A Fun Way to Spend the Hodgepodge

After driving 5 1/2 hours this morning, taking a much needed nap, catching up on some much needed computer work, I still was able to find enough time to visit with Joyce for the Wednesday Hodgepodge.  Thank you Joyce for asking some fun questions this week that didn't require too much brain power that happens to be in short supply for me right now.

1.  What's the last thing you completely overreacted to?

I don't normally overreact to anything as I am pretty temperate and controlled.  Now, this does not mean I don't get mad, frustrated or experience the desire to hit, strangle or back over an individual(s) at times.  Having just spent 13 hours in the car on major interstate highways and listened to news reports some of that time, I experienced all of the above at one time or another.

Another activity that causes a degree of stress is completing the E-check-in for an upcoming doctor's visit.  Am I the only one who wants to say, "most of these questions are none of you #$%^& business"?  I just finished answering 5 out of 5 online questionnaires that could easily have been answered with that one response.

2.  Your top five snacks?

Before yesterday I would have said Costco's Trail Mix is my #1.  That was before a bad overlooked cavity in a molar responsible for chewing, was found and filled.  That one will now be marked off the list.

#2.  Grapes & cheddar cheese squares

#3.  A bite of chocolate

#4.  Banana w/Peanut Butter

#5.  Glass of chocolate milk 

3.  What smell always brings back some type of memory?  Elaborate.

A woodburning fire brings back memories of when our children were home and our family enjoyed evenings together.  It also stirs those memories of helping Hubby cut and stack wood for burning.  Yes, those were good days.

4.  What's something you learned from the last book you read?

The last book I read was Jeremiah in the Bible where he wrote in Chapter 4:3-4 that the unplowed ground where thorns and thistles grow (our hardened heart and disobedience) are to be broken up and planted with good seeds (faithful living in obedience).  He also followed that with this verse.  "Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, remove the foreskin of your hearts."  This simply means, purify, get clean, get rid of anything that comes before your relationship with a Holy God.  In other words we are being told to ready, prepare ourselves for what it takes for spiritual renewal and a life of obedience to all that Almighty God has called us to be and do.

5.  What's the next thing on your to-buy list?  Will you make that purchase before the end of the year?

Our old Keurig machine has gone on the blink and since Hubby is the coffee drinker in the family, we need to get him a coffee maker soon.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

This past Sunday afternoon we spent the most delightful time with a special young lady from a previous city and church.  Dick and I adopted Bonnie as another granddaughter several years ago.  After life changes to all of us, we have gone four years without seeing her until this week.  What a delightful time of catching up and sharing what God has done and is still doing in her beautiful life.  We love you, Bonnie.

On Monday, Dick and I drove to Little Rock, AR to see our nephew and the best dentist in the country, Lee Wyant and his wife Jacqueline.  We also got to visit with his son, Clay.  Jacqueline loves to cook and prepared a most delicious meal that didn't challenge the new filling in my mouth.  Thank you for your warm hospitality and for a good night's sleep.  We loved our time with you.  Nothing like family.

And, this handsome young man will be celebrating his 55th birthday tomorrow, the 22nd.  John has always and continues to bring such joy to our lives.  We cannot love you more or be more proud of the godly man you are, and the husband, father and grandfather you have become, John.  You are loved big!

A Summer Lighthouse Hodgepodge

Joining Joyce for another Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1.  What's a task you do on a regular (or semi-regular basis) that feels like it should be an Olympic event?

I know this sounds silly, but I recently tore my right rotor cuff, so using the vacuum cleaner is a challenge.  I wouldn't seriously classify it as an Olympic event but it is a challenge. 

2.  What's in the trunk of your car right now?

We have an SUV so the 3rd row of seats are usually folded so there is a lot of space.  Right now, there is nothing but a hidden pair of jumper cables.  As we are visiting our Indiana family, right now the trunk is empty until we reload it on Thursday.

3.  Summer foods vs. fall foods...which do you prefer?

There really isn't a difference in how we eat, except we do eat more soups in the fall.

    Would you rather - watermelon or caramel apple?  iced coffee or pumpkin spiced latte?  potato salad or sweet potato casserole?  barbecued ribs or roast turkey?  ice cream sandwich or apple pie?  corn on the cob or candy corn?

4.  August 7th is National Lighthouse Day.  Have you visited any lighthouses?

Yes, we love to visit lighthouses and visited two along Lake Michigan last week.

This was found in Charlevoix, MI, a delightful town that we want to visit again.

This may have become our favorite.  We found this one at the end of a very rural road in Silver Lake, MI.  It was built of red bricks in the late 1800's.  I did a blog post this week on this trip HERE.

  Do you have a favorite?

See above.  We do have another favorite that we have visited several times in South Harbor, MI.

It is spectacular during the winter when it is covered in ice.

Not my photo

  Is a lighthouse something you seek out if you're visiting an area known for theirs?

Yes, we delight in seeking out lighthouses when we know there is one near where we're visiting.  And then, we love finding one by surprise such as last week.

5.  Light at the end of the tunnel, out like a light, give the green light, a lightbulb moment, in a new light, in the limelight...of the 'light' idioms listed which applies in some way to your life lately?  Explain.

"In the limelight" probably best fits our past couple of weeks.  Our granddaughter #3 was married in a beautiful ceremony on July 27 in Three Oaks, MI.  She definitely has been in the limelight and rightly so.  She was the most elegant, stunning, graceful, and beautiful, happy bride.  These two pictures speak for themselves.

Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Last night we took our son and daughter-in-law out for dinner to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary (Aug 13) and John's 55th birthday (Aug 22).  Where have the years gone?  How is this possible?

We have also enjoyed spending time with our great grandson #2, Jax this week.  On Tuesday, we went to the library which he loves to do.  He calls it "books & babies."  Isn't that the cutest!  He loves to be read to and his Mimzy checked out 18 books today.  He will have a lot of reading ahead for sure.  I'm so glad he loves being read to.

Lake Michigan Road Trip Day 2 & 3

One thing Dick and I most enjoy doing while taking road trips is getting off the interstates and finding hidden nuggets we might not see otherwise.

Our first surprise was the town of Charlevoix, MI, right on Lake Michigan.

The streets lined with the most lush hanging flower baskets was our first introduction.

Right after parking, we realized the draw bridge we had just crossed was opening to allow a couple large sailboats to pass.  They were on their way to the entrance of Lake Michigan.

Deciding to take a stroll down one of the side streets, we discovered the neatest little park.  I left Dick there and took my camera to get a closer look at the bright red lighthouse.

Charlevoix has been added to our do-over list for another trip.

Our next stop was Grand Haven.

We saw the remains of the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival from the previous weekend where thousands attended.  Grand Haven was the first city designated by an act of Congress to be Coast Guard City, USA

There were still several large boats at the dock representing a completely different lifestyle than we are accustomed.

Our next stop was Silver Lake and this opened a fun door to a special nugget.

Here we saw the Sand Dunes of Silver Lake.  This beautiful lake does not flow into Lake Michigan which can only be reached by crossing the dunes.

These party barges were ready to shuttle beach goers to the dunes for a day in the sand.

Remember my saying we like to take the roads less traveled?  We found this scenic road that paralleled Lake Michigan and saw a very worn sign about a lighthouse.  We followed the signs down this very, very narrow road and look what we found at the end.

The Petite Pointe Sable (meaning little point of sand) Lighthouse.  It juts into Lake Michigan and was completed in 1874.

Increased shipping on the lake started after the Civil War, largely due to the expanding lumber industry.  As a result, this isolated point became the site of several shipwrecks.  One of these was the beaching of the schooner Pride.  In 1872 the US Congress approved funding for the erection of a lighthouse.  Because the location had no road access, the building was delayed.

 In the 1900's, the lighthouse was painted white because it was decided that was the official color of a lighthouse.  However, a few years ago, it was decided to remove the paint and restore the original brickwork.  I approve of that decision.  We decided it is the prettiest we've seen.

From here, we continued to frustrate our GPS navigator and remained on back scenic roads.  Again, we were rewarded.

We found the Cherry Point Market located in Shelby, MI.

While looking around at the scones, and other appealing pastries, plus all the homemade delicacies in jars, I met the owner, Barbara Bull.  She was so delightful.  She is prolific author, and as she told me, she writes during the hard winters when the farm is resting.

I did purchase her book "A Point in Time" where she shares many tidbits of information regarding her life on Cherry Point and little stories associated with this remarkable place.

Again, a return trip is on our list.

After ending up on a gravel road between fields, we did eventually please the GPS and got back on the interstate that would take us to our family in Granger, IN.

Before getting there we found a large produce market advertising sweet cherries.  We couldn't pass them up and are so glad we stopped.  They were the sweetest cherries we have ever eaten.  Another repeat stop.

Yes, we will never run out of things to do and see in this part of the country.

Post Wedding Road Trip

On Sunday morning following the "perfect" wedding, Dick and I again enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the Oaks Eatery in Three Oaks near our apartment.  Evidently both locals and tourists enjoy the food there because it is always full, both inside and out.

Our destination for the day was St Ignace in upper Michigan.  We enjoyed the trip and saw some beautiful parts of that area of the state.  After arriving and checking in, we drove around the town to familiarize ourselves again with the places we wanted to return to.

This was not one of them.  On a side street we saw this rehab in progress.  We were mystified as to the outdoor decorations or the possible use of the house.  This may say more about the town of St Ignace than we want to know.

On Monday morning, we took the 8:30 a.m. ferry to Machinac Island.

As we approached, we got a beautiful view of the Grand Hotel.  This is such a unique place and I think a favorite for many visitors.  We had a lovely dinner there the last time and I recommend doing that if you choose to stay in another location as we did.

Our previous trip there was a three-day stay at Mission Point Resort. As that is our favorite spot on the island, it was where we wanted to spend most of our time.  But in order to get there, we first had to walk through the shops and many of the lovely buildings and hotels along the way.

This is the only mode of transportation on the island.  Most of the hotels have their own carriage shuttles, but these are taxis in case you decide walking is not your first choice.

The other option is to bike and there is a wide variety of choices from a regular, hand gears, e-bike, mountain bikes, tandem for adults and children, as well as three-wheelers for seniors.  We chose to not test our balancing skills and decided to use the new and old hips.  This did require an occasional stop to watch the world go by.

Lady Liberty on the Island

Yacht Club 

St Mary Catholic Church

Entering the Mission Point compound

Mission Point is at the eastern tip of the Island and faces Lake Huron.

The Adirondack chairs on the front lawn offer a great place to sit and watch all sorts of boats and ships pass by.

We had a delicious brunch in the curved dining room and enjoyed watching all the bikers do what we had so much fun doing on our last trip - touring the island up close and personal.

Before leaving the island, we decided to indulge in one thing Machinac Island is known for and that is ice cream. Our cones did not disappoint, as usual.  As there was a storm moving in, we decided to get a head start and left before it got too late.

Machinac Island never disappoints; however, let me suggest you choose a less busy time to go than early August or late May.  The summer months are hot and overrun with families taking advantage of the last days of summer.

Tuesday morning found us back on the road heading south toward some interesting stops along Lake Michigan.  That's another post.