This summer has been one of the warmest I can remember. Northern Michigan is not noted for very hot weather. That's why people from downstate, Chicago or Ohio come here for summer vacation to escape the heat. Oh sure, everyone knows, and we count on the week of Cherry Festival to be pretty warm, and even the week after. But we consider warm to be at the most the mid-80s. Most summers we may have 3 or 4 days of 90 degrees or higher, and even last year we only hit 90 twice. I read in the paper that we have had 10 days of 90 or higher this July alone. 11 is the most number of 90 or higher days in the month of July.
So we have tried to keep cool as best we can. We go to the beach with Christine's family as often as we can fit it in our schedule. We still take our walks, even when it is so hot. A. loves to watch the go carts at the Adventure Park. You can see the sweat droplets hanging from her hair. She can be hot but will never complain. We just have to have plenty of water with us.
So that day we came home and I turned on the sprinklers and she cooled off.
Poor grass was so parched. Thankfully we have had some rain recently.
My oldest son is moving to Boston to take a new job. He has always lived within 3-4 hours of us and hasn't lived outside of Michigan since he began living on his own. I'm very excited for him to be going on this new adventure. He is cleaning out his apartment and packing up his things and there are some items that were family "heirlooms." So Christine and I, and the 4 kids, took a road trip to Kalamazoo last weekend to pick up a couple of items. We had a blast. We got there at noon and went to lunch as the kids needed to be fed. Of course, we were then ready for ice cream and found the Coldstone shop.
The kids had fun on our road trip, and always enjoy being around Uncle Adam.
My oldest grandson rode with us and got to experience A.'s ability to talk constantly for over 6 - 7 hours while in the car. We made it home close to bedtime. After a day in the car, A.'s hair was a big mess the next morning.
A. has a friend from pre-school who loves to be with her, and she loves to be with him, too. It must come from deep in their souls, like they are drawn to each other, soul mates. I remember when he first came into A.'s class. I dropped her off each morning, and he would follow us around as she was taking off her coat, etc. Whereever she was, he was right next to her.
We all got together last week to play. It was so cute to see him push her on the swing.
He rode his bike when we went to the park, but then wanted to walk with A. They walked holding hands like it was natural.
On our walk back to our car, her friend's older brother held her hand, too, while her soul mate put his arm around her.
Here is a picture of the lilies I planted long ago. Whenever I went to Indiana to visit my Mom, she would love to get in the car and go to different places--whether it was to the grocery store, dollar store, or Kohl's--anywhere. Of course the one place we never missed was the "boats" or the casinos. There are several in the area and we would try a differrent one each time hoping we would find luck.
On one of my trips, we found a package of summer lilies. We split the package and Mom probably planted hers in a pot. She was always planting something. I'd often call her and ask her what she was doing and she would tell me she was working with her plants. I planted mine in the back near the pine trees. There are 3 plants and this one blooms last and is by far the most beautiful. Every time they bloom, I think of my Mom. It makes me happy.
When A. is in school, I plan my errands & grocery shopping while I am alone. Of course, in the summer we go together. We have our rituals--like putting the babies in the "rocker seats" and checking out the baby toys. We used to have to go down the vacuum cleaner aisle, but not anymore. Recently A. discovered the motorized horse and wants a ride every time. It's only a penny, so of course she gets a ride. While we are in the check-out lane, she keeps a watch on the horse to see if anyone else is getting a ride. She is still learning to share and gets a little upset if someone else is riding when she wants to. On this day, Baby Kimmy got to ride with her, too.
I cleaned up A.'s bedroom and came across one of those tatoos that kids wear all the time. She never would let me put one on her, but consented this time. The minute I put it on, she wanted it off. These tatoos don't come off as easily as I thought. As of today, it's been on for 5 days and shows no sign of wearing off.
Our walks are still very important to us, even though we can't go every day. On this day, it was hot and we forgot to bring her water. Luckily there is a bathroom and a water fountain at the Adventure Park, so we always make sure to take a pit stop, which we did this day. We found the baby carrier the other day, so today Baby Brittany got to go for a walk with us in the baby carrier.
Hot July is finally over, but the hot weather is sticking around this first couple of days of August. We'll see what develops.
I'm remembering the first year I moved to this area and we lived in Suttons Bay on the bay. Hot weather waited until July to show up, and then it was more typically warm weather, nothing like this year. By the middle of August, we had our first frost. I learned that year to enjoy the warm weather when it comes because soon enough the snow will fly.
I am not complaining about the hot weather, just reporting it. We will continue going on our walks, going to the beach when we can, and of course just playing outside. We are embracing the warmth, for sure. And I have a trip to California in my future. I am so looking forward to holding my 2 grandchildren and just spending time with my youngest daughter's family. She has a few adventures planned for us, so I know the time will go by fast.
Enjoy the rest of the summer!
July came in warm and fun. After our weekend in Indiana, we were so exhausted and it took us several days to get caught up on our sleep. A. had a special 4th of July outfit, thanks to Aunt Christine, and when we went to the grocery store, everyone commented on her outfit and how cute she looked. Notice her shoes are on the wrong feet. :)
We went to Christine's for a cookout that afternoon. It was so hot and the kids played with their squirt guns. A. has one that I bought earlier in the summer but hasn't had a chance to learn how to use it. Here she is working hard learning. She really tries to keep up with the boys.
Another family came over to join us and they have a little girl. A. was happy to have a friend to play with. The friends brought over an ice cream maker and made vanilla ice cream. Christine made chocolate and strawberry vegan ice cream and we all enjoyed it outside on the back deck.
We love going to the beach, and so we went with Christine & the boys on Friday. It's been so hot so we thought that the best place to be is at our favorite beach in Empire. Here we are laden down with everything we need to have fun. There is a lot to carry, and we all do our part.
Lake Michigan with Sleeping Bear Dunes in the background.
A. put her baby in the tube, and then decided she should try taking a ride. She had more fun sitting in the tube and having others push her around. She has never ventured into the water higher than mid-calf, so for her to sit on the tube in the water was a big leap for her. She was happy and excited but she was also scared. All three boys had fun pushing her around in the water. She would have gone on forever, but after a while the boys were done with that game.
Here she is scared because I am not close enough to her.
Cherry Festival started on Saturday and we went to the waterfront downtown to watch the air show on Sunday. We met Christine's family and got there early so we could have a good spot on the beach.
Airshow starting.
This one is well protected from the loud noise!
These two have been picking at each other a lot lately. But they are enjoying a quiet moment watching the air show. Love Christine's shadow at the bottom of the picture.
A. caught the cat, which she tries to do every single day, many times during the day. The cat is smart, but sometimes a sleepy cat, which is why she gets caught. A. is sneaky and quiet when she approches the cat.
Then the cat had a smart day and slept under a chair. A. couldn't get hold of her, so she learned she could just pet the cat and that was OK.
On Thursday, we met Christine and the boys downtown so they could run in the Kids Run which was sponsored by Carter Oosterhouse from HLN. He's a Traverse City native and he and his wife are often seen around town. A. loved swinging while we waited for Christine & the boys. She laughed and giggled so much that everyone around her commented and laughed along with her.
Christine & the boys registered and put on their numbers. We thought the youngest would stay with us while they ran, but he wanted to stay with Mommy so she pushed him in the stroller.
We saw Carter taking pictures with other kids, so we went over and I got a shot with him just before the run started.
We were just there for Christine and the boys and the run, when we suddenly noticed there is a parade happening shortly after the run started. (Realize that we rarely go anywhere in the evenings as A. goes to bed around 7:30 pm. I knew the Cherry Royale Parade is always on Thursday evening, but since we never go, it didn't register with me. I am sure we will go every year from now on.) We decided to watch the parade while we waited for them to return after the 1 mile run. A. had a blast watching the parade. It was soooo hot and I tried to keep her in the shade. But she was oblivious to the heat and focused on watching the parade. She got suckers, gum, cheerleading pom poms and other stuff. Who wouldn't love it?! The best part was being so close to a fire engine.
Christine was caught on the other side of the parade and it was taking a long time for them to get back to where we were. She called me and said would we like to meet downtown for ice cream. At first A. said no, she didn't want to miss the parade. But I told her we would get something cold to drink, so she agreed to move. Everyone was happy with their ice cream cone!
On Friday we planned to meet Christine & family at the Cherry Festival just to walk around and see what was there. There were hot dog samples at the Oscar Meyer weinermobile, free samples of McDonald's Cherry Berry Chiller (just that it was cold was welcome), and we watched the Air Dog Show. But we were scorched as it was one of the hottest days yet. As I was getting breakfast, A. talked to Baby Kimmy and told her we were going to the Cherry Festival and we would have lots of fun.
It was so hot, but we were able to find some shade to eat lunch. Then we were done and left to go home. As I passed the Elephant Ear stand I weakened and had to have one. A. looked at it and said no thanks, so I ate most of it myself (I can't believe I am admitting to this). I also had to have Kettle Korn. Notice Baby Kimmy came with us in the stroller.
Close to the parking structure in downtown is a storefront that showcases Lego creations, and this is begging for kids to sit and get their picture taken. I couldn't resist. We have passed it several times during this week and A. was always facinated by the Lego kids.
My youngest son was able to take his 4 year old son to Cherry Festival and I met up with them for a few minutes that day. This is A.'s father and even though he doesn't have custody of his children, he loves them very much and doesn't hesitate to show them his love. A. wasn't able to be with us that day.
My oldest son got a job in Boston and will move there in August. He came up to TC last weekend to see us before the move. A. is so social and loves company of any kind. She latched on to Adam and loved being with him.
My oldest grandson took this picture for us after lunch on Sunday.
I have mixed feelings about my son moving all the way to Boston. I am happy for him to find a really good job, but will miss him as he will be so far away. I am close to all my children and always miss the ones that are not near me. My youngest daughter is in CA near San Diego. I am thankful that I am able to visit her and her children in a few weeks. I can't wait to hug those kids. I have already talked to her daughter about my visit and we decided I will go to Disneyland with them while I am there.
I realize it would be rare to have all my children live near me. My Mom had 7 children and 4 of us lived in different states. It's just the way it is now. I am so thankful that my oldest daughter moved back here just 2 years ago. And that my youngest son is here, too. I'll take my blessings as they come. And I am truly blessed, for sure.
