Door County: Day 1

I thought I would take a moment to recap some of the activities of yesterday, our arrival and first day in Door County, WI.

The drive up was rather smooth and uneventful. It looks like we mostly caught the tail end of construction season as there were only a few congested spots and one extended detour. With only one stop in Sheboygan for lunch and Starbucks, we made it up here in pretty good time.

We starting at the Westwood Shores Waterfront Resort in Sturgeon Bay, and our suite is right on the water and has a stunning view of the bay. It is a little reminiscent of our view of Maui, but obviously that's not an equal comparison. ;) We already have some photos that we're hoping to have posted later today.

Once we were situated and mostly unpacked, and after a little meal planning, we decided to head out north and start getting our bearings. After a beautiful and solitary drive (there were literally no other car on the road), we found our way through Egg Harbor, Fish Creek and then up to Ephraim. We had a taste for pizza and ended up at Joe Jo's Pizza & Gelato in Ephraim. The pizza was good (had to get the pineapple, of course), but the Gelato was an excellent way to finish off the meal. I went with the Cherry, which tasted just like the Cherry Starbursts, and Cindy chose the German Chocolate. Wish we could take more of that home.

After dinner, we drove back south down 57, which went through Baileys Harbor and a few smaller areas. It was getting dark fast, so as we went farther, it was harder to read some of the signs. We made it back to Sturgeon Bay and went into the Business District. By this time, much of the stores were closed, but now we know where most everything is. :)

One stop at Walmart and we were back towards the resort. Even though it had been dark for over an hour by then, we didn't realize all the stars over our heads until we got out of the car and Cindy noticed it. I had hoped the stargazing would be better up here, and even brought all my gear. It was just, up to that point, it hadn't entered my mind that evening.

But, once we say how beautiful the sky was, it was only 15 minutes before we were down by the water, binoculars, camera, and tripod in hand, ready to take in the show. I wasn't out there too long, but still managed to get some decent photos (we looked at them on the TV in our suite last night). I had perfect views of the Jupiter and the Big Dipper, just to name a few. While I was able to get the entire dipper in a single frame, it came out more blurier than I had hoped. Tonight, I fix that.

For only being in Door County for about 6 hours yesterday, we still managed to fill up a day's worth. Today is our 5th Anniversary, so we have even more fun stuff to do. With that said, I'm going to shut down the laptop and head on out and enjoy day 2.

Mahalo,
Kris.

Vacation, Here We Come

To say that work has been wearing me down would be an understatement. With our vacation less than two weeks away, we can almost smell the ocean water. Yay.

Energy levels have been kind of low for the passed month or two, so things outside of banging code at the office have been mostly on hold. I am starting a new digital photography class next week, so that should help bring back a little variety and interest in after work activity.

In addition to that, I've been preparing for an even more educated round of astrophotography, to follow up on my unplanned attempts last year. I've been doing a fair amount of reading and research, as well as getting a few new toys. All the reading I've been doing has sparked a new interest in astronomy, and with the warmer summer months approaching, there's going to be many long nights ahead.

As I mentioned, things have been kind of draining, so I won't add too much more. I think once we return back from vacation, the rest and relaxation will make things feel like new again.