weekending

we left on thursday for a road trip to the other side of the lake.

west michigan is a great vacation spot, but we're not lured by the dunes or the lighthouses.

we make this trek most summers to visit my aunt and uncle.

we drove straight through to st. joe's, michigan where it is tradition to stop at big boy.

we have an annual standing order.

i look forward to my swiss miss for 364 days.

my big boys.

the annual ascending order family photo.

we made good time and rolled in just in time for happy hour.

a little end of day fishing too.

we stayed in for dinner and played a game of wits and wagers after dessert.

the guys had an early morning tee time friday.

the girls headed south to saugatuck for sight seeing and shopping.

the streets were lined with cute shops, eateries and galleries.

we browsed them all, and found some gems.

lily got a few cute things for back to school.

i bought locally made goodies for loved ones back home, and a new clock for my wall.

it started to rain so we ducked in the butler inn for lunch.

i enjoyed my perch sandwich and view of the channel.

the guys had butch's beach burritos, a must eat when in town.

we all met up for dinner at another grand haven must eat...fricanos.

the pizza is so frickin' good.

we ordered 5 pizzas for 6 people and we came home with 1.

saturday the guys headed out for more golf.

the girls stopped at the farmers market to stock up on local produce:

5 pounds of plump blueberries and 8 pounds of juicy red haven peaches.

then we walked along the channel on the boardwalk out to the beach.

it was a broody day and the sky was spitting.

the red flag was out because the waves were 10 footers,

yet there were surfers in the swells.

and i was too chicken to walk the length of the pier.

there was no line for pronto pups and so we enjoyed tempura dipped and fried hot dogs for breakfast on the way.

when in michigan...

we were a little soggy, but we decided to stay and shop in quaint grand haven.

we tasted wine and cheese and patricia's chocolates too.

the salted butter was the stand out this year.

gelato was for lunch.

followed by a nap.

all very appropriate vacation behavior btw.

my uncle brought out boxes of old family photos before we took them to dinner.

there were a gazillion of my grandpa's time in the service in europe.

he wrote on the back of almost every snapshot.

although i never met him, reading his comments made me feel like i knew him.

he had a sense of history and a sense of humor.

we headed out for dinner at the paisley pig.

it was fine.

i should have ordered the white fish.

one day i'll learn.

sunday we hit the road after breakfast.

i felt ready to head home, but sad to be leaving.

this trip was different.

it's as if i'm finally getting to know and appreciate my aunt and uncle as people and not just my mom's brother and sister in law.

we made good time and rolled into milwaukee mid afternoon.

the boys were so very happy to see us as you can see below.

we, of course, were happy to see them too.

teddy was home for a nano second before going to workout with friends.

lily left for a golf team dinner.

mike threw some brats on the grill and we caught up on sharp objects.

it was a good and full stretch of days.
next year we'll have to road trip earlier in the season because we'll be sending ted off to college.
that was heavy on my mind too.
we're entering a season of lasts.
starting with this last week of summer vacation 2018.