Catch-Up - Part III: Emery's Birthday

Today is Emery’s birthday and attached is a picture of him with gifts at breakfast this morning.   Heather and Jennifer gave him a gift certificate for dinner at COHO, a great local restaurant and so that’s where we will celebrate tonight.

Today we are experiencing a fair weather gale.   There is a 20-25 mile per hour wind straight out of the west which is just pounding the lake, but it is also sunny and warm.  Attached are some pictures of the lake and the breakwater so you can get an idea of the fury.  Waves off shore are 10-12 feet high and there are 6-8 foots here.  The water is surging into Betsie Bay and we have just spent an hour at the marina re-tying the boat and adding lines.  Movement is wild there with all boats moving just as far as their straining lines will allow.   We are pleased to have a house to stay in because its pretty tough to be on the boat very long.  Forecast calls for another 12 hours to the gale and then calm hot weather again.

Emery says thanks for the birthday cards and emails.  This is his fourth birthday away from home, and every year it’s a new adventure.  Cheers.

Catch-Up - Part II: Kate's Family

Kate and family (Mark, Lily, almost 7 and Caroline, 2 ½) arrived from Seattle into Traverse City late Tuesday evening and Mark’s Mom picked them up.  Wednesday afternoon we brought them to Frankfort, and the fun began.  They were off to the pool for a few hours, then home for hamburgers and “un-birthday” cupcakes.  Mark and Emery have August birthdays and Lily will be seven in September.  So everyone got a colorfully wrapped book to enjoy.  The picture is of the girls blowing out the candles.

The beach was the biggest draw throughout their visit.  It’s only a block away and the water is about 75-78 degrees, the warmest it has been in years.  Kate and family were there at least twice a day and loved it.  We also had everyone on the jet skis and to Kilwins for ice cream; Lily and I played non-stop Monopoly (we each won a game); Kate and Mark had a date night alone; and Caroline bonded with Emery, who she calls Poppy.  Attached are several more pictures of the group.

Sunday we took everyone back to Mark’s Mom’s, and they will spend the rest of their vacation with Pat.  It was fun to have a house full of laughter and giggles and sand and wet towels and toys and books, and now it’s fun to collapse and recover for a few days.

Summer is great here!!

Catch Up - Part I: Fred and Inge

We have had such a busy week since we moved back into the house!!  What a great time and I will do a three part “catching” up blog in order to capture all the action.

We began the week with friends Inge and Fred from Williamsburg joining us for a few days.  We did the usual…a boat ride, a few good dinners, and a round of golf.  The “boys” wanted to play Arcadia Bluffs, the fabulous Scotland-like course bordering Lake Michigan, but there were no tee times available.  So we played the Mountain Ridge course at Crystal Mountain and it was very pretty.  Attached are pictures of our good times.

The weather was sunny and hot, so no problems getting all the activities in.  It was wonderful seeing friends from home.  They left on Wednesday morning, and on Wednesday afternoon Kate and her family came to spend a few days.  See the next blog for all that fun.  Cheers.

Traverse City Wedding

Hello to all.  We are back in our house on Forest Ave in Frankfort and so happy about that.  It is however beastly hot and humid, so that is not so good.  Not even a breeze here on the lake.

Saturday we went to the wedding in Traverse City and had a wonderful time.  The wedding was at Bowers Harbor, an inn on Mission Peninsula which is the arm of land that separates Grand Traverse Bay into west and east bays.   The peninsula is filled with fruit orchards and vineyards and beautiful homes on the water.  We re-connected with people from our times in Midland; met lots of bright young friends of the bride and groom from Chicago; and ate and drank and danced the night away.  Attached are pictures from the wedding showing Alaina the bride with Mom and Dad (Kay and Ron).

Today friends Inge and Fred are expected and we are looking forward to boating and golf with them.  So we are back in the swing of things and loving it!!

Back on the Boat

We are all alone again, and homeless to boot!!  This is the week we don’t have the house, so we are on the boat and re-adjusting to marina life.  And what fun it is…today is very windy and waves on Lake Michigan have quickly built to 6-8 feet.  So any boat out there is piling in to Jacobson’s Marina to wait it out.   Always fun to watch captains and their mates try to dock in high wind and a bit of current.   The Marina dock hands are really experienced here, so if a boat gets within range of the dock and the mate can properly toss a line. …they are “in like Flynn”.

Attached is a picture of Emery, Jen and Heather at The Cove restaurant in Leland where we dropped Jennifer off last week.  And there also are pictures of all the sailboats that were here in the Marina Thursday night.  There were 38 sailboats rafted up here…lots of people and action.  The boats were returning to Chicago after having raced in the annual Chicago to Mackinaw sailboat race.  There are lots of classes/sizes of boats that race, and then they leisurely motor back home the week after the race.  The Marina makes lots of money because in addition to dock fees, they sell gas and food…..all through the night as the sailors straggle in at all hours.  It’s fun to watch for a while, but John the harbormaster says that by 4 A.M. it gets a little old!

We have no plans for this week, and Saturday we go to Traverse City for Ron and Kay’s daughter’s wedding.  The “buzz” says it will be bigger and better than Chelsea Clinton’s recent bash, so we’re looking forward to dressing up and having fun.  Then back in to the house on Sunday; Fred and Inge visit on Monday and Tuesday; then Kate and family turn up at the end of the week for a few days.

So our summer chugs along….cheers to all.

Visit From Heather and Jennifer

Heather and Jennifer are with us and we’re having fun now.  The weather has been great and so we are out every day.

Sunday we took the boat out and went for a little trip south to explore Arcadia Lake, a harbor of refuge port about 10 miles south of Frankfort.  It is a little, shallow lake with many cottages and not much commercial development, but a fun place to travel to.  Attached is a picture of Heather and Jennifer on the boat. 

Monday was jet ski day!!!  We launched the jet skis into Lake Michigan and buzzed north to Point Betsie Lighthouse, a 6-7 mile trip.  Great day even though we learned, AFTER we got there, that the lighthouse is only open Friday thru Sunday!  Attached are a number of photos from that trip.  What you can’t see is how hard it was to re-launch the jet skis from the beach.  More waves were coming onto shore than we realized, so getting the heavy jet skis back into the water was not do-able until some guy put his muscles into the task also…without him we’d still be there.  Always an adventure!

Tuesday all four of us went to play golf.  Heather and I were “cart executives” (read cart drivers), and Emery and Jennifer had a good round of golf.  Jennifer loved my driver, so I am going to have to screen her luggage before she leaves!

Wednesday was a shopping and beach day except for Emery who was trying to fix the boat.  We developed an electrical problem overnight and the boat doesn’t run.   Seeing we want to go to Leland on Thursday,  Emery is working to get the boat back in shape.  I am sure BOAT (bring out another thousand) is going to come into play!!

Today, we drove Jennifer to Leland so that she could join her friends for the week-end.  Your guess is correct--we did not get the boat fixed in time to take her by boat.  More on the boat problem later.  Heather will be with us until Sunday morning. 

So our fun summer continues to roll along.  We are enjoying…hope you are too.