North Shore Sharing

We took a long weekend to go see our boy Carter and his girlfriend Mamie in Duluth. They've only been there a few months and hubby has never been there so I took the opportunity to share some of my favorite North Shore places and discover a few new ones!

Since the "kids" were working on Friday we set a tee time to golf somewhere in Duluth. 

Grand View had some decent far away views and it was a shorter course than we usually play so obviously, that means I had a better score than normal!

Thus my smile here. And hubby should have had a much bigger smile after chipping in for some birdies!

 

As we drove from there to our hotel, we just happened to see Mamie's workplace. She works at Maurices headquarters, which we all admitted a few months ago had no idea that was in Duluth!

Our home for the weekend was Canal Park Lodge – obviously located right in Canal Park for those of you who know.

This was my anniversary gift to hubby so I wanted a great experience for his first time up there. I got a king suite with a balcony that faced the lake! You might be surprised how many places are boasting a city view. If you book up there, pay attention!

So from our balcony we had a great view of the lake they call "Gitchee Gumee" and the boardwalk that runs clear from here down to the lighthouse and the infamous lift bridge.

And plenty of views of various watercraft. Though most were too far away to focus unless we hustled down the boardwalk a half mile or so. Which we did not.

This is the one side of the lodge that faces the water directly. We were on the third floor.

Jim and I ventured down to the water and realized the whole shoreline was rocks – and a lot of flat rocks great for skipping. Which is why we saw parents and kids by the dozen line up on shore this weekend while their kids "learned" to skip rocks. Jim was brave and took off his shoes and waded in just to experience the "refreshing" Lake Superior temperature. But the rocks were a bit much! Ouch.

Friday evening when the kids were done with work, they suggested we meet at Bridgeman's restaurant. A great diner with super huge proportions... and ice cream!!

I had their Peppermint Bon Bon for dessert even though I didn't have room for it!

But who can resist LARGE ice cream sizes? Not me!

This is their food truck outside the restaurant. I imagine it's wildly popular!

After dinner, the kids (I am sure that they hate that I call them that) walked the short distance from their apartment to our hotel patio. It was a great setting with plenty of tables and a fire pit for those who wanted it.

That's when it was revealed they stayed behind at Bridgeman's and got us some extra birthday gifts. I saw this hat and loved it! And they paid attention! 💓

On Saturday I had a North Shore agenda but the first stop was seeing their apartment. We loved it! A nice, spacious 2-bedroom with much more space than we've seen in previous dwellings.

Updated appliances and everything we'd want for them. But how unfair they get a dishwasher and I had wait until a good decade past that age?? Ha.

After that, I said, let's head to the North Shore. If you don't know where it is in relation to Duluth, just follow the signs!

My first destination was Gooseberry Falls State Park to see the great waterfalls I've seen a few times. There are three different levels to these falls – upper, middle and lower.

They're all spectacular, in my opinion. But is IS a lot steps whether you go up to the upper first of down to the lowest. You somehow have to get back to the parking lot!

 

Just so pretty though. And obviously a busy tourist attraction. So many people!

Sun finally came out. Sorry to make you squint, kids!

All these tree roots growing in rocks was also so crazy!

After Gooseberry, I insisted we go view my favorite lighthouse at Split Rock.

I call this one "This little light of mine." And I'll admit I'm a dork.

After that, it was natural progression to a favorite place of my sisters and me – Betty's Pies.

I had the best slice of Coconut Creme Pie and everyone else gave 2 thumbs up to their selection. Crazy how busy the place was but we could understand why. Yum!

When we got back to Duluth, we dropped the kids off and had some free time for napping or whatever. I finally walked down to the lighthouses. Probably only half a mile away, but it was hot that day.

I saw a bunch of "kids" jumping off this random concrete structure in the harbor there. Can any of you Duluthians shed some light what that is?

I thought they were crazy... then hubby captured me plunging into the freezing water because I was hot and needed some relief. Thank god this was from our balcony so you don't see too many details! 

Last evening, we found a place called Tavern on the Hill that had a little bit everything. The place is pretty big and located close to the two colleges so I am sure it's busy during the school year.

Everyone's portion sizes were huge so we'll see when I get around to finishing up my Hot Honey chicken!

Our Saturday evening vibe from our balcony was so serene. Loved it!

This morning we woke up and wondered who stole Lake Superior while we slept. Definitely could not see the shoreline or any water! Crazy!

So we changed our plans. We were going to go up Enger Tower to get a full view of the city, but we knew that wasn't realistic with the fog. So we we went to nearby Lester Park in search of a waterfall within the city of Duluth.

Well, we picked the wrong challenging hike. The "raging" waterfall was on the the opposite side of the park. But still, it was getting so warm and humid already that we decided that was OK for today.

Still pretty! Give it a chance!

Typical Duluth harbor view as we hit the road to head home!

Stopped for lunch in Bloomer at the Bohemian (hubby's heritage) bakery and diner where we've eaten before.

If you go, I found that just ONE of their "world famous" oatmeal pancakes with blueberries was enough. Depends on your appetite!

We got home late this afternoon to this crazy heatwave. We had plenty to do before our work week starts. But we're just smiling. We had a great weekend with the kids and we all found a place we wouldn't mind visiting again.

Just not in the winter.

Hope you all had a great weekend, too!

Building a Mist-ery

Last night was so weird. As I exited work, I could see crazy dark clouds to the north – heading south quickly. As it turned out, two neighbor friends had come up to Stevens Point to meet me for a little experiment.

We got to be treated while taking very serious participation in a "test run" of a new upscale restaurant experience. (Hey, hubby and I know our share of restaurant owners and managers! And he had golf league. His loss.) So here we are indoors and we missed the whole storm, which did end up reaching Rapids and sort of flattening my flowers – and also took down walls of the new Pizza Ranch under construction. Gasp!

The important thing is that my friends have adventurous appetites so, following their lead, I tried new things, too. For the good of the experiment.

The super delicious salad I had was just the beginning with its blueberries and toasted almonds with... kohlrabi (first time trying – new fan), white balsamic vinaigrette (this typically ranch girl is a new fan of this, too), and... goat cheese.

What the heck have I been missing for... ever? OMG. It's so good and light and creamy and wow.

To defend my lack of adventure with the goat cheese... Who among you siblings and Hedberg cousins recall when we'd visit Grandma in her apartment, she would not let us have one of those pecan cups she always made "not until you have some goat cheese."

I don't even know if we ever had to eat it. But my mind saw it as disgusting punishment. 

Oh, Grandma Minnie. Sorry I disappointed you. It's good stuff!

The rest of the dinner – off the charts. When we stepped outside it was sunny. So who knew while we were indulging that things were twisting and turning and down pouring?

The weird thing was that because the asphalt was so hot during the day with nearly 90 degrees again, the cool rain created a weird, fog-like mist to drive through on the way home to Wisconsin Rapids. Some of it was pretty thick. But we all made it home.

Today my foggy mist was my brain and body working together to remember how to golf.

First night of Ladies' League at TriCity. My friend Molly and I were shaking off the rust but had a blast because, well, what's better than golfing with a friend? It's the one thing I am not competitive in because I know my limited skill set. And I don't want pressure. Just fun.

I saved our scorecard so we can see where we go from here. We can only go up... while our score goes down, that is.

I just re-read this all and realize... there's Robyn... typical 24-hour span of life... so much. And I didn't even mention I got to King Cone for the first time in 2026 as a welcome-our-intern social after work! 

#livingthedream #ifyousayso

Buckeye Book Babes

Tonight was our monthly book club meeting. This time at Perkins (still in business thankfully) with 6 of us discussing Brenda's book Buckeye.

Buckeye is a 2025 multi-generational novel set in the fictional town of Bonhomie, Ohio, spanning from the 1930s to the 1960s. It follows two couples, Cal and Becky Jenkins and Margaret and Felix Salt, as their lives, secrets, and relationships become intertwined, navigating WWII, societal changes, and personal crises. 

A lot to unpack.

And of course, it was just nice hanging out with the girls for nearly 2 hours.

If you do further research on the book and are interested in reading it, I have the hardcover available to lend. 

That's what's nice about this amazing book club. Just chit-chatting for awhile and also having very different types of books each month. World War II saga this month and a murder mystery next month. Almost always books I wouldn't have known about (and therefore chosen) on my own.

Plus, even though I have a personal connection with every member, they didn't all know the others at the beginning. So it's enjoyable to see us deepen our bonds each month. 

That being said, I need to shut down the books conversation and go watch the TV for today's Olympics highlights! Happy reading.

You're So Vain... I Bet You Think This Blog is About You...

I'm at the point in life where it turns out the best-laid plans never work out compared to the last-minute plans.

So when friend Becky (who I plan to spend all next weekend with at scrap camp) told me yesterday she had an extra ticket to some live music at the Wausau Grand Theater for tonight, I said, "Heck, yeah. I'll join you."

I actually didn't care what was on the agenda since I'm that weird "I love musicals, stage and live concerts" chick. But in this case the band was called Three American Troubadours – a tribute to the music of James Taylor, Carly Simon, and Carol King.

As a fan of the Tapestry album, I was "count me in" in no time.

So I headed up to Wausau straight from work and met Becky for dinner at Texas Roadhouse (where one of her kiddos usually works when he's not injured from a wayward knife – ooof). It was great to catch up since we USED to do that at 2 a.m. at Camp Crop-A-Lot, but now value sleep much more. So next weekend we can scrap to our hearts' delight and feel good about where our friendship updates are at!

It was also a weird coincidence that we sat in front of one of Jim's cousins and his wife – who works where I work and we just happened to connect today. I swear I'm not stalking anyone!

While we felt like Flower Children from the '70s, I think Becky and I were among the youngest flowers there. As for the talent tonight, they were amazing. They each sounded like their Taylor, Simon, and King counterparts. And, obviously, there weren't any song we didn't know. And they included insights to the songwriting for some of the numbers – so that was cool, too.

Still surprised (in the back of my mind) how "tribute" bands do so well. But they do somehow fill the house!

Managed to get home by midnight with my only deer sightings within 5 minutes from home. Obviously listening to the '70s channel on SiriusXM radio kept me calm. Ha.

Sisterhood Hump Day

It's much easier to get through the workday when you've got time with some of your "sisters" afterward.

Tonight our Girls' Night Out group met for dinner at the Barbecue Shack (formerly Danny K's) for our January outing. This is where I ate with Jim and the boys Thanksgiving weekend.

Last time I had a brisket sandwich. Tonight my friend Jenny and I both tried the Pulled Pork Tater. An extra large baked potato topped with butter, sour cream, cheese, and pulled pork. We got to choose the mild, medium or hot BBQ sauce to go on top. I liked the hot but the medium had the most delicious flavor. There were 6 of us and we all agreed it was good!

After that I went to see my soprano sisters at church choir practice. Our numbers get pretty small in the winter, that's for sure. But there were 8 of us crossing our fingers we can all show up Sunday morning to sing! Between cold weather and coughs & colds, you just never know.

I'll tell you, that hot sauce certainly cleared my sinuses. Might have to try that trick Sunday morning.

Do what you can to stay warm at least in the coming days! 

Fa-La-La-La-Love!

Despite the fact Old Man Winter is trying to dump 10 inches of snow on us, it's been a really nice 2 days.

It's Cranberry Classic weekend, which means hubby (who is on the committee) was tied to Assumption High School yesterday and today for the annual basketball tournament. I shot pictures in the morning Friday then Carter, Mamie and I headed out to Black Fridays-ville.

I mean if you count buying raffle tickets to win Christmas trees and lawn ornaments! Locals, be sure you check out the Feztival of Trees put on by our local Shriners running through December 10. So many gorgeous (gift-filled) trees and wreaths you could win!

Last year, Carter and I sat on Santa's lap. This year, we sacrificed Mamie. Not sure what she wished for but Carter is still mad he didn't grant him his Vikings' Superbowl win wish from last time!

From there we went shopping in Stevens Point-Plover area to find Carter's gift. Success! 

Ate nearby at Chili's and enjoyed the fantabulous Nashville Hot chicken strips. Leftover box number 2 added the fridge!

Went to boys game last night and shot pictures of the varsity girls today before heading home in the snow. Unlike last time, it's sticking more to the roads than the trees. Ick.

Played some Five Crowns cards with the kids. By the third round I had 52 points (bad) and they each sat at zero. Then momma rallied all the way to the last hand when kings were also wild! That was fun.

When the basketball game was done we met Clay out to eat at the new BBQ Shack Bar and Grill (formerly Danny K's). 

Great visit and food. Wow. My oversized BBQ brisket sandwich means, you guessed it, leftover box #3 added to the fridge!

Now we're home safely, relaxing, and not really looking forward to tomorrow's snow removal! 

Stay safe out there!