self-care part 2

I drove up to Grand Marais yesterday, all by myself, and it was exactly what I needed. The husband is on a solo hiking trip, and I need to pick him up at the trail head in about four hours. So I decided to make a long weekend of it all, take a personal day from work, and enjoy some time along the North Shore of Lake Superior.

My parents used to take us to the North Shore nearly every summer for a short trip, and whenever I drive up here all those moments come back. I remember how exciting it was to drive up the hill to Duluth's first scenic rest area and rush out of the car to see the vast expanse of Lake Superior. I remember looking at all the fancy brick houses that seemed like castles along the shore and wondering who lived there (and if I would ever live somewhere like that). We stopped at Betty's Pies (back when it was a little white shack and not the tourist mecca it is now), and Gooseberry Falls, and the Beaver Bay Agate Shop. I spent hours scouring the shoreline looking for agates, and not just the little slivers of an agate, but a big one, a showstopper. Probably in my life I've found only 2 or 3 of those showstoppers! Those were great trips.

The husband and I have duplicated those trips maybe three or four times in our almost 10 years of marriage, and I still love it all! But this was the first time I've made the trip on my own, just me in the mini zooming along the scenic highway, windows down to hear the crash of the waves. I spent the night in this amazing (expensive! but I don't care...not for these two days) hotel in Grand Marais, right on the water. Last night I wandered around town, walked along the shore, decided what I wanted for dinner. This morning I walked down to the doughnut shop and picked up half a dozen freshly made yummies to share with my husband when I pick him up. It's refreshing to have this "me" time in a new place, with new things to do. The only thing missing is my cat; she can't handle a 10 minute trip to the vet, much less 5 hours in the car. I'll pick up the husband in a few hours, and we'll enjoy this town for another day before heading back. But for now I'm going to sit with a book, listening to the waves crashing outside my door, and just be.