Report on Vacation--Just the facts

Yipee for vacation! Yipee for extended family reunions!!

My week in Michigan was everything a vacation should be: relaxing, beautiful scenery, bonding with wonderful family, fun activities.

This is the beach of Lake Huron. I have officially changed my position to liking the great lakes better than the ocean--the freshwater is a refreshing change and there are NO jellyfish. There are enough waves to keep it interesting, but not enough that they require any energy at all. Why oh why did I not appreciate Michigan more when I lived there?

I got to go canoeing. It was super fun. I have included here a picture of my niece because she is way cuter in a canoe than I am. I will spare you the story about how cute she was at first and how cranky she got at the end (but if you want to hear the story, I am happy to tell you if you ask). The fellow in the back is my awesome brother-in-law Josh.

Here is a small, random sample of the extended family with whom I bonded.

And yes, there were even education opportunities. This is me and some cousins and an aunt by a wanigan at the Lumberman Monument State Park. In case you're wondering, a wanigan is a floating cafeteria for the lumbermen who worked the river--camp was too far so they'd eat at the wanigan and sleep on the ground on the bank of the river.

After the official extended family reunion, I got to spend a day in Saginaw with part of my immediate family and part of my extended family on the other side.

Joy of joy of joys I got to go blueberry picking!!! The local place is a berry farm/ used book store/ travel agency. Seriously. And it is awesome.

























Our family rule growing up was "No pick-y, no eat-y." Now as an adult-ish person, I am beginning to understand the beauty and wonder of picking and eating your own food. Another highlight of the vacation was watering Mom's container garden on the back patio (not pictured). There is just something about the smell of water coming out of a hose that is so intriguingly different from the smell of rain--perhaps part of the memory of summer recreation as a child.

And because no one other than me cares, I will skip over the account of me finding and buying a skirt that I'm fairly sure I recognize from the premortal existence.