Lutsen - Part 1

We had the fantastic opportunity last week to take a four day trip to Lutsen, a town about 4 hours drive north of Minneapolis, on the shore of Lake Superior. Despite the still-winterish-not-really-spring-yet weather, we had a great time. I especially enjoyed spending time with Joel and the kids away from home, and without any agenda. As a homeschooling mom, I often feel like my interactions with the kids are centered around prodding them on toward accomplishing some task. Last week, we had the chance to just *be* together -- playing games, throwing rocks in the lake, hiking, and having fun.

We drove up on a beautiful, clear day, and our first stop was Pizza Luce in Duluth. The pizza was fantastic, as usual, and the kids enjoyed getting to watch the pizza dough being flung into the air.


We also got to see a number of deer on the drive north (we are still Southern Californians at heart, and are excited easily by the viewing of critters in the wild).


The next morning, we had breakfast at the Lutsen Lodge, where the kids enjoyed pancakes shaped like little bears, I had eggs, and Joel went with the wild rice pancakes. An endearing Minnesota North Shore tradition is to somehow incorporate wild rice into every recipe. I must admit, the pancakes were *very* good.



After breakfast, we began exploring the Lake Superior shoreline.


But, seeing as the temperature was a bit on the chilly side, we decided to head for the indoor pool and spa for some morning recreation.


Nothing says vacation like chocolate milk, poolside. I think we all felt like the trip was off to a good start.