my nirvana

Well,  I am back from our trip up north.

 We always come back at the same time every year, the sun setting just so, and we all collectively feel changed in some respect.

 The melancholy sets in as we say goodbye to summer and hello to the new school routine.

  We are always sad to leave our vacation behind because it's a place we look forward to ALL year long.

  Still, in a way it's so wonderful to end summer on a good note,  but it's also a reminder that life goes by WAY too fast.

 SO here are a ton of pictures from our trip up north to Elk lake.

 As always,  many memories were made,  and many days and nights spent laughing and having fun.

  I hope you will enjoy taking a peek into our vacation!

 

our little rustic cabin,  overlooking the lake.

 

our neighbor's fine vintage boat that i ADORE.

catching tiny fish, and collecting rocks....

 

 

paddle boarding....

 

this year we brought Tank with us.

he was honestly,  THE best dog ever.

SOOO laid back, so mellow,  even he was having a relaxing time,  you could tell.

he was like a little rock star on the dock. ;)

 

 he loved tubing......

boating.....

 

swimming...

 

digging in the sand...

 

 

laying out in the sun....

 

 

fishing with the kids....

hanging out in the cabin....

 

or just basically being adored. ;)

 

 we did a lot of lounging, boating and hanging out ourselves....

completely relaxing and having NO agenda.  it was so nice!

 

 

 

 

the kids enjoyed tubing......

 

fiona tried it for the first time and of course loved it!

 

me having a tiny heart attack of course. :)

 

unfortunately we were not incident free....my son had an accident up there.

he crashed on a motorized scooter at night, cutting his eyebrow open, giving himself a black eye.

talk about Heart attack!!

 darn kids,  they never listen to you when you tell them not to do things.

 so poor Jackson couldn't swim,  or tube for the rest of the trip because of his cut.

 learning his lesson the hard way.  :(

but I will say,  it could have been much worse.

 He still had fun regardless,  because it is up north afterall.....

 

and you are surrounded by beauty....

 

 

he got to boat with the teens.......

 

 

did i mention how cute my friends kids are?

ADORABLE!

 

we had many adventures....

we canoed the Platte river,  which was GORGEOUS!!!

(even though you start the trip out with a sign like this....)

 

who signed me up for this trip?  ;)

my friends assured me that WE were the only cougars to be worried about!  ha ha ha.  very funny.

it was however worth the risk....

the river is stunning,  

 

 

 

girls in one boat,  boys in the other....

did i mention I am a remarkable canoeist?  :)

 

years and years of having to endure my dad steering me into the bushes with spiders along the riverbanks of the huron river,  made me become a fantastic navigator!

anyways....canoeing along,

you end up at the mouth of the river that opens onto lake michigan.

absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

tons of dunes......

 

 

you can see where the two waters converge....

onto this...

 

we all had a great time....

 

relaxing on the beach...

 

then home to the cabin,  we had some amazing dinners out,

 

can I tell you how much i love Pearls,  and their amazing Cherry margaritas and delicious fried green tomatoes?  mmmmmmm.

 We also had some home cooked meals on the grill potluck style back at the homestead......

 

watching the sunset...

 

and the glorious full moon on the lake....

 

 

hanging out with friends till the wee hours of the morning...

playing cards by nightlight,  laughing by the fire....

all in all it was a wonderful lovely time that i will never forget.

so to wrap it up here are some final images... a little potpourri

of the trip....

thanks for visiting me!

it's good to be home

:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XOXOXO

Comments

[Cathy G]

Wow! I am so relaxed now after looking at all the wonderful photos! What a great vacation spot you have! Thanks for sharing! Cathy G

[kristen]

love love love love these pictures and i want to squeeze you and the kids so badly. come back to raleigh soon or else i'll wither and die. you don't want that on your shoulders forever do you? no, no you don't.

no pressure.

i'm waiting.

[carissa... brown eyed fox]

you cougar you! that is SO funny... love it!
THAT sign would have had me flipping my lid! it would!

adore all your pics!

sorry about Jackson... that stinks! darn life lessons!

your trip truly looks like perfection! friends... sun... cards... booze... lots of laughs!

now... to all the laundry... right!

[suzanne b.]

I loved these pictures! The one of you is the best. :) You just look so relaxed. What a great way to wrap up the summer!

[elma]

Love the pictures!!! What a wonderful vacation:) We used to have a boat like yours. My dad redid the whole boat and then he got sick and sold it. Thanks for sharing. Welcome back:)

[Sara]

fantastic!!

[Jen]

Looks absolutely wonderful!! Perhaps you should get a side gig with the Michigan tourism bureau...
And I totally broke out into a big grin when I saw the picture of you :-)

[Jamie]

You and yours definitely have proven to savor those last few seconds of summer. Amazing pictures of you and your crew, especially love that Tank could come and participate. Fabulous memories that will never fade. = ) Pure happiness, pure Michigan! Love it all!

[Kelly]

Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Linda Crispell]

I have such fond memories of summers spent at little cabins my Dad rented in the U.P. of Michigan. We spent a few in Copper Harbor, our entertainment was watching bears eat garbage at the dump.
I would love to have an adorable little cottage on the lake, lucky you!!!

[noodle and lou]

hey hair twin!! i missed you. looooove the pics. what a perfect spot to make all sorts of fun summer memories!! your kids are the CUTEST and oooh that Tank! i just wanna squeeze him and love him forever:):) hope the back to school week is going well. i'm still in denial and we've been back for a few weeks. yuck. talk to you soon!! big xoxoxo to you!!

[catherine]

for the record...
ANYONE can rent our little cabin up north! it doesn't belong to us, it belongs to my friends Mom who owns the resort....www.wandawoodresort.com
so YOU can enjoy our vacation spot too! ;)
xoxo