A family vacation…

I don’t have a bucket list, not sure if I really see the necessity for one since I seem to already live a fairly fulfilling life.  I’m also realistic enough to know that I’ll never have enough money at my disposal to do some of the grand things I hear people put on their lists (e.g., seeing the 7 wonders of the world or visiting all the continents). But, I have long had the dream of having our whole family (daughter, son, their spouses and children) vacation together.  My vision has always been someplace warm in winter like Hawaii – 1st choice, or Florida.

Well, not warm and not exotic, but rather very cold and simple, we have just spent several days together on the North Shore of Lake Superior in two small, cozy cabins.

View from the deck of our cabin.
View from the deck of our cabin.

It really was a dream come true for me.  Lots of quality family time playing games, hiking, eating and laughing.  I think “quality time” is an overused phrase, but it does best describe the time we had.  When you’re away from Wi-Fi, Direct TV and all the responsibilities and options for things to do you face at home, you’re forced to pay attention to one another.

Yes, we did have cellular service, albeit sketchy, so tablets and phones were still being utilized when we could get service.

An amusing example of the cellular challenges:  Our two cabins were several yards apart so running between the two meant a short walk in the bitter cold we experienced while there.  (Occasionally someone would jump in the car and drive the short distance just to avoid the cold.)  Son-in-law, Dan, texted those of us in the other cabin one morning to inquire about breakfast plans.  We received the text about 5 hours later at 2:00 pm in the afternoon – long after we had actually convened and finished breakfast.  You can see, that mode of communicating wasn’t very reliable.

One day we took a walk through the woods along the shore.  Though there was very little snow – much to our dismay (snow boards remained unused leaning against the side of the cabin) – we did encounter some ice on the trail which had previously had snow and been groomed for cross-country skiing.  Six-year-old Max had fun using a stick to try and break the ice on puddles that were frozen solid.

The ice formations on the rocks at water’s edge were beautiful.  We spent some time throwing smaller rocks at these formations to see if we could break them.  We examined holes in tree trunks made by woodpeckers, and wondered at tall birch trees broken off at their base, and now resting across other trees’ branches – did they crash down during a storm or fall gradually as their trunks rotted?

Such simple entertainment!

There are 10 cabins on this property, but only two are heated for winter use.  Thus, we had the entire place to ourselves.  We bundled up and walked down the long driveway past all the cabins one morning and listened to Dan’s stories.  Dan and his mother, aunts, uncles, and cousins have been renting the cabins we were in for many, many years.  Dan has been there for annual vacations over the 4th of July since he was about 3 years old.  So, he knows the history of the place and has lots of memories to share with those of us new to the experience.

Our hike down the driveway ended at the fish house which is used by the owner of the cabins to clean fish, store his boat, nets and other equipment he uses for commercial fishing.  We spent some time tossing rocks from the shore onto the long, icy pier there to see if we could get them to skid off the end into the water. The boys, both big and small, had fun taking turns skipping rocks on the open lake water to see who could achieve the best score.  The morning’s activity ended in family pics lakeside.

The matriarch and patriarch with their babies.
The matriarch and patriarch with their babies.

Again, such simple entertainment!

Indoor activity included lots of game playing.  One evening we had an elaborate Tenzie tournament.  Tenzie is a very simple, but fun, dice game appropriate for all age levels.  Since there were eight of us and  only four can play the game at one time, our two “older” boys, Dan and Pete, devised a player bracket board to indicate who was to play whom  and show winners and losers – quite sophisticated.  When it turned out I was one of the losers, I declared it a very poorly run tournament!

Kids having fun.
Kids having fun.

Eating, napping, reading, crossword puzzles, Sudoku and solitaire filled the rest of our hours.  A very relaxing time for everyone.

Drama queen and king!
Drama queen and king!

I was not disappointed in our family vacation.  For us, our simple, relatively inexpensive vacation was just as satisfying as if we had spent a week (and lots of money) in Hawaii. Just goes to show you making/taking time to sustain relationships provides the greatest satisfaction!

Happy New Year everyone.

May you find ways to spend “quality time” with those you love in 2015!

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5 thoughts on “A family vacation…

  1. I loved reading about your time at Split Rock, Maggie! It’s a magical place where everyone has fun. It’s also fun to know how connected Jack and Maxie have become to Split Rock, the 4th generation from the Mauren clan to love the place. Glad, too, that you heard the stories Dan had to share.

    1. I’m delighted we have been introduced to Split Rock and allowed to share it. Jack and Max are definitely in their element there. Thanks for commenting. mc

  2. Hi Maggie. Good for you–to decide to go up north in the winter to spend time with your family. I absolutely love the north shore and always go up there at least once a year. I had to laugh when you mentioned having trouble with wi-fi. Last time we were there we stayed at Grand Superior Lodge and only could get online in the lobby…which was okay, but then sometimes it just didn’t work. I, too, dream of a family vacation and hope to be able to do one soon. I think getting away is probably the best way to like you say, pay attention to one another. I enjoyed reading about your vacation.

    1. Thanks, Mary, for your comments. I hope you do get the opportunity for some time away with your boys and their families. (Very cute grand kids you have there, by the way.)

      1. Your words exactly describe why it is wonderful to go North in the winter. Dan and I are at the lake, too. We love the quiet and simplicity. Sounds like you are having a wonderful time.

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