Summer fun and family!

 

Summer began Memorial day weekend at one of our favorite places, John Gurney City Park in Hart, MI. It was the first place Dave & I ever camped together and we still think the view is just lovely!

Mom and Dad camped with us and we had special visitors, the Boices, from Mom & Dad's church and Linsey came and popped her tent next to us too. We had such a fun week, it just went so fast and we missed having Marcus join the shenanigans.

 

Noodle got in on the action as well but wasn't so happy about wearing his life jacket. About 2 minutes into the paddle he wiggled right out of it. No worries as he got his sea legs pretty quick and just hung out in the boat watching as we went along. Now if I could only teach him to paddle!

While in Hart we stopped by Pleasant Valley Winery to see my old boss from Eastbrook. Bob seems to be enjoying retirement very well. It was good to see him, Theresa and Paul at the "farm".

From Hart to Saranac to spend time with Dave's son Brian and his wife Josie to celebrate their son Brady's high school graduation. Having the motorhome made it so nice to stay another day so we could get to go kayaking and see Brian's plane he just bought into.

 

Brady is quite the fisherman! He loves being out on the water and catching and releasing tons of fish. He is such a fine young man who works hard, loves the Lord and we couldn't be prouder of him.

From Saranac to Greenville, OH then to Coldwater, MI to spend a few weeks at camping rally's with Mom and Dad.  Loved visiting Bear's Mill in Darke county and seeing these classics. 😎

It was fun to meet so many of Mom and Dad's friends, some of which they have camped with for over 30 years! The fairgrounds were lively and we enjoyed watching the horse clubs come every night to practice for the upcoming fairs. Couldn't resist putting this beautiful picture of my pretty girl, Pappy in here too! 

Back to Saranac for Brady's open house. He is such a good uncle to Addileigh and Waylon, and they just love him. It was great to see family but I regret I didn't get enough pictures. Matt & Rachael and the kids were heading out right after to fly to Florida for a cruise, lucky them!  It was especially nice to see other grandsons Regan (also sorry I missed his picture!) and Briar with his new fiance, Julia.

Back at Brian and Josie's where we got to spend more time with them and Madelyn, Blake, Addileigh  and Waylon. They are such adorable family!

Up north we go to Empire and another of our favorite places, Glen Arbor. My birthday was made especially sweet with Bruce & Jan joining us plus Bill & Julie Hall, customers turned friends. Campfires, wineries, good food and lots of fun was had! I don't know how I missed his picture, but Sam the man, Bill & Julie's golden retriever was life of the party too.

What's this you ask?? It's a salt room that Jan, Bruce, Dave and I went to in Traverse City. It's supposed to be good for healing and breathing. I'm not sure if it worked but the laughter was certainly good medicine!

From the posh campground Indigo Bluffs to boondocking at Leelanau State Park...they said we wouldn't fit but Dave got her in there...and what a view we had!

The hiking there was just beautiful with miles and miles of trails. Matching in it's beauty was the water of Lake Michigan for kayaking. So clear you could see straight down for several feet; a great place for rock hounding for sure. We also saw eagles, water snakes and lots of pretty flowers.  From the campground you can walk to the Grand Traverse lighthouse too. It was a cool place to camp and the sunsets were amazing!

From one great sunset location to another we traveled south along Lake Michigan to the St. Joe area where my brother Stephen & his wife, Donna have their condo. Handy that both their birthdays and their daughter Margaret's are all in July so we all gathered there for a big birthday weekend. Even Ben and Tim drove from New York but we did miss having Emma and Lauren there with us. Next year for sure!

It was so nice to see our "extended" family, Donna's sister Diane, her husband Michael and their kids, Aaron and Nick, with his wife Vanessa and their dog Captain. Always a treat when we get to eat food Michael has prepared! We had a great time playing volleyball in and out of the water, eating fabulous food and playing cards, of course.

From St. Joe we traveled east to the big "D". It was great to meet up with Anne & Carl to go to a Tigers game, as well as play tourist and go to the Henry Ford museum, Greenfield Village and the Ford Rouge plant tour (where my dad worked for 30 years).  It felt so odd to be back "home" only a few miles from where I grew up in Woodhaven and went to school at Lutheran High West.

We toured the plant (no pictures allowed inside), took the train, rode in a model "T" car and ate lunch at the Cotswold Cottage in the Village. The flower gardens were spectacular with so many flowers all in bloom. It was a perfect day and so lovely to sit and have tea while enjoying the gardens.

The museum has so many interesting items in it, including a radio my dad had donated that he got for his 10th birthday. It was fun to see the original "vacation homes on wheels" and of course all the cool cars.

 

The unforgettable Edsel, named after Henry and Clara Ford's only son.

 This one is a Corvair. My mom had one and his name was Hershel.  That must be where the naming of the automobiles began in our family. 😁

An unexpected surprise of this stop was that Michelle was in town for the entombment of her dad, so we got to see her again as well as Christopher and Anne.

Noodle loves his Aunt Michelle! We were also able to meet up with Dave's youngest brother Steve (I call them the book ends since they look so much alike!) and his wife Peggy. It was great to catch up with them and hear all about their kids, grand-kids and Steve's new post-retirement job, working at a funeral home. Lots of interesting stories from him!

Another treat was getting to see my friend Lorie from our church we grew up at, Epiphany Lutheran. She and her husband Pat are celebrating the 40th anniversary of when they met up at a youth gathering at Mackinaw Island. I was there when it all started! It was also nice to see 3 of their 10 children and be a part of their family evening devotions.  

 

Next stop was Frankenmuth for a meet up with people who stay at Royal Coachman Resort down in Florida in winter but live here in Michigan in the summer. I think there were about 45 people and they gathered right outside our RV. We were happy that of the 45, 2 were Bruce and Jan! We got to do some outlet mall shopping at Birch Run while we were there. Aren't those boys cute with their new Skechers shoes in their backpacks? 😆

Up and over the Mackinaw Bridge we go! Next stop, St. Ignace to see Sandy "UPer", my college roommate from Grand Valley State. It was so great to see her and the kids doing well and meet her new husband Jason.

Across the UP to Wisconsin for the annual EEA airshow was next. This year the girls got to join in so Dave, Brian and Brady had some company with Josie and me. It was nice they came with their camper too but they got a spot in a campground while we were boondocking in a field with a thousand other campers! It's beyond crazy how many people show up for this event (like over 600,000)!

The event lasts over a week but culminates with a big night air show with drones, pyrotechnics and fireworks. It is quite a show and as Dave puts it, why he's a fireworks snob comparing any other fireworks to this show!

Next stop for us is Voyageurs National Park, which we missed doing last year due to exhaust system troubles. We are so thankful to God that this year is going well and for this lifestyle we are getting to live. Traveling this beautiful county but also getting to see family and friends is so wonderful. Thanks for reading such a log post. We'll leave you with a video of the sun setting on the northern shores of Lake Michigan. God is so good!