Wet Sandy Feet

What happens when 3 boys go on an adventure by themselves out by the bay?  My two boys walked out on a peninsula that quickly turned into an island that quickly was overtaken by the water.

One son decided to try and run back to shore before it got too deep (and by too deep meaning up to his  ankles).  Except he decided to do with his shoes and socks on.

 The other son stayed where he was and told the first escapee to go get help.

In enters Aunt Toni, who calmly told the trapped son to remove his shoes and socks and walk back to shore.  Which he did.  She always stays so calm in the face of difficult circumstances!  Good thing she discovered my son's predicament, I would have saw the water, sand, dirt, and shut right down.

Then all the boys came traipsing back through the woods to the campsite talking about their "adventure".

The worst part was wet, sandy, shoes and socks... which all who know me, know that's enough in itself for me to deal with.  I hate wet-dirty-sandy things... good thing Daddy was there to figure out a redneck way of dealing with the mess at hand.

Creativity is what I lack when faced with a mess....

But My Man is all set in that category!

Our Traveling Buddy

I wasn't sure if we would ever get another dog that was as great of a camping dog as Nala.  She didn't care about any dogs walking by, she never barked, she loved to just lay outside by us and take walks.  The only thing she didn't like was being left alone in the trailer without a kennel.  So we had purchased a soft sided kennel for camping to give her security.  What you do for your animals...
 

Then along came our Romeo.  And I have to say that he is just about as good as Nala.  Just as long as you don't mess with one of his kids, he is a laid back dog without a care in the world.  Our only issue with him camping, he likes to look out the windows when we leave him alone in the trailer.  He can open our blinds with his nose, climb on the table to peak out a window we didn't think he could get too, and if we don't shut all the doors, he will climb on beds to get window access that way.  So instead of a soft sided kennel (he ripped through Nala's within the first few weeks of bringing him home), we put a chair on the couch, make sure the doors are all closed, and shut all blinds including the ones we don't think he can get to.  Oh and leave the radio playing so he isn't as "in-tune" to what is going on outside that he can't see.

He is an amazing traveler.  People often ask where he rides with us to all our destinations.  The answer is, across my lap.  He sprawls out and snores the trip away.  We should take a picture of him while we travel he is one big lap dog...

And since our little furry friend goes with us most everywhere we go.  I thought that it was high time he had a post completely devoted to him.

Our Romeo...

Remember... just don't mess with his kids!  

Back to Tawas

Iargo Springs means many waters.  Chippawa Indians used to gather here for powwows.  It was thought that the springs held magical powers.  It's about 300 steps to get down to the springs, but it is beautiful.  I can only imagine what it would look like in the fall with the colorful leaves falling into the springs and floating down all the little streams!

I think I could have happily spent a few hours here snapping away.  The moss was such a beautiful green and the lighting was awesome!  

Kevin just finishing up one of the water containers we brought to fill with the magical waters.  Look at him walking that log, the balance, the grace, what a log stud!  

It's a good thing we filled up our water... because now we have to climb those 300 steps back out!

Camping With No Pictures!

This past weekend we had a Peters' Family camping trip.  It was a fun weekend despite the fact that I had to take Jilli into the ER up in Big Rapids because she came down with what Micah had.  Except Jilli isn't responding to the antibiotics.  She has also maintained a fever much higher than Micah ever did.  Poor girl is really having a rough time at it.

Sadly I didn't take my camera out the whole weekend.  I didn't want to lug it on the boat and risk water damage (and we were on the boats a lot) I didn't take it out while at the campfire, because I was too busy eating or finding constellations in the sky with Kerri's phone.  And when I wasn't eating or on the boat I was busy taking care of my sick little girl who was pretty much trailer bound the whole weekend. So unless one of my SIL's want to shoot me some pics (hint, hint) I've got nothing to show :(

Micah

Last week I was planning on a extended weekend visit from my Wisconsin cousins. Instead I got a trip to the Urgent Care with Micah and no cousins.

Micah, is back on his feet and is well on his way to being completely healthy again.  And our extended weekend visit from our cousins got moved to October... So looking forward to that visit!!

Lumbermans Monument

A great place to visit on the east side of the state is Lumbermans Monument.  It's a beautiful little park with some amazing views and the history lessons you learn are perfect for little minds to absorb (and older minds that love history).

 A log jam for the "kids" to climb on.

 This is standing on the bluff overlooking Au Sable River.  Just before we took the 272 steps down to the river.

 Some of the kids decided to test the water.  It looked like a very clean river.  Not like stepping into the Grand River... gross!

That's it for today!

Blessings!!

Rain Makes Me Ramble

Today might be the first day since early spring that I haul out the pants and proclaim today a good day to do some baking.  I love baking during cool rainy days, and it appears today will be a perfect day for that!  I am sure my hubby would agree because when scrounging for a treat he has about zero options.

Ahh, rain, bless-ed rain.  It has been missing this summer and my eyes missed the color green.  Our lawn remained an oasis in the desert, but I am thinking, we are not going to like the water bill.  All the campgrounds we visited this summer were a lovely shade of brown with a few green weeds popping up, but even the weeds were struggling.  And outdoor activities were a choice between the pool or lake depending on campground because it was too dog-gone hot to do anything else.  Or you become creative and drive in an air-conditioned vehicle down to Indiana to walk through air-conditioned stores (and bakery). We did that 3 times in two weeks and the scale proves it, the amish sure know how to cook/bake!

So this cool rainy day is just what the grass doctor (and cookie connoisseur) ordered.  It also does great things for the cleaning monster that lives inside of me (when not reading a good book)  I love to clean on these days.  I also love to curl up and read but right now I am not reading a book that has me drawn to it's pages.

When I was browsing through all the books at the library, I thought for sure I would love this book about a budding female photographer in the 1800's.  But this book has not been an easy read.  This young women struggles with feelings for the Master Photographer she is working under, who is married with 3 children.  I have read books that have been very difficult, but this one I hate to turn the page to read what happens next.  Last night I made it almost to the end and cringed with every word.  The feelings had turned into a full blown emotional affair that included "embraces" and some kissing. I have never read a book that I have been so mad at the main characters.  The lies that are told to cover up this affair are so intwined that I have a hard time keeping them straight!  Sadly, this book is based on real people and maybe that is why it's so hard to read.  To see lives being ripped apart in such a way is really almost to much to read about.

Ok, so you didn't click on my blog to find out it was raining, that I am going to wear pants today, or even that I am reading a horrible book.  So I will leave you with a picture from Tawas.

This is "the boys" first touch of Lake Huron.  As I write this, I am thinking that my boys have touched the Lake Huron waters before when they were really little up by the Mackinac Bridge.  But does that really count?  Throwing rocks where the waters mix with Lake Michigan waters?? Plus, I don't know if I have a picture of it, so then it really doesn't count... Here I go again, my thoughts just wandering, rain must have a way of doing that to me.

Enjoy "The First Touch" and have a happy day!

Tyler... Nicholas... Sam... Micah

Tawas Lighthouse

Tawas has a beautiful Lighthouse that is open for tours and tower climbs.  I always love to walk through a lighthouse and see what it was like back when there was lighthouse keepers that had to keep the light lit.  This lighthouse also has the added draw of it being haunted (they say) by a little girl who died of pneumonia while living there.  We never saw anything though!

Look Mom it's a huge CD!  Our guide had turned it on so the kids could see how it played.  Oh how times have changed...

The entrance into the tower.  Look how thick that white wall is!  Love the curved doors!

 Jr. Audobon looking up the stairs.

 It isn't a very tall tower, but from the top you can see two shipwrecks that sit just below the surface of the water.  That is pretty cool.

 Jilli pressing the button to make the light turn on.  Each of the kids got a turn at turning it on.

There are some lighthouses that I would say, skip it, if you saw it from afar, you can check it off your list and move on the a better one.  This one isn't one of those.  It is a beautiful lighthouse inside and out!

Tawas State Park

Continuing down the road of getting this blog caught up, I am starting a series of posts about our trip to Tawas State Park back in June.  I just looked through the pictures and I am excited to share them with you.

Tawas is a beautiful state park located just above the thumb area of Michigan.  It is nestled on the outskirts of an amazing little town that is full of early American charm.  Kevin and I loved the spirit of East Tawas.  Before my Grandma passed away I was talking to her about this trip we were planning and she told me that her and Grandpa used to camp at Tawas years ago.  That made this trip all the more special to me, especially because as we left for this trip Grandma was breathing her last breaths on this earth.

On our first walk to the Tawas Lighthouse we discovered a delightful little bird that makes it's residence in the state park.  The Baltimore Oriole.  Now, some history on me and birds...

When I was a young girl, I was dragged to the Audubon Society meetings on Saturday mornings.  It was during the time my siblings and I were being homeschooled, so it was considered part of our curriculum.  Anyway, I learned all kinds of wonderful things about birds (and other animals), but mostly birds.  I also come from two parents who love birds and grandparents that loved birds.  So, I am kind of a bird girl whether I like it or not.  When this little piece of information was discovered by our camping buddies I was loving referred to as the audubon lady.

So when we came upon these colorful little birds, I was kind of excited to see them and if my memory serves me correctly it was our camping buddy Paul that spotted them first.  He of course referred to my bird knowledge as to the kind of bird they were.  But as you can see in this picture, he stopped and watched, he shielded his eyes for a better look.  This my friends, is a clear sign of a Jr. Audobon in the making.

As you can also see (in the background), my husband keeps on walking and doesn't display the yearning for knowledge I could bestow upon him.  That is OK, though, because I have three little blond look-a-likes, that will receive the knowledge whether they like it or not.... 

My Weakness

We just got back from 2 weeks of camping.  This time around we were with my parents and although they didn't get as many books read as they would have had we not been there, I think they broke the world (and Olympic) record for how many times you can play Rummikub in a day.

This past weekend we made our second annual trip to Indiana with our friends from the campground, Bob and Stephanie.  Last year it was just our family that went, this time my parents and Laurie joined us for our trip.

There are a few different places that we must go when we go to Indiana.  First and foremost, we must go to Rise and Roll bakery.  It is an Amish bakery and all things good are baked here.  They make the BEST donuts that I have EVER tasted (and I have tasted A LOT).  Then there is Troyers Saddlery Shop.  Troyers has anything horse related, it's a place where the dreams of a little girl (and her Momma) explode.

At Troyers I had a moment of weakness.  And it looks like this...

And of course the hat to go with the boots. If only the hat & boot came in purple....

She is now already for her first horseback riding lesson!

America's Son - Tom Douglas

Read these words... This is a beautiful song.

~~~~~~

His portrait fades and his memory is gone
earthquake cracked his tower of stone
his voice still echoes "charge on...charge on"

God blessed America...with her son George Washington

taxes enslaved the colonies
men lived and died to be free
fought the iron fist of tyranny with liberty

God blessed America with her son George Washington

no surrender and no retreat
first in war and first in peace
father, soldier and a citizen

gave his soul to God and his heart to his countrymen.

bullets flew from out of sight, heaven chose to spare his life
as soldiers bled and horses fell
led his men through the gates of hell
from Valley Forge to Yorktown roared
found the country and won war
amen...amen

no surrender and no retreat
first in war and first in peace
father and soldier and a citizen
gave his soul to God and his heart to his countrymen

when the war was finally won...
glory came to Washington
refused the crown and took a bow

"So help me God" was his vow

from lady liberty to the California sun
we keep looking for another one
we find our hope back where we started from...

may God bless America
with another George Washington,
and give yoursoul to God and your heart to your countrymen

~~~~~~

Are we raising little George Washington's or are we allowing our culture to raise our children into mindless, backless, wimps that go along with the crowd...  believing the lies that Satan has infiltrated into the minds of so many.   

This song just moves me...

May God bless America with another George Washington, bless the Father and Mother that are charged with raising this little one into a Godly man that knows America's history and doesn't let the lies of this world to corrupt them.  May the Bible be the textbook for life...