Up North

July 22, 2012

I recently spent a week up north with some of my family at my great aunt Mayme's house in northern Wisconsin. It's a summer tradition in my family that has been known as "Ladies Camp," even though my little brother Austin has been a part of it since he was a baby. (He is now sixteen.) My uncle JJ even joined us this year.

I drove to my mom's so I could carpool with her, Austin, and our dog, Molly. We rode in my mom's work vehicle, which is an HHR covered in a Jelly Belly wrap. Oh, the looks we get.

After about 4 more hours of driving, we saw this sign and knew we'd be out of the Jelly Belly mobile very shortly!

On one of the first days there, a family of deer wandered into my aunt's yard. I quickly grabbed my camera and snapped away at their faces. I was amazed by how they let me get so close to them before they ran away.

We spent a great deal of time on the lake. We read and sunbathed on the dock, went swimming, and splashed our dog, Molly. (She loves catching the water!)

We were invited to spend the Fourth of July with my cousin's girlfriend's family on a PIRATE SHIP. It was so much fun. They gave us some ice cream from their shop before we got on the boat. I didn't bring my camera for fear of water damage, but seeing all the boats in the water as we watched fireworks going off in at least three different directions was incredible. Seeing fireworks anywhere else just isn't the same. Once the finale had ended, we busted out the snacks and beverages and watched Jamie do some fun hula-hooping. (I'm loving my cousin's new girlfriend already!)

Here's a photo of the pirate ship on a tour:

A newer tradition at Ladies Camp is Pasta Night. I didn't go up north last year, so it was new to me. (Not that I don't always eat pasta with my Italian family.) I love seeing my family cook together, especially my Nana Toni and her sister, my Auntie Mayme.