Fall is my favorite color

Weekends in Door County are special.  There are no two ways about it.

I have memories of this wonderful place from way back to when I was young.

In every season, this charming collection of villages that makes up the peninsula of Wisconsin holds an abundance of treasures.  Spring brings an awesome display of tulips, daffodils and any and all other bulb flowers that show their pretty faces each thaw.  So many in fact...there is a festival just to usher in the blossoms! Summer is cherry harvest time...and late July is when you can go to any number of local orchards and pick your own cherries, not to mention nearly every eatery has a cherry-infused something or other...

YUM

Summer time is gorgeous.  The lake is beautiful no matter if you're on the bayside or the lakeside.  Each little village has its own unique qualities and boasts individualities that are endearing to every visitor.  If you talked to anyone who spends time in Door County, inevitably they will wistfully tell you that although they love it all, there is that one place that is their favorite....

That place for me is Ephraim.

Especially Ephraim in the Fall.

Pumpkin patches and apple orchards.  ((*sigh*))

I took my mom and Nate to our camper this past weekend.  Our camper is in Sister Bay about a mile from the Ephraim shoreline.  We went to Pumpkin Patch Festival, ate fish fry at the Sister Bay Bowl (omg the best fish fry in the state) visited our favorite farmers market and had incredible bakery.

We did a lot of nothing, too. 

Which was the best.

Nate loves going to the camper more than just about anything.

He asks about it a lot.

"when are we going camper??"

There is a lot to be said about breathing in the peace and tranquility that is always waiting there. 

We used to have a pop-up camper, and for several years while Nate was younger, we camped a lot.  I mean...almost every weekend!  We camped in Door County, but we also camped all over the state, too.  Nate slept in a pack-and-play that fit nicely in the camper, and it was easy.  When he started getting mobile, it was a little challenging because we wanted to be really careful around the campfire, and then before we knew it he was too big for the pack-and-play.

Last summer, after lots of visits to Children's Hospital of Milwaulkee, and lots of tests, we were told that Nate has SMA 3 (Spinal Muscular Atrophy).

It has nothing to do with his Ds diagnosis.

In a nutshell, it means that as he grows up, he will eventually be unable to walk.

We ended up selling the pop-up because we could no longer camp with Nate as we tried to assist him with mobility, bathroom visits and bathing.  

We talked about getting a larger camper with a bathroom, shower, living area etc.but that's about all we did...talk about it.

But I should have known that James would continue to search for one....and from time to time he would mention something about finding this one or that, but I didn't think much of it.

Then one day he said he had found the one; a 35' park model RV ...and the most amazing part was it came with a sliding glass patio door, a deck already added on and a handicapped accessible ramp.

What??

It was our dream come true.  We were not even necessarily looking for one in Door County, but there it was, already placed on a permanent site, ready and waiting for us!

We came, we saw, we bought.

It was the best investment e.v.e.r

Nate is so happy.  He gets to camp again!

Next summer, when we have it for our first full season, we'll be able to take him boating, fishing, swimming and all of the other activities he loves so much.

Spending this time with my mom was really cool and special.

James was in Nashville with Andrew and the girls were gone...so it was just us three.

Fun!

We ate our way through the weekend and enjoyed every moment;  peaceful hours sitting on Adirondack chairs watching the sail boats float by, hanging out in our pjs all night laughing and making new memories; taking Nate to the beach, festival, out to eat...and lots of fun pictures which is something I really love to do.

Next weekend will be our last weekend before the camper hibernates for the winter.

James and I will go up for one last Fall Fest hurrah, and then we'll be #sisterbaydreamin until April!