Well, the holiday is off to a good start.  After a late start and an uneventful drive up here, we made our first stop just outside Sturgeon Bay.  We were at the mercy of the GPS as the roads got less populated and narrower.  When we finally got out of the car, we were at a little cabin!  And my fron yard was sand and tall grasses leading to the shore of our own Great Lake—Michigan.  It wasn’t long before we were taking a late afternoon stroll along the lake shore.  They were strolling, I was running.  Acting a bit like a mad man.  And so we were in for an evening of cabin delights—a fire, some reading, a little John Stewart and another stroll, thios time under a star filled sky.  I heard it rated a 7.  Not bad.

This morning we went for another walk on my beach, down to a couple of light houses.  I like a lighthouse as well as the next dog, and I feel I may be in for quite a few this trip….did you know the biggest concentration of light houses in the world is on Lake Michigan?  Don’t quote me, but it has come down in ancient dog lore.  The sun was shining, the water was calm, I ran, I fetched sticks.  Life is good.

The one thing we were not too impressed with so far was the foliage.  A bit blah.  We had imagined we might be a little early for Wisconsin, maybe a little late for parts of the UP; foliage is so hard to time perfectly.  So the plan for the day was to drive the peninsula into the famed foliage destination of Door County, and maybe see a lighthouse or stop at an orchard to buy some delicious honeycrisp apples.  We started our outing at a quilt store in Sturgeon Bay, heard about the quilt squares we had seen on people’s barns, and had a delicious alfresco meal at a local eatery.  Onto Door County.

So, the foliage was okay.  Up against stiff competition, we could only rate it a 6, but in a couple more days, that could change.  In Fish Creek we heard talk of a fall festival this weekend that is the busiest weekend in the town all year!  Only 4 hotel rooms left to be had!  Despite the foliage being just shy of peak, we were happy to miss the tourist hoards.  We like the roads to ourselves so Beth can weave back and forth as she gazes at this wonder or that falling down building.  We stopped at an orchard at the end of the peninsula, and while I could pass on the honeycrisps myself, I heard some ooohing and aaahing.  And I enjoyed the apple cider donuts and the peanut butter rice crispy treat.  Back down the peninsula, more foliage, another lighthouse.

Tonight, lovely fire and more fabulous stars.  Tomorrow we head to the UP, destination the shores of another great lake.  I heard the route planning and it includes all their favorites—cemeteries, waterfalls, old CCC crap, and of course, more foliage.  Off to a great start.

Update:  Foliage exploded overnight--up to an 8 with the best still ahead!

Barn quilt squares for Josie: