Recommended Homework

One of the great things about kids is that often you do things because of them that you normally wouldn't do...well of course there are the things like wiping bottoms and cleaning up puke and those kinds of nasty but necessary things which given the choice I'm sure most of us would not really opt to do...but then there are things like striking up conversations with strangers at the park or their school that end up being your best friends, or getting to see cool places because your daughter has a homework assignment over the summer that of course has to involve you as the parent. That is exactly what happened and as a result the whole family had a mini-vacation up in Two Harbors the past couple of days.

Vivian had to pick a historical site that she had never been to and now must prepare a presentation to be given on her first day of school--as a proud parent I have to add that it's for Advanced Social Studies. (my smart little girl!) After looking over a pamphlet made especially for celebrating the state's 150th birthday, she chose the Split Rock Lighthouse, which is up in Two Harbors. Since my brother and his family live in Duluth, we made a stop there and hung with them for a while. My nephews are a blast, and very musically talented. Vivian loves to jam with Simon--and she found a new talent, the drums! She hopped on there and before I knew it she was actually playing a beat. Nice! Does this mean there will now be drums in our future? yikes. Good choice tho...good drummers are always in demand. Like Spinal Tap, they are usually the bane of your band existence...and The Charm School Dropouts were no exception. But I digress.

After spending the day in Duluth we made our way farther up north. Two Harbors is such a cute little town and we stayed in a great little Motel called the Country Inn--highly recommended! Nothing fancy, mind you...if you're looking for room service your not going to find it there...but it was clean and friendly, and you can't beat the 18 hole putt putt golf course out front! :-) They also had a pool which is always a hit with the kids. We did some exploring around there, going down by the water and walking out on this pier in I think was called Agate Bay. Beautiful! The wind about bowled us over out there and it was freezing--but totally worth it. That lake is amazing, you totally feel like you are looking over the ocean.

The next day we made our way to the Split Rock Lighthouse--time to get the homework done! Very cool. We did the tour complete with people in period costume and up into the lighthouse we went. This Metal Mommy got a little claustrophobic in that thing, but I managed. The stairs were high and tight, and getting about 15 people into that little lighthouse was not easy. The whole thing is pretty amazing though, and hearing how the old lighthouse keepers kept things running smoothly makes my lazy days seem pretty, well, lazy. Nothing like running up those steps first to the building and then up into the tower every two hours of every day to keep you in shape. Makes my little Tae Bo on demand work out look kind of flimsy. From there we made our way to Gooseberry Falls--not on the homework agenda but definitely a must-see if you are in the area. Gorgeous! You can hike all around the falls on various paths. At one point we went onto a bridge that spanned over the entire thing, it was an incredible view to see that all beneath you with Lake Superior out on the horizon.

After that we got in the car for the drive home. It was a short trip, definitely something we want to go do again. The kids could have spent an entire day climbing rocks and throwing little ones into the water. The perfect kind of play, in my opinion. It's funny how when you live in an area for so long you kind of forget what is right out your back door.

So Happy 4th! Any fun plans? We're heading over to Steph and John's for a nice little dip in the pool and BBQ, before heading out onto Interlachen for the fireworks show. It's going to be a group this year, a bonafide party! Have a great one!