I am just home and in my pajamas. I will write later today about our explorations Thursday. I was NOT home when I wrote the last post. I came home to 20 messages on my answering machine and 155 emails. On both people thought I was home already.

Ready to go to bed. We had a good day though. Emma is thrilled to be home.

First I have to say again how wonderful Emma's behavior has been. Yesterday and today I did water exercises in the pool. This pool, I must place her closer to the water than the YMCA AT home. She has been just great. I used the pool two times yesterday as it has been quiet and convenient. I plan to do the same today. Emma has attracted lots of friendly smiles and inquires. She has been an outstnding companion.

We have had such a nice day we decided finally to stay till Thursday. Greg does have to work a wedding rehersal Friday night and tend to other things. I think I told you what a super room we have had. I think knowing I was handicap using a walker and with the dog and availability they upgraded our reservation. We paid for a small room and got a bigger suite.

Well you should see the room we are in for our last day/night. We had to move as ours was booked. It is better yer if that is possible. It has two baths, two bedrooms, awhirpool, fireplace, but best of all two decks. The main deck is larger and the main bedroom are a main floor with an outstanding view of the lake. Like other days we are getting a bit more sunshine at the end of the day so hope to see the sun set on the lake.

Watching the sunsets has been part of our routine daily. This time we plan to see it from our room. This also had a seperate dinning room, kitchen with breakfast bar. Hones I don't have a lot of money. I NEVER have been somewhere so fancy in my entire life. We are being spoiled by staff who keep asking if we need anything. Truth is they all like the dog. My Sunday worries were silly. Emma has been more than welcome.

The housekeeping staff was so cure. In this complex word got out to them that we were moving to the bigger fancy suite. They were so tickled to tell me it was ready by 9 this morning so we had it all day rather than the 3:00 arrival time. So were staff at the front desk since it did not book last night.

This last day we are staying close to our room. Emma is enjoying the freedom of being off leash for several hours. We have read, talked and napped. I think the nap was Emma's favorite part. She is also enjoying the view as people walk a path near the lake right ourside so in our view but not so close that they can see in. IT LOOKS LIKE ITIS GOING TO BE AN AWESOME EVENING.

YESTERDAY = We stuck around till about three. the fun of door county appears to be exploring the small communities, many shops, art gallaries, etc. We found many in Egg Harbor, Fish Creek (?) and Ephram. We also explored some county roads and found parks and other views of the lake. Especially at sunset. This is such a beautiful area.

Emma has been just awesome in the small stores. Some though have such tight aisles that she and Greg prefer to be outside and walk the shore line. Some are even too tight for me with my walker. We also do our share of sitting and people or bay watching. Gosh they have big yachts in some of the areas. I can't imagine how much money those owners mucst make.

We had dinner at the famous Door County Fish Boil. They boil water with salt. Small red potatoes are added in a basket, after several minutes a basket of onions is added, then after all those are cooked, the final basked is white fish - caught the same day, cut up and ready to cook. The trick is to boil the fish enough to cook it but not turn it to mush. The final stage is kerosine is added to the top. It causes huge flames, smoke and a boil over. Then all layers are removed. The oil of the fish burns off from the kerosine.

The result is an awesome meal. We went to the Post Office in Ephram. Locals told us it was a great place for the fish bowl. They gave an entertaining stories as the food was prepared. We watched and listened. Emma was so good on a blanket on the side of me. When it "boiled over" and some smoke came my way she very quickly moved to hide behind me like a shy child. I was sitting on a bench. The resulting meal was the best fish I have ever had in my entire life. HONEST. They served it with coleslaw. The dessert was yummy cherry pie. Cherries grow in door county so there are cherry products everywhere.

I feel like a travel guide writer. I love MN NORTH SHORE but this is a close second. We have had so many neat experiences, We found cherry products like jam, and salsa. We found home made applebutter and pumpkin butter. We still hope to shop for some of Door County wines before we leave the area. They have apple orchards, cherry orchards, and winaries up here. it has been so fun to have time with one another.

Greg is napping. You can't imagine the beautiful view of Superior Bay that I have right now. There are birds chirping, it is just a little cool, but heart warming. In my packing I should have brought a sweatshirt jacker or sweatshirt. Like the North Shore winds off the lake can be cool.

I love to write. But don't think I am missing a minute of fun due to my writing. Writing today and most days helps me reflect on my life and my life with Emma. It makes me more appreciative of what I have. Nature reminds me of how I believe in God my creator. It nourishes my soul. It is good to see green spaces, the country, the open sky, pelicans, geese, ducks, birds, they type I don't see daily. It is good for my spirits.

Tomorrow we will leave and drive home. we are hoping to have it take 6 hours but we will need to take a few breaks so it might be longer. We hope we don't experice detours due to flooding. But if we do we will remember how fortunate we are not to be one of the victims of this disaster.

So thanks for reading the past days.

Hope you are doing well, Mary and Emma

We love Emma. She is adding joy to the trip. She amuses us, and is a nice companion. Not to mention how much I need her. Here is my attempt to tell you my feelings about Emma

T - terrific
H - helpful
A - attentive
N - nice to snuggle
K - knowledgeable concerning her cues

y - you are awesome (Emma, Tiga, and Judy)
O - outstanding
U - YOU ARE THE BEST

Tiga was with Emma when she lived with foster mom Judy. Tori too so thanks to her. Now Judy is training Charlie (Tiga's son). I can't imagine my life without Emma. Greg likes her company too.

Thank you Judy for your work at helping paws as staff and as a foster parent...you changed my life in a wonderful way.

Mary and Emma love you very much.

The resort has been so kind to Emma. Any doubts in my mind are now gone. We went up the peninsula yesterday and all the gift shops, restaurants welcomed Emma. Many even had small do treats on hand to welcome her. One bakery;/deli decided to give her a big big discount that they make for sale. It normally cost $5 but she got one free. It was so big she got bits of it all day.

We are having such a nice time, I think we are extending our trip to Thursday for sure. Greg unfortunately has some problems to deal with at work today. Thank goodness for cell phones and his computer. We are hanging around the resort to be sure we have cell phone reception till the matter is solved or at a place where he can relax and not worry about it till tomorrow. Don''t worry we just came back from the pool. I needed the exercise, Greg enjoyed the hot tub. Emma just watched. This time due to space she was so close to the pool water (compared to the YMCA) but she still layed on her blanket and just watched.

Evenings she gets her walk by Sturgeon Bay. It is delightful to sit there as the sunsets. I walk a little with them and then find a bench. Emma and Greg walk further so she gets her exercise. She is being wonderful. Though at times you have to say "leave it" the smells from other dogs, especially poop that isn't cleaned up (hers always is) she wants to investigate. On Sunday evening we ate at a place called Sunsets Bar and Grill right on the bay. The food was great. Then we walked by the lake. The smell of fish, animals, in her
midst really distracted her. Near there were lots of trees and cabins. I bet their were chipmunks and/or other critters that she usually does not encounter. There we did give her a bit of time to take it all in though of course she was leashed and the poop of other animals was off limits.

The staff here has been awesome. Everyone is so friendly. Though it is a big resort in my eyes the rooms are quiet. You don't hear people in the hallways, they have an awesome indoor and outdoor pool. We used the indoor as it seems so cool outside.

I love to write and reflect on what fun we are having. I plan to write more so stay tuned.
Hope things are going okay for you - Mary and Emma

Today we drove up to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. When we got to the resort the women at the front desk told us no dogs were allowed. She was very kind and apologetic. I did not get angry. We simply explained she was "not a pet" dog. We explained she is a highly trained service dog and the Americans With Disabilities Act gives her the right to stay here. While not sure it was okay, she said well go ahead and take her with you. She explained they had upgraded our room and their would be plenty of room.

Now this room was cheaper than our La Quita (chain) room in Delford Wisconsin.. What we walked into was amazing. It is a suite. We have a huge huge bedroom, with a kingsize suite and two person whirlpool. Then a full kitchen including a dishwasher. A breakfast bar. A dinning room table. A fire place in the living room with two great chairs for reading and a sofa. A deck too. Wow we hit the jackpot. This place is so nice. We got in here about 3:30 pm We will go out for dinner but plan to just hang out here tonight. It has nice pools also both inside and outside.

We stopped at a visitors center for Door County and picked up many written materials and maps about what to see in Door County. It is a peninsula that on one side is Green Bay and the other side is Lake Michigan. Looks like their are lots of antique shops, small stores of all kind, and many fun things to do. Greg is napping after all the driving today again. Emma is also napping at my feet. That's why I have time to blog.

My wonderful kids - Anna, Mike, and Tia went to my house today. I believe they did some mowing, planted some flower seeds for us, and also fed the gerbils and checked on things. That is so nice to know they are doing that for us. They talked to Greg by phone to wish him Happy Father's Day.

I guess we just missed a storm here with large hail. We have been in the sunshine all day. During the car ride I had my arm out the window and got a light sunburn. Emma seemed more anxious during the ride today. She panted so we shut up windows and put on the airconditioning and that helped. She was glad for breaks.

When we got to the room here she was exited to explore the space. There is a door to the patio from each room so I showed her how she could go in a circle. She liked the deck but it is very sunny and a bit too hot for me at this time of day. The only thing we don't have is a view of the bay. We did not pay extra for that but our view includes lots of trees and a walking path.

I just can't believe how nice this suite is for us. When we made the reservation - Greg did indicate that I was handicapped and might have my scooter with me. We opted instead to bring my walker. But no matter which I have - the extra space of these big rooms is just wonderful. We couldn't be happier with the room.

Emma is so sweet, snoring at my feet here. She has her head right on my foot. I love when she does that. She is so special to me. There "pet" policy means they will help you find a place to kennel the dog. I would drive home before I would let that happen. I explained to the women that she is with me at all times, would never be in the room alone, and they likely wouldn't even realize she was with us. They seemed interested in knowing more about a service dog. Educating the public is one of the roles in our daily life.

Hope all is well with you and yours. Wishing you a good day - Mary and Emma