Downtime

Even in this amazing, wonderful lifestyle, everybody needs a little downtime. We’re soaking up all we can get right here a few miles north of Newberry, somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Truth is, we’ve been busy! It’s all “good busy”, of course. We’ve been blessed with lots of play dates with friends and family and beautiful sights to see. And, we love it all!! That said, our calendar has been full since...let’s see...May 1st! No wonder we’re tired!

We were a bit apprehensive about this campground. Our first choice for a chill out spot, right on the shore of Lake Superior, was booked. So were all of the surrounding parks. Seems this is the week everyone from the Lower P heads to the UP for a last blast of Summer. When this campground -- a bit farther from the sights we want to see up here -- had an opening, I grabbed it. Then, I read the reviews. (Yes, that is a bit like closing the barn door after the horse has already run away!) Laurie and Odel gave it a “neutral”. The recent reviews on rvparkreviews.com were mixed, but had a consistent theme: The place has a reputation for having some funky rules. We lowered our expectations and hit the road to Newberry.

Turns out, the place does have some weird rules. But, it’s quiet and peaceful. Well, at least we thought so. This morning, as we were enjoying some serious downtime, there was a knock at our door. Paul went to the door and was greeted by three little neighbor kids. They wanted to tell us one of our cats was looking at them. (Don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing, but apparently it’s knock-worthy.) They were also looking for somebody to ride bikes with them. Paul gave them a “maybe later” and came back in. Fifteen minutes passed. Apparently, that’s “later” to a kid. They knocked again.

“Are you ready?” asked the urchin at the bottom of our steps. Paul explained that he was busy and couldn’t play right now. They offered to help him complete his chores. He thanked them for their offer to help, but turned them down and sent them off. Over the next hour they stopped by several times. Finally, Paul asked them not to knock on our door anymore. These insistent playmates have obviously not yet mastered the fine art of downtime.

We, on the other hand, are seriously working on it!