Going UP?

Summer, in other than Florida is a treat. This summer, I've had plenty of treats away from home with numerous trips to both California and Michigan thanks to Jayne's ingenious, ace-up-her-sleeve planning. My last trip to Michigan, we went to the U.P or the Upper Peninsula. On the way, we stopped at Higgins Lake and stayed in our friends Kim and Marvonne's log cabin (it sleeps 17, so if you're thinking about a little cabin, think again). What a fantastic retreat this property affords. Lake-front living, tucked away on a cul-de-sac and bordered by raspberry bushes; divinely delicious in every aspect from the quaint downtown antique shop to the ice cream shoppes which speckled the town on every side of the street. Thanks, Kim and Marvonne, for the great get-away.

The main reason for this trip, was to host a Welcoming Ceremony for Jillian. The mini-vacation to the UP was a perk! Jillian's Welcoming Ceremony was a spirited, intimate gathering of family and friends with a promise to mother and child of unconditional, eternal love and support. If you click on the link (below on the right) to Gen's Blog, you'll see some photos of that special day.

After spending a relaxing night on Higgins Lake, we spent the entire next day, sunrise to midnight traveling the UP. Having never been, I was wide-eyed and smiling from the ferry ride across to Mackinac Island to the full moon who followed us back to the lake that night. On Macinac Island, we walked and shopped, collected sea glass, walked some more, took a horse and carriage ride when walking wore us out, and even climbed the Fort which was well worth the view from the top. We left when thunder rang its bell and dark clouds threatened to put a damper on our day. I almost got on the wrong ferry coming back, by the way. Luckily, I had my personal GPS by my side who guided me on to the right boat!

After a day at the island, Jayne drove us up to White Fish Point where we walked the beach on Lake Superior, looked for sea glass and collected pocketfuls of rocks. On the way home, we found a fish joint and got some white fish to go to eat lake-side in the car. Jayne asked for Tums a little while later; fish has never really been her cup o'tea. We capped-off the night by laying dock-side on Higgins Lake, counting the billions of glistening stars shimmering on the indigo back-drop of midnight. I even caught a shooting star out of the corner of my eye and giggled with glee. Check out the slide show for pictures of our trip going UP.