My daughter and her kiddos and I took a kind of spur-of-the-moment trip over the weekend. When I say kind of spur-of-the-moment I mean that she had to move several heavy obstacles and we both had to jump through some hoops to pull it off. But we got it done and it was so, so worth the hoops.
My in-laws own a little trailer in a park on the shore of one of Minnesota's 10k lakes. It's a trailer from the sixties with a few upgrades and a build-on, and a stackable washer and dryer. Orange and moss green shag carpet was cutting edge high-fashion when it was laid in the bonus build-on bedroom. Paneling was all the rage. And dog gone it if the decor isn't cheesy cabin tourist crapola.
But we make the trip almost every year. And once my little kids were beyond the toddle-into-the-lake-and-drown phase, this place has become what vacations are meant to be.
When it's just Rob and I we go and decompress completely. He fishes, I read in the boat, we eat twice a day and wear whatever we want.
With the kiddos my daughter and I had to be a little more on top of our game. And the lake was the lure we knew it would be. From about 8 a.m. to dinner time the kids were digging, playing, collecting and glorying in the secret treasures and new experiences of the lake. And as an adult along for this experience it was glorious. It was exactly what a vacation should be.