Jul 25 2008
Back From Michigan
Well, we’re back from Arcadia, Michigan. If your wondering where that is, check out the map on the left. It’s about a six hour drive. If you’re wondering how Jonah did, on the way up, we couldn’t be prouder. Only one stop for lunch (at McDonald’s, which won’t be happening again any time soon).
Overall, it was a great trip, though the weather was not the best. The beginning of the week was nice–Mark (Julie’s dad), Tim (Julie’s brother-in-law) and I went golfing. I marked that trip as a success in that I came back with the same number of golf balls with which I left and even nailed a couple of long putts. Also in my genius, I neglected to wear sunscreen and bug spray, so I was a bit sore for the remainder of the trip.
The cottage where we stayed was very spacious and slept everyone comfortably. The first night, Jonah had a hard time falling asleep, but as the week went on, things got better.
After wondering weather Jonah would take to the beach, it didn’t take long for everyone to find out that he loved the sand. The money we spent on his beach toys was a great investment. One of his favorite activities was to use his shovel to fling sand everywhere. 
as you can see from the photo below. Unfortunately, he developed a bit of diaper rash, so he got the chance to run around naked while also playing in the sand. If you’re wondering, he had a blast.
Tuesday we went to visit my family who was staying up north in Glen Arbor, about 45 minutes away. They stayed in a condo on a ski resort that had a pool, tennis courts and a great workout facility. None of which they were able to use. Doh! Still, while the accommodations were modest in terms of size, they were quite modern compared to where we stayed.
On Wednesday, it was time for my family to come down to visit us. My Dad, Mark and Tim decided to climb “Baldy,” basically a large sand dune located near the Watervale resort, which is where Julie’s family has gone to stay in past years. The kids (my sisters and I and our significant others) spent the day at the “Big Beach,” a stretch of beach on Lake Michigan. There’s another beach near the resort called the “Little Beach,” which is on Lower Lake Herring, a smaller lake just to the east of Lake Michigan.
That night, we all ate at the barbeque at Watervale that had to be moved inside because of rain. Normally, the BBQ is outside and having it indoors definitely took off a bit of the luster, but we made do. The damage for me included:
- 1 hot dog
- 1 bratwurst
- 1 hamburger
- 4 ribs
- 7 chicken pieces
- green beans
- 1 ear of corn
- 1 ice cream bar
- 3 deviled eggs
- salad
Not bad. I’ve done better and now that I have 2008’s list, I can shoot for something more next year.
The highlight for Thursday was definitely going to The Shed (a local bar) to see Tim play his ukelele. He played three songs, including “Over the Rainbow,” a Flaming Lips song and one other one.
The rest of the week, we pretty much relaxed, played a few board games, spent some more time at the beach and ate greasy food. I went for a swim on the Friday before we left in Lake Michigan which was especially relaxing. The water was really warm this year.
Hopefully next year, when Jonah won’t need his morning nap anymore, it will free us to do more things like go berry picking or a glider ride. I know Grandpa Koslen is quite anxious to take him fishing.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
