If a Tree Falls in the Woods....

We arrived in Alpena while making excellent time.  We even stopped briefly at the outlet mall and I scored some jeans from the Gap for under $7.  I couldn't pass them up.  After checking in the hotel, we decided to drive out to the property to make sure the barn was still standing and there was no vandalism.  We were fortunate to find no evidence of vandalism, and even more fortunate to find that when a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, that it just misses the newly constructed barn.


It was a little close for comfort, but we are soooooo thankful there was no damage. 

We didn't spend much time at the property this trip up.  It was rather cold and we didn't have much we officially wanted to get done.  Although, Andy did manage to get most of the floor on the second level.  We were content to just be able to get away for a few days as a family and do things we wouldn't normally do.  The first morning we woke up to meet my dad's cousin Scott and his family at Big Boy for breakfast.  John and Esther were gracious enough to get us a gift card to Big Boy for Easter since they knew we'd be heading there since it's Mia's favorite.  It came in handy as we ate a delicious breakfast and had great company to visit with.

We did our usual trip to the shipwreck museum as well as getting ice cream at our favorite place up north, since they sent Mia a coupon for a free cone for her birthday.
 

Something we've never done and I haven't done since I was probably Olivia's age is a visit to the Besser Museum.  They have all kinds of art and historical artifacts from the area.  The museum does a great job to add some children's interactive areas and scavenger hunts.  I can remember as a child thinking it was very boring, so it was nice to see them trying to cater to the youth a bit more.  They also have a planetarium, but they only have shows on Saturdays.
 

Olivia standing next to a totem pole learning about Native American beadwork and trying some patterns out.

Mia just had fun cooking up a storm in the kitchen.
 

Strutting her stuff in front of a peacock, is Miss Mia.
 

Posing by some of the sculptures outside of the museum.  It was super windy so hard to keep the hair out of their faces.
 

Now one in front of the eagle.

We also made a stop at the Stoney Acres Winery and let Olivia buy some of their sugar free Shipwreck Soda.  It's a great little small town winery for anyone ever in the area.

 

One trip to Big Boy was not enough. 

We had dinner at the Courtyard one evening, which was delicious, but Mia was apparently tired by the time we left.  Our last dinner out was at Big Boy too.  They even seated us at the booth right next to the window so we could stare at the Big Boy statue while we ate.  We were saddened to learn that the other Big Boy in Alpena closed down.  Now they are down to one Big Boy in Alpena.  Hopefully a great new restaurant opens in the old restaurant because it's a great location on the river.
 

Another view of the tree.

We enjoyed a lot of time at the hotel too.  Numerous trips were made to the pool and hot tub.  I would recommend Days Inn Alpena to anyone looking for a place to stay up there.  We had a great trip and can't wait to go up again, we're just hoping for warmer weather next time!