A very heartfelt Throwback Thursday #16: Da UP, eh!

My sweet snugglemonkey OG,

When you are older (y'know, and able to read this), you may not remember your first-and-possibly-last trip to our family cottage in the U.P., but I am certain you've heard us all go on and on about it over the years! Well, I want you to at least be able to remember it through pictures because it is an incredible place.

Around this time each year we would be making the trek to da U.P. (with an important stop at Clyde's for some burgers). This year, unfortunately, no one had planned on making the drive over the bridge. Dada and I are sad that we're not going, but we are glad you were able to experience it last year! And since there is a possibility that the cottage may be sold before we'd be able to go back, I want to preserve these memories for me as much as I do for you. This place is our family history and heritage.

I was a baby when Dedi and her family built that cabin with their own hands. There are pictures to prove it (but I'm sure you've probably seen them a million times by now)! There have been wonderful, silly, ridiculous, sad, scary and sometimes physically painful moments created there - but most importantly, it is a place built with love and filled with innumerable good times with our family. And the Baileys. And the deer head.
With lots of hair brushing parties. And crossword puzzles. And coffee.

So, here are some of my favorite photos from your first-and-hopefully-NOT-last trip to the U.P. cabin:

A long drive requires many drivers! Everyone had to pull their weight.  :)

...but everyone gets a break from driving to play!

I thought this "travel bottle was genius...you - you were undecided. hehe

You and I hanging out by the lake

Our beautiful view from the deck

Awee...waiting for you to wake up from your napnap.

EG doing some deck skiing (??)

Dada pulling a "Lion King"

Spending some QT with Aunt Pat E. and Carl The Spider

Then, this poignant moment...

We didn't used to have much access to "the outside world" at the cabin (something I loved about going there, to be honest) other than the local news or whatever we could pick up on our satellite cable (when if it was working), but now that technology is an "essential" part of life we have mostly-reliable internet access and mobile phone service up there. Sometimes it is necessary. In this image, everyone was gathered around the laptop watching live press conference coverage after we had found out about the killing of Samuel DuBose, an unarmed black man shot at point-blank range by a police officer in our city. It was one of the first police shootings that was accompanied by a clear video of what had transpired - not just what the officer had written in his report. Everyone was watching our police chief and head investigator stating that this was a horrible act and promising justice. Unfortunately there have been several other shootings, both before and since that day, in different parts of our country - but that is a history lesson for another time. And while this image may reflect a time of sadness and anger, it was still an important moment we all shared and spent together.

On our last night, dada went down to the deck early to set up a time-lapse camera to catch the sunset. Eventually we all walked down to watch it together.

And finally, one of my favorite pictures ever...no filter used, just Mother Nature in all of her natural beauty:

Yooper at heart, fovever <3