The annual Breitsprecher family Veducation (educational vacation) was quite a different experience this year. First of all, Dean decided to join us for the first time ever. Usually it is just the kids and Mom that trek across Iowa, looking for local museums and cuisine. Secondly, we expanded the trip to five days (generally it is only a day or two) and spent the first part of the week simply vacationing—nothing educational added in.
Sunday after church, we piled into the van (after saying a tearful good-bye to Josie’s new puppy Bella) and headed to Siren, Wisconsin. My family has been vacationing on Mud Hen Lake for . . . ever. My grandparents used to fish there before my Mom was born—before World War II even. Going back to Mud Hen means going back to my childhood. What an honor it was to share this with my children.
Of course, things are different at the lake. Most notably is the damage done by a tornado that ravaged Siren about ten years ago. The cabins where we used to stay (Mother Jones’ Lakeside Resort) are, quite literally, gone with the wind. This time, my folks had rented a modular home that was put up ten years ago after the tornado took out another family cabin. This home was right on the lake and I must say that even though it wasn’t rustic, it sure was nice to have two working bathrooms and air conditioning. At Mother Jones, one had to shower across the street and the cabins, though charming, were definitely primitive.
We pulled into the cabin around 6:00 PM and were greeted by my dad and mom. The kids immediately headed to the dock on this perfect summer night and were in the water before I had the suitcases unpacked. We spent three days swimming, boating, fishing, eating, and visiting old friends. Just watching the wildlife was amazing. One morning, as I was drinking my coffee on the dock, a baby deer swam by. We spent quality time with a family of loons every day and also visited with “Ace” the Eagle from time-to-time. It was truly magical.
One thing that I really noticed was home scents can take me back to my childhood. Not only was the smell of pine and lake water (not to mention fish) reminiscent of earlier, simpler times, but places like the drugstore in Siren still smelled like I remember. My mom used to take me in that same drugstore when I was a girl and buy me Archie comics and Tiger Beat magazine. We stopped in to get some cortisone for Paddy’s sunburn—and I immediately had an overwhelming urge to buy a mag with Tony DeFranco on the cover.
We reluctantly left the cabin Wednesday morning and headed to Davenport, for the more “educational” part of the trip. That night we went to an A-league ball game between the Quad City River Bandits (the St. Louis Cardinals A team) and the Dayton Dragons (the Cincinnati Reds A team). We were in the second row, right behind home plate. Our seats were literally better at this professional ballpark that at a high school softball game—we were that close. The River Bandits won and a good time had by all. My favorite part was our waitress. Yeppers—a cute girl came by every inning or so and took our order. She would then go and track down all the food and drinks we wanted and bring them back to us. WAY better than annoying vendors roaming the aisles selling peanuts and beer.
Thursday we headed to LeClaire, Iowa to the Antique Archeology store. This is the shop run by the History Channel’s “American Pickers.” Dean, Patrick, and I LOVE this show and couldn’t wait to meet Mike, Frank, and Danielle in person. Although the “pickers” weren’t there, we still had a good time. We then went to the Buffalo Bill Cody museum, which was nothing special. After lunch, we walked around the historic district, looking at all their cute shops. I must say we fell in love with the town of LeClaire. It is much like Galena, only smaller and more affordable.
Speaking of Galena, that is where we headed next, where we stayed at our favorite hotel The Irish Cottage and toured the home of General Grant. The trip was a resounding success, although the kids sure complained about the educational parts. As a matter of fact, all three kids were in agreement that we should have spent the entire week at Mud Hen and not even bothered trying to have a more “traditional” vacation.
“But, kids,” I said emphatically, “the education is the most important part.” Then I remembered that Paddy learned about how baby loons are born with soft down feathers, which they have to lose before flying south for the winter and that Josie learned that eagles return to the same nest every year and that Cody caught fourteen fish one very early morning with his grandfather —and I realized you don’t have to be in a museum to experience some serious education.
Maybe next year we’ll just skip the driving and the hotels, and spend more time reaching back into my childhood. As much as I love learning about Iowa history, it just doesn’t beat jumping off the pontoon or making s’mores by the fire.
