse was empty and no one was around to ask regarding saw mills. In the past Isaac has corresponded by snail mail and we were hoping to expedite the process.

Sunday June 14th:
More time was spent at the rentals for Isaac.  The kids and I just had a leisurely day at home. 

Monday June 15th:
Isaac spent the day working on the rental at Bliss as the tenants requested some updating to the lower level bathroom.  He was able to paint the tile with an epoxy kit which was a great improvement.  (The paint made him a little loopy though!).
I always like to leave for vacation with the house mildly in order at least.  Having kids payed off today as they got really into vacuuming!
Mema came for another walk with the kids; they went to campus and played hide and seek while Mom got some much needed packing completed for the camping trip.
Babysitter Sara came at 7pm so that Mom and Dad could go to a physically distant bonfire with the Bittners again.  We emphasized the importance of at least starting the bedtime routine by 8pm (given the kids were still awake at 10:30 pm the last time we tried this).  We got home a little before 11pm and were disappointed to see that the kids were still awake and absolutely wired.

Tuesday June 16th:
Vacation time at last!!!  The kids were up by 6:45 and were less than cooperative while we finalized the packing.  (Not surprising given their lack of sleep).
We were on the road at 9:30 which gave us a comfortable buffer to make the last ferry to Madeline Island.  We thought for sure the kids would nap at some point during the 5+ hour drive, but they did not (until the ferry boat that is).  They constantly asked when we'd go on the boat ride and Charlie asked every few minutes where we were on Mom's hand (she taught him how the state is the shape of a hand and we were driving to the tippy top of the longest finger).
We made it literally a minute before the 3pm Ferry started loading and were the 2nd to last car on.  We tried to wake Charlie but he was out cold for the whole ferry ride.  We headed straight to Big Bay State park and found our campsite.  It was so warm at the campsite that we bailed on setting up camp and instead headed straight to the beach.
The kids were thrilled to play in the sand and Lucy wasn't phased by the cold water.  Isaac did a full submerge.  Eventually the biting flies got the best of us and it was time to get on with camp set up and dinner anyways.  Our campsite (#39) was a walk in site.  Luckily there was a heavy duty cart to help with getting all our equipment to the site.  We enjoyed a meal of pasta salad and veggies and then headed into town with the plan of getting the kids ice cream cones.  Everything was shut down, so luckily the kids rolled with it and were fine with getting mashmallows and gummy worms for dessert while running around the ferry dock.  Bedtime brought an epic showdown from Lucy where she demanded the monster truck toy that Charlie was snuggling with.  I don't remember how it ended other than having to physically restrain her from constantly going across the tent for the truck.  Eventually everyone just fell asleep.  Phew.

Our lunch and potty stop-a dead end road by the McDonalds.

Sleeping on the ferry ride.

Lucy is driving?!

Potty with a view!

Waiting in line to get on the ferry.

Beautiful fields of flowers all over the island.  These exact flowers were all around Acadia NP in Maine as well.

Brrrr Refreshing!

Team work to inflate the air mattress. (Notice Dad just lounging around).

Sunset at the ferry dock.

Wednesday June 17th:
The kids slept until almost 8am (thank goodness)!  We had a yummy pancake breakfast (Charlie had oatmeal) and then we headed straight for the beach as the day was quickly heating up.  Today we decided on trying out the Town Park beach as that is supposed to be the nicest section of beach.  We were also surprised to find a large campground at this park (which is run by the town of La Pointe).  I think we'd likely stay at this campground the next time around.
The kids were excited to use the camping potty prior to heading down to the beach.
The beach was less protected and therefore got a very nice breeze to keep the biting flies away from.  Good thing because Charlie's ankles had turned into massive cankles; poor guy!
Today was another scorcher and the water didn't feel too bad once you got used to it.  We found a spot where the rocky shore quickly turned to sand.  Charlie played with his trucks in the sand and found a pet ant that kept him occupied for hours.
At lunch time we headed into town when we knew the grocery store would be open for some ice cream.  We got ice cream sandwiches and Isaac got a delicious burger from a food truck.  (The grocery store only allowed one person in the store at a time)!
On the way home we stopped at the wood shed and put together 2 bundles of wood.  While Isaac was doing that, both kids had to use the potty at the same time!  People driving past must have been amused.
We came back to the campsite and played in the hammocks, Charlie and Isaac went for a walk and Lucy and Mom played Go Fish.  Lucy has walloped me every time we play.  Tonights dinner was tika masala with rice, sweet potatos, and naan bread (the kids just had rice and bread).  We also had a campfire and roasted marshmallows.
Bed time was another hum-dinger.  The kids couldn't seem to calm their bodies down and listening was no longer their strong point (and patience was no longer Mom and Dad's forte either).  Eventually both children were sleeping and the campfire could be finished out in peace. 

Love this picture!

The stairs and bridge over the lagoon and down to the beach.

Charlie has never been a fan of cold water or getting wet so we were shocked to see his involvement in the chilly lake.

Campfire dinner.

Thursday June 18th:
The kids slept in well again.  We did another successful pancake breakfast and then headed straight back to the beach again.  Lucy requested to paddleboard, and luckily the lagoon was perfectly calm.  We decided to inflate just one paddleboard and take turns.  After Isaac and Lucy paddled the lagoon, Lucy and Mom paddled the shoreline and found 2 loons calling. Unfortunately the kids didn't quite settle in to a happy/calm routine at the beach today.  That paired with impending storms made us pull the plug on our trip one day early.  We were completely at peace with that decision though as we did everything we wanted and had a great time exploring a new place. 
We made a huge lunch while packing up.  The kids weren't particularly helpful with packing, but they also weren't throwing a fit anymore (hooray!).  We finally took an official family selfie and Charlie just wasn't having it (again).   A couple of the below photos will capture his overall "mood" today.  We made it to the 2pm ferry and promised to find the kids some ice cream cones in Bayfield. 
Charlie loved the ferry ride and was happy to be awake for it this time around! We found an icecream shop in Bayfield...but it was closed.  Luckily another stand was open.  The kids got absolutely sugared up for the next 30 minutes of the drive and then settled in for movies on the iPads.  We let them have wayyy more screen time than usual for the drive home as there was no fight left in us. 
We stopped in Eau Claire on our way home at the same dead end road as on our way to the island.  We arrived home around 8:30pm; phew!

Paddle boarding in the lagoon.

Last day on the beach.

The "mood".  Part of why we are heading home sooner than planned.

Charlie barely decides to be part of the family photo.

We convinced him to join but he's still not thrilled.

Watching the ferry dock.

Approaching Bayfield (in the background).

The long-awaited ice cream.

Friday June 19th:
Today was a recovery day at home.  Isaac was again busy at the rentals while Kerry and the kids played with kinetic sand, watched a movie, went on 2 different walks, and played hide and go seek tag at the park.  The kids requested the "lunch bus" for lunch (which was great because then we didn't have to cook them one).  Isaac met us just in time for the bus (which is now a lunch van).
After lunch we attempted to empty our new camping potty.  Isaac was pleased to find that it didn't stink, but we did need to add additional Aqua-Kem into the tank to assist with additional "digestion" of the waste.  This will be a 2-part process apparently.
Everyone seems to be settling in and happy to be in their own beds although Lucy was sad that vacation was over.  Til next time.

Playing games while waiting for the lunch bus.