The "Summer Vacation"

Ahhh the water. Ahhh the cool nights! Now. Just a scoop of Northern Lights, and it would be perfect. Check that. Throw in an old jeep with the top down..... Now that's heaven on earth!




This was a "pinch me" moment. I was having a post endorphin rush (warm fuzzies from all the walking walking walking) sitting in a rocking chair on THE porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. For free!! We had an entire hour in those rocking chairs, just looking out at this view....only much much wider.





We took our annual trip to Northern (lower) Michigan to stay with Dan's mom and dad....aka the Free Resort. With all that free baby sitting, we tried not to leave burnt rubber marks on grandpa's drive way as Dan and I took a lovely day trip to Mac Island. For me, the porch was the hi-light. It's where it's at!

We didn't rent a bike. We didn't rent a horse. We didn't rent a buggy. We didn't rent a buggy taxi. We used our own two feet. Flip flop clad feet. But I looked good and that was the most important thing. We walked all over the south face of the island. Up high, and down by the water. The sun was warm and the breeze cool. The flowers were just incredible. It's almost magical. In a nut shell...PER FECT!

All good things must come to an end....

..... back at the ranch, the younger generation... the boy cousins got a few good rolls in down the hill. In the soft blue grass. There's a picture of trouble if I've ever seen one!



This is the "Resort".



This is the view from the porch of the Selkirk Lake. Thanks mom and dad F for making our summers so peaceful and refreshing! We love you!



Lest you think I've taken up a hobby of sipping garden mulch... I will tell you I have broadend my horizons and cultural experiences. I am sipping a very common Brazilian tea. It's quite an art. Tea is to Brazil what coffee is to Seattle. Can't say that I'm hooked, but it was fun. Dan's niece Ashley was an exchange student in Brazil last year. While we were home, she had a "Noche de Brazilia" (Brazil Night) with lots of yummy food cooked as close to fogo as possible.



Here is all Great Grandma Hamer's grandsons all together. Jamie Hamer, Dan, brother Dean, brother Dale. Pretty neat.



Speaking of cousins... back home in Texas, I made a visit of my own to see my cousin Tony Leal and his wife Kim. They have 4 boys the same age as ours. Lord have mercy when we get together.

Now if I could just get my sisters down here again....