A Sunny Weekend with Grandpa
Saturday
After many cloudy, overcast days in January, I have welcomed the recent sunshine with open arms. We spent a lot of time outside this past weekend with grandpa. Saturday was a slow morning and over breakfast we decided to venture to Maple Bay Natural Area (hiking has been our go to activity up here). My new hairdresser actually recommended it to me saying it was pretty kid friendly and included both woods and beach. Sign me up!
The boys were troopers on the 1.75-mile hike! We did have a few falls on the slippery ice (mom included haha), but they got right back up and kept going. The boys love exploring. Grandpa taught Owen about the trail markers on the trees, so naturally Owen pointed out each one he saw. It was pretty adorable! When we finally made it to the water, the wind came on strong! The boys a blast running around and it didn’t seem to bother them at all. We’ll definitely be back to Maple Bay!
The long hike made us hungry, so we drove 10 minutes to downtown Elk Rapids. What a charming little town! It reminded me of Sutton’s Bay with cute shops and places to eat. We chose to grab some lunch and beers at Town Club. The food was good, and it was very kid friendly.
After lunch, we found a playground nearby so let the boys play a bit. The quaint town is right on the beach so Elk Rapids would make for a fun afternoon in the summertime!
Sunday
Another sunny morning! Grandpa cooked up some bacon and I made (opened a tube) of cinnamon rolls. We did not have any plans on the agenda today but knew we wanted to get outside. I remembered reading about a Pyatt Lake trail in my Traverse Magazine on Old Mission Peninsula. We headed that way early afternoon and took Nala girl along with us this time.
We pretty much had this trail to ourselves so let both Nala and the boys explore off trail a bit. The tall pine trees with the sun peeking in made our surroundings beautiful.
There was still some snow on the ground that added to the natural beauty. We came across Pyatt Lake and snapped a few pictures.
The boys (men included) were hungry, so we decided to grab a bite to eat. The original plan was to share a few apps but that turned into everyone getting their own meal. This is what happens when you go out to eat with two hungry men and three energetic boys! We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Jolly Pumpkin. The building feels like you’re in an old barn with high wood ceilings and unique light fixtures. There’s a big, cozy fireplace in its center and it offers outdoor dining in the summer. I love eating up here in the winter, though, because typically you can walk right into any restaurant!
Sunday evening, the boys were very hyped up for the Super Bowl. We stayed up past our bedtimes (Lucas, the whole game!) but it was worth it to have those last few quality hours with grandpa.
Today is Valentine’s Day so the boys were very excited to go to school with their bags of cards for their friends. I miss this day as a teacher because to me it is more of a school holiday. However, we will celebrate as a family tonight. The boys will open their small gift (pic below) and we’re thinking dinner at Chick-fil-a. Nothing says romance like some crispy chicken!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
