A Week on Lake Michigan
We've just returned from a little summer trip up north in South Haven, Michigan...
It was our first visit to Michigan and I learned, or rather, confirmed something about myself.
I am more of an ocean girl. Yes, the sand, waves, seagulls, and lighthouses were plentiful, but a summer vacation without the sea and salty air just wasn't the same for me. My boys, however, LOVED the warmer temps of Lake Michigan and were happy to play for hours in water that didn't sting their eyes or taste bad. We actually spent more time on the beach with this trip than any in the past.
We rented a cozy (ie. tiny) little 2BR cottage full of white wicker, framed puzzles, creaky hardwood floors, stocked with plenty of board games, lincoln logs and beach toys.
The entire yard, front and back, was enclosed with a pristine picket fence,
blooming hydrangeas, and a retro-ish swing set.
We quickly filled the home with sand trekked back from walks to the beach
and made use of the grill and screened in gazebo for dinners with the boys
in their jammies, all tuckered out from busy days.
Our usual modus operandi is to eat out while away,
but without the lure of fresh lobster, we opted to do most of our dining at the cottage.
We kept it super simple and found it was definitely a nicer way to cap a long day of playing in the sun!
Most of our week was spent at the beach.
Feeding and chasing the "eagles" (C's word for seagulls), building sand castles,
"boating" (in an inflatable boat) and swimming.
In between beach time we explored the surrounding lakeshore towns of
Saugatuck, Douglas, and Holland.
Each was charming in a midwestern sort of way.
They were well equipped with the traditional tourist necessary fudge, ice cream, salt water taffy and T-shirt shops. Honestly, what is it with beach towns and fudge shops??
They also had quite a bit of beautiful art from local artists.
Our favorite spot in South Haven was the Chocolate Cafe.
We chose the nicest day of the week to take a dune ride.
It's a bit like a 45 minute roller coaster.
I held on to Charlie and my camera for dear life.
We rode to the top of the 2nd highest dune in the state and
had an incredible view 35 miles out of Lake Michigan
(which stretches 70 miles wide at it's longest width).
Andrew and Jimmy spent an afternoon on a waverunner.
Andrew drove (apparently like a wild man) tossing his poor Daddy off on more than one occasion. Thankfully I was back at the house while C napped.
I'm not sure my nerves could have handed all that action.
I honestly have a hard enough time when flocks of seagulls descend on us for bread.
And in the spirit of honesty, I feel like I have some blogging responsibility to say that every minute wasn't perfect, anyone with young children knows a week away from routines, combined with insufficient sleep, long car rides, small shared spaces, etc. is hardly a "vacation" for the parents, but we made LOTS of happy memories as a family and that is what it's all about.
And it makes coming back home all the sweeter.
{thanks so much for reading!}