Driving in January

We just returned from a quick trip to Milwaukee to see grandma and grandpa. The drive back was a little tedious due to some misty freezing drizzle. Upon our safe return my Dad pointed out that driving long distances in Wisconsin and Minnesota in January and February is kind of a losing proposition. Having done it for years, I would agree.

A winter drive is an extra special experience with small children who are completely oblivious to the dangers of inclement weather and car travel. As night fell and the fog thickened, Sara and I had a particularly tense moment when we realized that we were basically without headlights to due to accumulated ice. As we debated pulling over to clean them, Stella became rather insistent that we both look back at some trick she was performing. After a few polite declines and suggestions that we might wait and look in a bit when weren't hurtling headlight-less through the night, we finally met her insistence with a more grim response about sliding off the road and grave bodily injury. Undeterred, Stella again made her request and Lucy squealed with delight. Could there be any other response?

Other than the drive back, the visit was quit pleasant. We opened some belated Christmas presents and Lucy once again demonstrated her fondness for older men. Much like Papa in Nebraska, Pop in Milwaukee was the preferred option when in distress or in need of something.

Other than that, we continue to grind it out through the winter. In addition to a few forced visits to a snowy playground, we spend our time trying to figure out where to go for Stella's spring break the first week of April. We're shooting for somewhere warm and on the ocean.