When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!
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We LOVE the North Shore!
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I'm sure we aren't the only ones who had the COVID-19 pandemic change their plans. As of today, we are approaching 25 million cases worldwide with nearly 840,000 deaths in less than 1 year. The U.S. sadly takes home the gold medal for both the total case count and deaths with over 182,000 and counting. Masks are mandated in nearly every state due to continued spread of the virus yet most businesses have reopened, including bars and restaurants. Most schools are online this fall and chromebook laptops are this year's Tickle Me Elmo and are sold out and impossible to find. Most local colleges and the Duluth middle and high schools are online with elementary schools attempting a "hybrid" model.
Theo's school was canceled starting March 18 (Seth homeschooled him and Marit for over 70 days). All of Theo's summer camps that we meticulous planned and registered for were canceled (Great Lakes Aquarium Camp, Marshall Mountain Biking Camp, UMD Rock Climbing Camp, Hartley Hook, Line and Sinker Fishing Camp, and UMD Sports Camp). Our summer vacation to Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park was canceled. Weddings and graduation parties postponed; medical conferences and running races turned virtual. Swimming pools and playgrounds closed. Soccer leagues canceled. Indoor activities, like gymnastics and swim lessons, suspended indefinitely. While 2020 isn't exactly what we had planned, we learned to be flexible and make the most of it. We sheltered in place for a few months and then expanded our bubble to include our extended family. Fortunately, we live close enough to see them and enjoy the outdoors together. Families that travel together, stay together and make memories to last a lifetime. Do you know what you call a vacation that doesn't go as planned? In our family, we call it an adventure. Summer of 2020 has been quite the adventure!
Despite the pandemic, this summer has actually been pretty fantastic! Part of why we moved to Duluth was because of the easy access to the outdoors and North Shore. This summer we took full advantage of this extra family time and tried to stay local. We spent more time exploring the outdoors where it was easy to social distance (stay at least 6 feet apart) and look forward to sledding, skating, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and downhill skiing this winter, too.
We welcomed a new cousin, Lucy Jane, in March. Theo lost his first tooth in April. We spent a lot of time tubing, water skiing, paddle boarding, canoeing, sailing, and swimming at the cabin on Balsam Lake. We celebrated John and JoAnn Pastorius's 40th wedding anniversary in June with a scavenger hunt to Split Rock and Gooseberry Falls. We biked the Munger Trail, Gitchi-Gami State Trail, Gandy Dancer, and the Lakewalk Trail. We mountain biked the COGGS trails in Hartley, Chester and Lester Parks. We played frisbee (disc) golf at UMD, Lincoln Park, Blue Ribbon Pines, and the Quarry. We went rollerblading and mini golfing on Barker's Island. We went camping not once, not twice, but three times so far (with one more trip planned in September). We explored the North Shore: agate hunting in Beaver Bay, cliff jumping in Temperance River State Park, Tettegouche State Park, and Beth Lake, hiking the boardwalk around Benson Lake in Crosby Manitou State Park, hiking to Palisade Head, Shovel Point, Ilgen Falls, Hidden Falls, and High Falls in Tettegouche, hiking along the St. Croix River, catching crayfish in the Baptism River at Eckbeck Campground, and zip lining at North Shore Adventure Park. We explored the waterfalls in Wisconsin state parks - Pattison and Amnicon. We watched the comet NEOWISE in the night sky. We saw the Milky Way. We skipped rocks into Lake Superior from both Wisconsin Point and Minnesota Point. We ate ice cream at the Portland Malt Shoppe, Chilly Billys, Big Dipper, and at the Glensheen Mansion. We canoed in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) and on Balsam Lake and summer isn't even over yet!
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Theo and Lucy
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Marit and Lucy
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Theodore "Te adoro" Benziger
Theo turned 8 in July and had a small bike "party" with a few friends along the Lakewalk. He is 4'7" and weighs 69lbs and is almost out of his booster seat. His last day of 1st grade was pretty anti-climatic (but we took a picture anyway) and he got to say one last goodbye to his teacher. He completed his weekly paper packets and became an expert in the butterfly life cycle. He's lost 2 bottom teeth so far. He enjoys frisbee golfing, playing soccer, swimming, roller blading, mountain biking, paddle boarding, fishing, tubing, climbing on the ninjaline, and cliff jumping; beating us in board games like monopoly and dungeon; building legos; collecting Pokemon cards and playing Pokemon Go; playing video games like MarioKart8 and Prodigy Math Game; and playing outside with the neighbors, Daniel and Natalie. He wants a dragon or a cat (like a tiger) for a pet. His favorite Netflix shows are Avatar, Legend of Korra, Magic School Bus, and Wild Kratts. His favorite movies are Frozen 2 and Moana. His best friends from school are Elliot, Harrison, Oliver, William, Daniel and Natalie. When he grows up he wants to be an artist, soccer player, mountain biker, professional disc golfer and mushroom scientist. Theo will be in 2nd grade this fall and right now is planning to attend a "hybrid" model 2 days per week in school and the other 3 days at home. Thank goodness for Khan Academy, IXL, and Prodigy to keep them busy at home.
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Last Day of 1st Grade
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Theo saying goodbye to his teacher, Miss Hall, during a last day of school drive by
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Theo mountain biking in Hartley
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Theo with a big bass caught off the dock on Balsam Lake
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My adventure buddy
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Cliff jumping in Temperance River
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Theo cliff jumping at Tettegouche
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Marit "Firelord" Benziger
Our baby, Marit, is "five and a half" going on 15. She wants a pet and prefers either a narwal or a dolphin. Currently, she is 4'1" and weighs 58lbs. She graduated from Hartley Nature Center (MWF) and Hidden Valley Preschools (TTh) this spring. Her Hartley graduation was an ice cream social over Zoom where her teachers, Miss Alyssa and Miss Becca, sang the "Here We Are Together" pop-up welcome song, read a book, and then said a tearful goodbye. For her Hidden Valley graduation, Marit wore her favorite princess dress, Rapunzel. All the families gathered in a semi circle and stayed near their cars in a parking lot while each child's name was called. It was hard not to give hugs to her amazing teachers, Miss Katie and Miss Tara. Marit will start kindergarten this fall at Congdon Elementary. She likes to do the monkey bars, paint her nails, put on make up, and (temporarily) dye her hair. She begged to get her ears pierced and was a bit shocked to discover that it was painful. She adores Jojo Siwa and watches music videos on her tablet. When she grows up she wants to be a dancer, painter, singer, and doctor. Her favorite Netflix shows are Avatar, Legend of Korra, The World of Winks, Ever After High, Ladybug Girl and Wild Kratts. Her favorite Disney movies are Tangled, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, Moana, and the the Little Mermaid. She has recovered well from her broken leg last winter and enjoys being active with her brother. She learned how to roller blade and enjoys biking, kayaking, tubing, playing with the neighbor, Natalie, coloring, singing, dancing, and being kind. She is very good at swimming and loves playing at the cabin and on the Maui Mat with her cousins, Evie and Josie. She is the best at cuddling and loves reading books. Despite all the changes to school, I am confident that they will both excel this year and learn how to be flexible.
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Her favorite - mint chocolate chip from Portland Malt Shoppe
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Marit at soccer practice
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Happy to be a graduate!
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Hidden Valley graduation with mom and dad
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Marit catching a bass off the dock
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A little sad after getting her ears pieced like her cousin, Evie.
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Her favorite - chocolate milkshakes
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Growing up so fast!
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Cliff jumping in Tettegouche
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Pandemic Hiking and Camping
The beauty of the pandemic is that for the past few years were so busy with work and traveling that we didn't get to slow down and enjoy the North Shore of Lake Superior. We had not spent much time camping as a family since we lived in Seattle. This year we made plans to go to the BWCA and bought our permit back in February before the pandemic started. We don't mind a rustic site (rustic means no running water and no showers with only a pit toilet) and a short hike from the parking lot as long as we have a large flat tent pad, some privacy and water nearby. The first camping trip to Boulder Lake we broke in our new 4 person tent. We hiked around and caught frogs and snakes and had no less than 20 ticks on us but luckily no one got Lyme disease. The second trip we found a first come, first serve spot at Eckbeck Campground in Finland State Forest near Tettegouche State Park. It was great to have access to three state parks for hiking and swimming. We enjoyed spending time with our cousins, Lauren and David, and Grandpa John. The third camping trip was to the BWCA (see prior post) and the last trip will be with cub scouts to Camp Horace Johnson on Island Lake in September.
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Celebrating John and JoAnn's 40th Anniversary
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Roasting hot dogs over a campfire at Eckbeck campground
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| Ilgen falls with the cousins |
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Glensheen Mansion with Grandma
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Cousins at Split Rock Lighthouse
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One of many days tubing at the cabin on Balsam Lake
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At work and at home policies and politics seem to change on a daily basis. Getting outside and away from social media and the constant stream of news is a good mental health break. Away from the city lights you can gaze up at the night sky and see that we are but one speck in a galaxy of 100 billion stars. Our lifetime is but a blink of an eye in cosmic terms so we might as well enjoy it while we are here. There have been pandemics that have come before us and there will be pandemics that come again. While sometimes it feels that many things are out of our control and will never be "normal" again, there are things in life that we can control and that remain constant, like a chemical bonds between two atoms. For example, the bonds we share with close friends and family will prevail after the pandemic. As the earth continues its daily rotation, we too must continue to wake up and be grateful. Grateful for the wonderful people around us and little things that make us smile. I will try not to get distracted by the stress and anxiety of the next wave of the pandemic or what I see on T.V. As the seasons change and the earth continues its rotation around the sun, I believe we will continue to learn more about how to better treat and prevent this disease. I will not let the fear of COVID-19 overcome me but I also will not let down my guard. As we open our schools and take more risks, we also must be more diligent in other parts of our lives to minimize risks. We need to continue to be diligent and prevent the spread of disease. With the next lunar cycle, fall will arrive and we will dress a little warmer. However, we will continue to get outside whenever possible, keep our social distance, wash our hands, and wear our masks. If there is one thing we've learned this year, it is life is too short to worry about things out of our control. Personally, I try to focus my energy on my attitude towards the things I can control and leave what I can't control behind.
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Lockdown 2020
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Lots of pictures from the first 6 months of COVID19 Pandemic 2020
Preschool Graduation
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Last day of preschool
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| Hidden Valley Graduation |
Cabin Fun Memorial Day Weekend
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Hiking in St. Croix National Scenic Riverway
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Mini golfing in Taylors Falls
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Building a tower at the cabin
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Biking in Amery, WI with Grandpa and the cousins
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| Paddle boarding at Balsam Lake |
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Going down the slide on Balsam Lake
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Fishing at Balsam Lake
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Roasting s'mores
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The perfect s'more with dark chocolate
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Sparklers!
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Camping at Boulder Lake
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Camping in Boulder Lake
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Hike in campsite at Boulder Lake
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Frog catching
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Tick
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Nap time
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A typical latrine at our rustic campsites on Boulder Lake and in the BWCA
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Getting cozy in the tent
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I love you too!
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4th of July Cabin Time
Cabin Time
40th Anniversary Weekend
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Boys mountain biking in Hartley
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Cheers to 40 years! Happy 40thth Anniversary JP+JRP at Gooseberry Falls
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The Pastorius gang
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Glensheen Mansion
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Glensheen Gardens
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Glensheen ice cream
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Theo's 8th Birthday Parties
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Oliver, Elliot, Theo and Harrison at Theo's 8th birthday party
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Birthday bike ride #1
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Make a wish birthday boy!
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Birthday party #2 with Natalie and Daniel
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Waving to all the tourists on the North Shore Scenic Railroad
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More ice cream
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Ice cream with Natalie and Daniel
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The new present - ninjaline
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Natalie and Marit by Lake Superior
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Weekends in Duluth
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Mini golf on Barker's Island
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Day trip to Amnicon Falls
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Marit and Theo at Amnicon State Park
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Amnicon river and CCC bridge
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Playing in the sand a Wisconsin Point on Lake Superior
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Roller blading at Barker's Island
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Hike to Tischer Creek falls by our house
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Sushi dinner take out by Tischer Creek
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Lester River falls in Duluth
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Floating down Lester River in Duluth
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Cabin Time
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