What a great week of vacation!  A friend expressed surprise that so many of us stayed happily together in a big house for seven days.  Actually we had plenty of room, there were many things to do, and we like being together.  We had some wonderful meals together, lots of good conversation, and three kids who provided much zany entertainment.

These pictures are a look back at the week spent by the lake not far from St Joseph Michigan.  A delta kite in the sky reminds me of Myles who proved his skill at keeping our kite aloft for at least 45 minutes in a gentle breeze.  The kite flew like a magic red bird at water’s edge.

Of course Lake Michigan is the biggest attraction.  In our walk down the steep ravine to the lake occasionally a wild flower along the way gleamed in wild beauty.

We visited Silver Beach in St Joseph several times.  The Carousel is an experience of color, and sound, and motion that words are hard to describe.  I went for a ride and was reminded of the joy that I felt as a small child on a carousel.

Main Street in St Joseph was delightfully decorated with dragon sculptures variously themed by local artists.  This is my favorite dragon just outside of the carousel, and a picture of my closest friend.  Dragons, a carousel, and friendship just seem to go together.

A good morning was spent at Bumbleberry Farm picking blueberries.  The farm helpers welcomed us, and there were animals to see and touch.  There was also a neat tree swing that was a lot of fun for Violet and her dad.  The swing arced high and also would spin round and round.

This poster was on the wall inside of the store at Bumbleberry Farm.  I liked it.  Are not the pleasures of living worth allowing ourselves to be lost in their joy?

For me the meals that we ate together were among the unforgettable aspects of our time spent together.  Parents, children, grandparents, aunts do not have opportunity to have dinner together often.  This bottle of red wine was chosen as a good compliment to a wonderful spaghetti meal at the end of one of our days together.

I will not soon forget the sunset that we viewed while enjoying a days-end swim.  A few minutes after 9 PM the fiery ball of our sun slowly, resolutely dropped behind the earth’s edge to the West.  It was glorious to see.  And so time passes.  Another day lived, with another morning to look forward to.

These few days spent in Michigan will be remembered for a long time.