Endless summer...

Just like last year, our final trip of the summer was up to the sailboat on Lake Superior. The kids are always in awe of the "big lake" and all of the adventures that were in store.

Our first morning, we drove from Ashland to Bayfield and spent the morning at Blue Vista Farm picking blueberries and enjoying the wonderful setting.

We took the ferry over from Bayfield, Wisconsin to Madeline Island.

Across the island we arrived at our own little piece of heaven at Big Bay State Park. Several hours were spent burying ourselves in the sand, hunting for rocks and generally just relaxing on a picture perfect afternoon.

We got back to Ashland just in time for a late afternoon sail.

We came in to watch the sunset at the beach.

On the way home we made a stop at Jay Cooke State Park. It's always a gorgeous hike with lots of climbing over rocks and roots with spectacular views.

To the orchard....

I can't believe it's already that time of year to talk about apple picking. We really are on our last few weeks of summer, aren't we!? Today was just too perfect not to get out and enjoy it at our favorite local orchard. We had never picked the early variety called State Fair. Appropriately named for the ripening date at state fair time, which begins tomorrow. They were gorgeous to look at against the crystal blue sky and just the perfect blend of crisp and tart for eating and baking. The orchard added a few new thrills for the kids as well, so we had a fun adventure in the corn maze, the jumping pillow and the cow trailer ride. We're soaking up every bit of summer that we can!