Curl Up and Enjoy

As many of our friends and family begin to make the mass exodus from Door County to find warmer weather, I curl up even more in my apartment and listen to the season change from fall to winter. This is the first time in seven years where I haven’t hauled a suitcase out of our family’s attic and stuffed it with all of my belongings. Throughout the years, I have found excitement and nervous energy when waiting at the gate to fly off to another exotic land. Yet this year, I am finding excitement in the quieter side of Door County; the Staycation Season.

Coming home from China in May was a whirlwind to say the least. While I was jumping into a new internship at the Peninsula School of Art, I was also trying to visit friends and family who I hadn’t seen for the past year. The electric buzz that was constantly turned on from June to August in Door County kept me busy, and almost spinning. Dinners at the Shoreline, coffee dates at Leroys, and the “never-taken-for-granted” time on the rocky shores of Pebble Beach took up most of my summer. But who could blame me? Many people envy how we are able to spend the entire summer in Door County. The summer months now feel like a sweet dream that have already come and gone, waking us up to the reality of cold toes in bed and necessary hats, mittens, and thick wool socks.

Though the summer warmth at Pebble Beach is quite addicting and how stargazing is more enjoyable in a cotton summer dress, I am ready to start a new chapter in these upcoming winter months. That being said from a Door County local, who swore to her friends that she was going to live in Sweden or France for the rest of her life, may come as a surprise to some. Yet, there are so many things to explore here right in front of me. I was quite honored to be asked to write another blog for the Pulse this year, even though I may not be traveling across the Pacific. Here I’ll write about the mini adventures I’ll go on that make Door County great in the winter. I’m thinking of it as taking the back roads on a family road trip. You may moan and groan as a child, wondering why on earth do your parents need to stop at yet another museum dedicated to classic cars built only in the ’60s, but those are the things that you will always remember about that trip.

Who cares about the temperatures of this upcoming winter? They are just a bunch of numbers that will get lost in the background of your memories of having potlucks every Wednesday, starting a team for Trivia Night, or becoming legendary champions of Broomball. So those who are ready and willing to enjoy this Staycation Season with me, I say, “Rock on!” There’s no point in thinking that Door County doesn’t have anything to offer just because the tourists left. Now the peninsula is ours again. Let’s have fun!

Peace, Love and some good ole fashioned Staycation Spirit,

Martha