Last Camping trip of the summer

So even though we were in nature's playground this summer, we really on got a couple of camping trips in. But we did get one last camping trip of the summer the weekend after Labor Day up in Door County. We have only camped there once or twice because of their awful reservation system. It is very difficult to get a site in the summer without paying a fee that is almost another night of camping just to make the reservation.

Anyhoo... we drove up after work on Friday, we got out of town at a decent time, just not decent enough to make it to the campground before dark! So we set up in the dark, which was fine because there are 5 campgrounds at Peninsula state park and because it was after Labor Day, we had the place practically to ourselves! It was a beautiful site and huge!

It was a little cold on Friday night, after our experiences camping this summer, I may want to look into a little propane tent heater for next summer. But we got both dogs piled on top of us and it was warm enough to sleep. We woke up Saturday to what sounded like kids throwing rocks at our campsite. In reality it was a bunch of rowdy squirrels throwing pine-cones down from the trees to collect later. They were merciles and had deadly aim, all we could do is hide out in the tent until they were done! Saturday was gorgeous and we drove into Fish Creek to have some of Smilin' Bob's Bar Room Chili and some deep fried Door County Cheese Curds. (Yes a lunch that should only be accompanied by a trip to the cardiologist!) We wandered around Fish Creek for a while until we had haunted each of the shops and then headed back to camp to relax from the effort.

Our friend Lee had gotten us tickets to their sold out show "Guys and Does" so we drove into Ephram as the sun was setting over the Bay to see the show. It was cute, alot like Guys on Ice but in a hunting cabin.

After the play, we rushed to the Drive In to see District 9. It was a good idea and I'm glad that we did it, but we were not as prepared as we needed to be. we had our chairs and our cooler, but because we were running late we missed the beginning of the movie and couldn't get out of the car and set up the way we needed to. Plus, watching the moving from inside the car, our windshield was dirty and we had not washer fluid!! It was still a fun experience and we can red-box the movie if we want to follow it better!

Sunday was all about relaxing in the site until it was time to pack up and go. After we were packed, we did drive the long way out of Peninsula State Park so Pete could take some pictures of the scenery. We also climbed to the top of the tower. It was fun, but I did not stay up long! I wanted to try the Sweetango apples, so we stopped at a couple of farm markets on the way back including the one with the Corn Maze that we actually got lost in!

We stopped at Friar Tucks for dinner as we passed through Manitowoc and had the second perfect weekend in a row!

Then we followed the Cardinals home to Milwaukee

After a great weekend in Pittsburgh, we had tickets to the Labor day game at Miller Park. We had originally intended to tail-gate, but after the late drive we thought it would be better to sleep in! We had great Club Seats at the Labor day game it was a beautiful day for baseball.

We thought we had a chance of seeing a no-hitter, Carp had a great game going, the no-hitter was broken up by a cheap bloop hit to left field, but he still got the shut-out.

Tuesday, I went back to work, but Gail and Tom had invited us to a Brewers v. Cardinals game that evening. We again had great seats and it was a really fun game! The Cards were losing through most of the game and we got a chance to see the Hell's Bells entry of the Brewers closer, but the Cards made an amazing comeback on a Matt Holliday home run and we ended up winning the game! After the game, we had a late supper at McBob's, it was a lovely evening.

And it didn't hurt that we got a win!!

Anniversary Present

Since this was the first year since Pete and I have been together that we didn't get to spend our anniversary together, we planned an anniversary weekend for once I got back to Milwaukee. We also were afraid of not being able to see a new major league baseball park this summer. All of that was solved when we discovered that the Cardinals were in Pittsburgh labor day weekend!. Pete took a personal day on Friday and we took a 4-day weekend. Our plan was to drive to Pittsburgh on Friday, check into the hotel and finda bar where we could watch the game. We had tickets for Saturday's game and then we would drive back on Sunday so we could listen to the game and catch the Cardinals at Brewers on Monday (Labor Day). It was a good plan.

We did drive on Friday. We got out a little later than we thought we would, but it was a long game and we were still able to watch a few innings of the game. After we got checked into the hotel and got the dogs settled, we headed out to find a bar where we could get some dinner and watch the end of the game. We came around a curve and right in front of us was a Primanti Brothers restaurant. One of the guys at work had recommended that we eat there while we were in Pittsburgh and there it was with TVs big enough that we could see from the street that the game was on! It WAS a great sandwich and the Cardinals won!


Saturday we relaxed in the room and then headed in to town to explore downtown Pittsburgh. It is a beautiful area. We went to an old market type area and prowled around the shops and took a ride on an Incline. Sort of a tram that you take from the riverside area to the upper bluff area. We rode up, took a ton of pictures, got some ice cream and then took the incline back down. By this time, we needed to head to the game! The converging highways/bridges at the three rivers area are a little confusing and we somehow headed to the wrong parking lot and were on our way to a football game. But it didn't take too long to get back on the right track and back over to the correct side of the river and baseball parking. There are three bridges that cross from North to South and on game days, they turn one of them into a pedestrian bridge. It was a great walk over to the park. ON the street in front of the park, there was a street fair/ Irish fest going on which we wandered around just a little before we headed into the park.

The game was great and our seats were great and there were a lot of Cardinals fans in the park. We had Philly Cheese steaks that were enormous for dinner and generally had a great time. After the game there were fireworks and they were fantastic! Pete had been talking to a Cardinals fan sitting next to him throughout the game and after the game he asked if we would be at the game on Sunday, we said no we had to drive back. He had a sick kid at home so he had extra tickets, we must have hesitated because he said, here, let me make it easy for you and just gave us the tickets. We really thought there was no way to do it, especially with the puppies. But then we looked at the seats - they were 10th row, right behind the 1st base dug-out and fantastic. So now we were thinking about it.

Pete talked to his Dad while we were on our way back to the hotel and public opinion seemed to be that we find a way to see the game! We chatted with the hotel front desk in the morning and they agreed to give us another night for the single person rate and we found a way to go to the game with the pups nicely settled!

It was not a great game, we were ahead for much of it, but then Ryan Franklin melted down and gave it up. Blech. I'm still glad that we stayed and went to the game! The drive back wasn't even that bad. We had a plan to switch drivers every two hours, another plan we didn't stick to! But once you get into a driving groove, it's hard to give it up.

It was a fantastic trip!

Long time no see -

So I have been extremely remiss in keeping up our family blog after Pete returned to Milwaukee and left me alone in Utah. The rest of the summer went well. The show continued to be well received and I had a lot of fun hanging with my new friends. If we learned anything, we learned that six weeks is too long for Pete and me to be separated. I missed the pups too!

I did have some fun - the annual stage manager's trip to Las Vegas was scheduled to correspond with a carpenters and electricians. By the time we got there, there were 30 people from the festival headed to sin city. I didn't have a show, so I went in to town early and was able to see an Area 51s game with my friend Michael. It was a good gamea nd we had a great time. When we got back to the hotel, I curled up in our fantastic room to wait for the rest of the stage managers to show up. It was a great room, really much nicer than my apartment in Cedar City! Once they got there, we headed down to the strip for a little drinking and gambling. After a lot of confusion about where we were going and how far people could walk in heals... we wound up drinking quietly in a series of casino bars. When we discovered that it was almost 7a, we decided to head back to the hotel and have some breakfast!

Sunday we all met in Paris for Brunch which was, as usual, lovely (made me miss Pete!) and then some shopping before my friend Becky and I went to the Cirque show Beatles, Love. It was a fantastic show and I know that I will get to see it again, because Pete HAS to see it!! It was a long drive back on so little sleep, but once I got back - I had no where to bere until Tuesday, so I was finally able to catch up on my sleep!