Marquette

Visits to the UP have usually centered on family time, but that seems to be changing over time, becoming less and less the focus for us.  In part that's because the passing of Conrad's mother meant one fewer family member in an already small core family.  But Conrad's sister and brother-in-law have had their health issues and are getting older.  Sorry, but true.  So we come up here, and we kind of wait around to see what people are up for, and then we go ahead with our day.  That day doesn't necessarily involve them through most or all of it but simply depends on their schedules and interests before we can do anything else.  I'd like us (well, Conrad), to be more assertive in planning for future trips, but we shall see.  And anyway, I didn't even come up here all of last year, so I guess I can't whinge too much.  (I mean, I can, but I shouldn't.)

It took us a little while to get going yesterday.  Breakfast fell through, plans for a drive became plans for just me and Conrad.  At some point by 11 we were on the road north, heading for Marquette for a small adventure.

At the risk of sounding more patronizing than I probably usually do, Marquette is a cute little college town.  Oh, sure, it's also all rugged and outdoorsy, but it has some lovely older buildings and a nice little downtown.  We didn't poke in as many stores as we have on previous visits, but we made sure to get to Snowbound Books,

a really terrific little independent bookstore.  As if I wasn't already overpacked on this trip, now I have books to bring home.  And more, I confess.  We also stopped later on at Presque Isle Art Studios and picked up something for Van and a few more small things for us.  In between those two shopping stops, though, we popped into Lawry's Pasties

to grab lunch to go.  That was a recommendation from the visitor's center where we stopped on our way into town. 

We took the pasties to a shaded picnic table

at the lakefront in Presque Isle Park and devoured them.  And ah, Old Dutch!  Reminds me of home.  A drive through the park followed lunch, then that stop for shopping.

And, actually, one more stop after that.  No photos, alas.  Everyday Wines was where Conrad and I bought our Christmas Eve dinner in 2023 when we were up here for an unfortunate and lengthy visit following his mother's death.  Charcuterie and cheese and wine.  It turned out to be a lovely little evening tucked into our hotel room with a spread on the coffee table and a Netflix holiday romcom.  We did some shopping there last night, and that resulted in the making of dinner for tonight, a repeat of grazing on a spread again laid out on the coffee table.  Our last meal of the trip in Escanaba (well, technically Gladstone).

We made it back to the hotel in time to freshen up a little before a very early dinner at the hotel restaurant with the whole family.  I think we were back in the room by 6:00 or shortly thereafter.  We poured water and wine and munched chocolate and read until an early bedtime ended our day.

I was glad to get up to Marquette and enjoy a little cooler weather there, do our own thing.  We have breakfast plans in a little over an hour, so I had better get Conrad up and going.  After that?  Who knows.  One more night here to come, and then on to Green Bay tomorrow.