Vacation – Page 8 – M. Sullivan Photography

August 9, 2013 M. Sullivan Photography Birds, Family, Photos, Vacation, Weather

Summer Vacation

We took a week off during July and packed our bags, loaded up the SUV, hitched up the boat, grabbed the kids and the dog and departed for a week at a cabin in northern Wisconsin. We all were ready for some time away from our hectic daily schedule and were craving some rest and relaxation. We arrived very late on a Saturday evening (thanks to a championship Little League baseball game that delayed our departure). We unpacked our bags and dropped into bed. The next day we slept in, checked out the lake, headed into town for groceries and enjoyed the evening making s’mores. Let the relaxation begin!

The week in photos…

We enjoyed swimming, boating, tubing, playing games and the nature that surrounded us.

Mike and the kids also tried their hand at go-karts. It was a huge hit!

As Sebastian got closer to Mike & Sophia…

…Sophia put her foot on top of Mike’s and pushed the gas pedal to the floor!

The final s’more of vacation.

Final card game of vacation.

Final family photo of vacation.

We are already looking forward to next summer. 🙂

February 27, 2013 M. Sullivan Photography Birds, Family, Flowers, Photos, Skiing, Vacation

Week In Review

A quick recap of our week and a few gratuitous photos…

My Valentine’s bouquet still has blossoms. The irises finished last week, but the lilies are still blooming. Here is one of the stargazer lilies a few days ago.

The ice in the harbor made an unusual pattern last week.

The kids enjoyed a week off from school during their winter break last week. They spent three days with some old daycare friends. Mike and I took the other two days off from work to make for a long weekend with the kids. We spent Thursday skiing and enjoyed a night away from home by using a gift certificate for a local hotel (with a pool for the kids, of course).

Sophia had a playdate with a good friend on Saturday. They built a snowman in the front yard.

Sunday was spent at Chester Bowl. Mike was volunteering as a ski patrol while Sophia competed in her first ski race of the season. Sebastian wasn’t feeling well, but came with to help cheer her on.

There was a near full moon on Sunday night. I was with Sebastian while we took Daphne for a walk. The moon was golden while it was rising up from the lake. This is what it looked like by the time we got back to the house.

Yesterday’s sunrise was quite beautiful. I wish I had been down by the lake taking photos. Instead, I stood outside my front door in my bathrobe snapping a few pictures before I got too cold and had to go inside.

These ducks have been hanging around in open water near the slip bridge at the harbor.

Mike just informed me that it is after ten o’clock and time to wrap it up. My alarm at 5:30am comes way too soon. Until next time.

July 15, 2012 M. Sullivan Photography Photos, Vacation

Fun In The Sun – Part II

The second half of our vacation gave us more sun and warm weather.

Day Four

On our fourth day of vacation, Sebastian made plans to get out on the lake before any of the other boaters. He wanted to experience the calm waters with no waves. He also knew that Mike would drive faster without any other boats on the lake.

After boating, we all swam and relaxed. We stopped for a minute so Mike could take a picture of me with the kids. Sophia had a hard time not being silly.

Back in the water.

We enjoyed a fireworks show from our cabin on July 3 held by the Famous Dave’s restaurant on the opposite side of Round Lake. We were a bit far away, but the night was calm and the fireworks were a nice way to end the day.

Day Five

Before heading out to swim in the lake , the boys played a little chess. Sebastian has become quite a chess player and pulled off a win against Mike.

By request, I made one of Sebastian’s favorite muffins – lemon poppy seed.

The heat from the oven was too much, so we headed out to cool off.

Sebastian found the best way to relax.

Until we tipped him over.

After the getting soaked, Sebastian worked on his balance.

Time for dinner.

We had our own little fireworks display in the driveway for the 4th of July.

We also enjoyed fireworks shot off by the neighboring cabins.

Day Six

Another day, more beautiful weather.

We found an old pair of kids’ water skis in the garage. Sebastian tried them out for size and decided to give it a shot. He got up on his first try and stayed up for a minute and a half. I still have to upload the video Sophia took with my iPhone, but will insert it here when it’s done.

Day Seven

Rain in the morning, dry afternoon. Time to make a trip into town for mini golf.

We didn’t keep score, but everyone had a hole-in-one along the way of the eighteen holes (except me).

We did a little shopping for souvenirs, had lunch at Subway and also picked up a treat for the trip back to the cabin.

We all purchased “Hayward” t-shirts when we were in town. I made everyone put them on for a group photo.

Day Seven

More sun, more fun, more swimming and boating.

Sophia and I fed bread to a family of ducks.

Daphne acted as our life guard while we were in the water.

Day Eight

Check out day. One last look around.

We had originally planned to check out some of the tourist attractions in the area during our vacation – wild life park, go-kart racing, etc., but ended up spending most of our time at the cabin in or on the water. We couldn’t have asked for better weather and since it was the 4th of July week, Hayward was packed with tourists. Streets were filled with pedestrians, stores were teaming with tourists and restaurants were busy with hungry vacationers. We did go out for pizza one evening and stopped by the candy store for dessert. We also found an empty baseball field for Sebastian to stay up on his batting and pitching skills the day we mini golfed. Other than that, it was a very low-key vacation. I guess you could say it was exactly what we needed.