Destination Bentleyville

The day before Christmas Eve, Katie and Avi invited us to meet them in Duluth to see the Tour Of Lights at Bentleyville. There was a moment, however, that I wondered if I'd be able to get everything done in time for Christmas Eve if we went. I thought about it awhile, then decided that I really didn't want to miss out on all the fun.

So, we picked up Nick on our way, and started the drive up north. It was very foggy. The plan was to meet at Betty's Pies in Two Harbors at 1:00, but the meet time changed to an hour later as Katie's family got a late start on their drive. As we drove further north, I saw two Bald Eagles close up, and then closer to Duluth, I saw a sign that said, Cloquet 16 miles. I thought about Gwen who lives in Cloquet, and wondered if we should stop by and drop off something chocolate...

The first place we stopped at didn't have any chocolate donuts that looked appetizing, that would have defeated the purpose. Then we saw a Perkins across the road, and I went in to buy a piece of French Silk Pie. That's more like it! Gwen invited us all in for a chat, which worked out just fine since it would now be 2:00 by the time everybody made it to Betty's Pies. We even had the chance to meet her brother, Peter, when he stopped by to see her on his way back from the cabin.

People had just been seated at the restaurant when we walked in, and we saw that friends Liz and Kevin were also there. Bruce ordered a pasty and I ordered a burger. Some people ordered pie for dessert, I ordered a piece of French Silk pie to take home. 

Getting in and out, not as easy as it looks!

Next stop was the Children's Museum in Duluth. Bentleyville didn't open until five, and we had time to kill. It was a small place, but not too crowded, and little boy seemed to enjoy it. The adults mostly hung out and watched him play.

One last Bah before Bentleyville

awwww

Onward to Bentleyville. Debbie had told me that Bentleyville was magical, and I was looking forward to seeing it! Admission was free, parking $10, and they also had free hot cocoa, cookies, and marshmallows for everybody, a pretty good deal for a magical experience, I think. It wasn't bitter cold like when we went to see the lights at the Arb, but I was still glad that I'd worn my boots and hat. Nick also just happened to have some hand warmers with him, and he gave me a pair to put in my gloves. 

cool fires to roast marshmallows

There were plenty of adults to help keep track of little boy, and Danzer eventually fell asleep. I felt like I was in heaven because I could hold on to Nick's arm as we walked and talked. 💕  

The drive back was also foggy, but we were home by 9:30. Pretty much all I had to do was put together the mac and cheese to be baked in the morning, but I soon discovered that I didn't have enough milk! Bruce to the rescue, and drove to Target to get me more. 

Katie said that they might make this trip to Bentleyville a yearly thing, another good new tradition, I think.