Sparkling Good Weekend

I guess you could say the weekend was well-rounded.  It was the 4th of July weekend, and my employer gave us two days off (Monday and Tuesday) in addition to the weekend.  For those playing along at home, that's four days off from work total.  I spent most of it in the cheesy state.  It seems like it has almost become my second home, although I believe in reality it's still only my third home.

So I was saying something about the weekend.  I did a big loop up to that skinny peninsula northeast of Green Bay (Door County for those in the know) and back home.  I went from living in a tourist trap to going to someone else's tourist trap.  I made a pit stop at Jeff and Mowla's on the way there and at Brudda Jeddles' on the way home.  Here's the list of highlights from the trip.  Not necessarily in order of importance.

1. Camping.  In a tent.  But that was about the extent of our roughing it.  The rest was pretty cushy.  On my camping scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being very rustic and 5 being luxurious, I give it a 4.
2. Bicycling.  With a new trail I hadn't been on before, how can I complain, even if one of the travelers with me had a flat tire?  I can't complain Bob......can't complain.
3. Kayaking.  Buddy Jack-E was present, so we took a spin from the State Park around a nearby island and saw a little bit of wildlife and scenery.
4. More kayaking.  We entertained some nearby boaters as we practiced capsizing and re-entering our kayaks.  One nice older man even came by in his boat to offer to tow us to shore since it looked like we were struggling with our re-entry (and we were), but we didn't accept his offer.
5. Fireworks.  Seen from the car along the side of the road because kayaking and the meal afterward ran a little bit long, so we missed part of the fireworks.
6. Traffic.  The drive through Chicago on the way there was pleasantly nice without any slow-downs.  Ironically, the worst traffic I saw on the drive there was in Door County itself.  However, the return trip was a different story.  Back-ups due to road construction near Fond du Lac.  Interstate closed near the MKE airport.  This caused unfortunate delays, leading to slow traffic on the "Edens" and "Kennedy", which is kind of unusual since that was on the inbound leg.  The only break was clear traffic on the "Ryan" and the "Skyway".  You can tell I'm an expert when I use the big city code names for the highways.  Travel time to Door County:  approximately 7 hours.  Travel time from Door County:  approximately 9 hours.
7. Seeing Brudda Jeddles and his family.  Yes, trampoline jumping was involved (in our swimsuits with the sprinkler underneath).
8. Sunshine.  It was great to have such an awesome weekend weather-wise.  It was nice and hot, no clouds, and that sun sure was powerful.  No sunburn occurred (on me anyway - not sure about the others).
9. Cousin.  I saw my cousin's son at my other cousin's house (even though the other cousins weren't home).  It's interesting to see kids growing into adults with their adult personalities when I can really only remember them as kids.
10. Fellowship.  With friends, family, and strangers.

I think I'll leave it at an even ten like that and end with a few pictures.  I forgot to say who I camped with:  Sharin' (hereafter known as Share Bear just because it makes me laugh), Jack-E, and Jen-E.

Herman bearing a big load on the trip.

For those in the know, I'm told you may recognize the building on the shore.  You may not recognize Jen-E since her back is turned.

Jack-E cheesing in the cheesy state after eating cheese curds so fresh they were extra squeaky.

Jack-E's rig - not sure if he/she has a name.  He/she puts Herman to shame by carrying two kayaks, three bicycles, three people, and their luggage simultaneously.

While you're up, could you get me that bag chips?  Thanks....

 P.S. Special food bullets:
11.  Cheese curds.  Made that day, and extra squeaky, the way they should be.
12.  Several attempts at making Jiffy Pop over the fire, all failed.
13.  S'mores.
14.  Cherry rhubarb pie.
15.  Specialty bakery bread.  Door County Bakery.  Very original, huh?
16.  Czech roast pork loin served by our Romanian waiter.