Souvenirs

One of our favorite things to do as a family is spend time in the Upper Peninsula.  For the past several years, we've rented a house in Laurium, which is between Houghton and Copper Harbor in the Keweenaw Peninsula.  We have made some traditions that we 'always' do when we are Up North.  We always make at least one drive to Copper Harbor.  We always stop by the Jam Pot and buy a year's supply of jelly from the monks who run the place.  We always spend one afternoon playing in Torch Lake.  We always tour a copper mine (we alternate between the Quincy Mine and the Delaware Mine).  And we always make a stop at Copper World in Calumet to buy souvenirs. 

Sometimes the boys only get one small item.  This year, I just let them tell me what they wanted, then Bill and I decided if it was appropriate or not.  Surprisingly, none of them asked for anything really outlandish or expensive.

TJ.  Last year, TJ got a copper eagle necklace.  He loved it and wore it everywhere.  It broke at the beginning of June, and he was devastated.  We had promised he could get a new one, so he did (not a bad investment for $5).  He also requested a U.P. hat, which Bill could not say 'no' to...

 

Nolan is my stuffed animal lover.  He can't be surrounded by too many of them.  He wanted a large husky dog, but I asked him if he would mind a smaller one instead.  Of course not!  He also got a tiny $1 piece of copper.  He was overjoyed.  The dog's name is Kip.

Then there's Sam.  All Sam wanted was information on copper mines.  Bill helped him find a book on the Delaware Mine, and well, you can see how happy Sam was.  The shop owner, Tony, told Sam that the book he had selected was very special, as it is now out of print.  Sam was pretty proud when he heard that.  He also selected a nice piece of copper.

 

Bill was happy, because I  let him pick out a new tee shirt AND a new sweatshirt (we happened to be in the store on Father's Day, so I was feeling somewhat generous).  And I scored a tee shirt on the clearance rack.  Everyone was happy.  But no one was quite as pleased as Sam.