After many failed attempts, we finally made plans for Brooke and the kids to meet me after a job. I couldn't wait to see killer bee and my little runts out in Washington State. I'd been on the road working for over a week at this point. My parents stayed an extra day just to take us to the airport.  Ready to go.  Meanwhile I made it back up to Spokane after a day of shooting 360s down in Pullman. Guess we'll never forget which car is ours.  I laughed when I first saw it. Couldn't wait for Brooke and the kiddos reaction. We stayed the night at the Steam Plant Hotel. I'd stayed here when I shot 360s at Gonzaga University back in the spring. Seemed like a good, cheap option. The rooms are simple and do the job. I liked that this place provided ear plugs but only because the walls are paper thin. I could hear everything our neighbors were saying. I wanted to stay on Minnesota time and made us get up at 6am. I'm sure our neighbors loved that.  I'm sure we loved t...

This year is my 40th birthday. We originally thought we'd go to Mackinac Island and also played with the idea of going to Montreal. With a spring break trip coming up we settled on a cabin on the Gunflint Trail. The Gunflint Trail is one of our favorite spots in Minnesota. So, why not? We'd also decided to go on another campervan/RV relocation adventure at the end of the month. So don't act like I don't treat my honey. On our drive up we stopped at Tobie's to get cinnamon bread for french toast.  Just like a few years back we stopped at Hungry Hippie Tacos in Duluth. I feel like we have to document whenever these kids get along as it's a rarity these days. 

We came home from the cottage for a few days before it was time to leave again. We drove through the prairies and farm fields of Minnesota to go to South Dakota. First hotel shoot workcation of the impending summer. We were in a bit of a rush after Brooke finished work to get to Sioux Falls.. I had to shoot twilight shots of the hotel. After I finished shooting some exteriors, we got our much needed dinner at Gilliberto's near downtown Sioux Falls.   You know we love a good hole in the wall taco joint, especially if it's in a former Hardee's. This place was a weird mishmash of classic American tacos and authentic Mexican.   The hotel we were staying at had a mini indoor waterpark. When we got there after breakfast we had the place to ourselves. Theo loved the waterslide. I think we went down at least 20 times. A few more families came in after us but it was never very busy.  Lucky dogs, I was busy shooting hotel rooms and amenities. After swimming for a few hours the...

We stopped for lunch in Grand Marais at The Dunes Saloon Lake Superior Brewing. That's the Michigan one. Not the one in Minnesota. Love the old bar vibes. We started with these massive bacon and cheese stuffed tater tots. They were so good. 

After a few days we started to have a daily routine. Meadow would set up our beds while I hung up all our always damp clothing and Scott would cook. Today was the breaking point of our trip when Scott questioned if we made this trip too long.  My response was to the children's behavior the entire day. The drive down from Canada was full of whining. And then Theo suddenly had to pee on the bridge from Canada to the US, which upped the stress. There always has to be a bad day on a long road trip. It's inevitable. Theo had been super grumpy since he woke up, the kids kept fighting and everyone complained. 

Once back on the mainland Meadow got to pick up her Junior Ranger badge.   This one was made of wood! Before heading to our next destination we went in search of lunch in Bayfield. We got a simple lunch from a tiny little bakery, the Starlit Kitchen . Meadow says this was the best sandwich she ever had.  The bread was very good.

Brooke had us up bright and early to go blueberry picking: my favorite and least favorite berry to pick. We were all hungry so the kids and I got some donuts from KwikTrip. Plus an egg and sausage biscuit for me. We're such Wisconsinites at heart. The blueberry farm is only open until 12. If we left at our normal pace it would have been closed by the time we got there. She is right. The kids and I tried to go blueberry picking last week during Scott's surgery but they were closed due to short staffing.  Blueberry picking is so much work. And it was hot. I will never complain that it's hot again after camping in Texas in July while pregnant. Nothing can compare to how miserable that was.  Unlike last year, where we got so many blueberries on one bush, this year was more of a hunt.  At least Meadow is as into as I am.  I was hoping to get a whole bucket, but this amount would do.  Usually we save swimming for the end of the day but decided to do it right after....

On our little hiking trip yesterday Meadow complained her hiking boots were too tight. Didn't we just get those for her? I found a pair her size on Facebook Marketplace. Since I had to meet the seller in Hudson we decided to make a day out of it. After picking up the shoes we were hungry for lunch.    This time with Scott. I was back! We weren't sure where to eat and saw Big Guy's BBQ Roadhouse along WI-35.   The food was pretty good. Probably ordered the wrong items though. Wonder if this place is ever full.    Maybe during a Packers game? As part of my never ending saved locations on Google Maps I had Cascade Falls saved for a few years now. Since we were in the "area" we drove up to Osceola.    She's kind of obsessed with waterfalls and Minnesota's Hiking Club trails. I just want to go for a hike.

  We had a random warm day, Scott got new hiking boots and I love waterfalls. So a trip to Minnehaha Falls we went.   Will she ever get bored with waterfalls? Probably not.   Getting down any trail sure takes longer than before we had kids.  

  Another weekend, another hiking trip. This time Minneopa State Park. We started with the Hiking Club Trail . The Hiking Club is a great way to get the kids excited about our hikes. Rather than just going out for a hike they're searching for the secret password along the trail.   Where there's rocks Meadow will climb. 

 We randomly discovered Meadow was off school on a Friday and the weather was supposed to be unseasonably warm. An impromptu trip to the cottage it was. Gotta get those cottage visits in. It's just about the best way to have fun and avoid COVID. We passed the 200,000 mileage mark on our car this week. Luckily this little hybrid is still going strong. I had brought in the car because of noise and it ended up just being a damaged tire. After I got the car I noticed it was just over 200,000 miles. The mechanic took away the joy of the speedometer rolling over. Since there are many more waterfalls to see in the U.P. we headed back up. Our first stop was Ajibikoka Falls . Google maps took us down this unpaved road to a dead end.

  Day 2 Meadow had a few days off from school and I have a few days of PTO to use so we took a fall trip to the cottage. We arrived on Tuesday evening. Wednesday happened to be our 9th Anniversary. It's tradition to have crepes for breakfast but we didn't have any milk. Waffle mix it is. Though we've only been married nine years we've actually been together for almost 15 years. I think that number matters a lot more than a legal document celebrating a party we had six years after meeting. We went from summer weather the week before to winter this week. Today called for on and off rain. Eventually we made it outside. My dad had apparently already brought in the docks and boat for the winter. With the weather we had this weekend, it was probably for the best.